Safe Zone Dialogue

My experience with the safe zone dialogues was a very educational one. I think that it is crucial to provide a non-threatening environment when talking about sensitive subjects such as the LGBT community, and the safe zone dialogues did a great job doing so. I initially thought that the panelists were going to be defendants for their community, but they ended up being insightful informants. They answered every question with an honest answer, and didn’t seem to shun any other opinions if they went against their beliefs. The participants in the discussion approached the dialogue in the same manner which made for the non-threatening atmosphere. I was really impressed with how the dialogue was conducted. The fact that everyone was given a chance to ask a question, state an opinion, or pass led to a very structured and participative experience instead of a debate dominated by a few people. My preconceived thoughts of the LGBT community were pretty liberal minded. I’ve always thought that LGBT people deserve equal rights on all matters including marriage so I figured that I was going to agree for the most part with whatever comments they would have. Although my opinion of the LGBT community wasn’t changed, the panelists helped me realize how the unequal treatment toward them can lead to unnecessary hardships. They told a story of how someone’s partner wasn’t allowed in to a hospital room while their partner was on his death bed since they had no legal contract saying they were married. Stories like these helped to strengthen my views on the subject. They also emphasized that all the usual stereotypes of the LGBT community truly do not apply to everyone. They seemed to be pretty passionate about this which made me realize that a lot of people do naively believe that every gay male, for instance, is like Jack from “Will and Grace”. The use of the emic perspective is what I thought made the dialogue very educational. Like I stated earlier, their stories, opinions, and reasons for their opinions helped to show what it’s like to be a member of the LGBT in a heterosexual world. Also, approaching the discussion with a cultural relativist mindset provided for a better understanding of their community. All-in-all the safe zone dialogue made me weary of stereotyping a member of the LGBT community, and provided for a better understanding of the hardships and lifestyles that members of the community go through in life.