Jevron Stephens |
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Who or what is Jevron Stephens? In our world today filled with so many different people, what makes Jevron who he is in this vast sea? Well, I’m a chill man who enjoys relaxation as his one form of entertainment probably more than anyone else. However that doesn’t mean that I'm not willing to put in effort. I have always been capable of handling tasks on time and with efficiency when assigned. There is a nice balance between laziness and activity when it comes to my mindset. I have never had any issue looking out for my the friends. While I’ve never been extremely popular with any guys or girls at school, I cherish the friends I have been able to make. School has never been fun for me as I never enjoy the activities in classrooms so being able to meet new people and make them my friend has been the one saving grace for me. My dreams have never been anything grand as I have always been based in reality for what it is I want. I’ve lived my life with the bare minimum so I have grown accustomed to that. While I do want more at times, it is little things for my own hobbies. While others are content with shooting for the stars and making it big I'm fine with staying grounded in a secluded life with the important people in my life.
I prefer to stay away from the world’s problems and let others deal with what they feel needs to be changed. I admit it is pretty irresponsible. I do feel that problems like racism and sexism are issues that are pretty ridiculous. It makes me wonder why everyone else can’t just be like me and go with the flow. Who cares if that guy or gal is a different skin color then you? If they are willing to lay back and take in the sun’s rays that’s good enough for me. Yes there is more to racism and sexism than what I make it seem. Life is already filled with enough crap that you sometimes contemplate whether or not it would have been better to not have been born. When we have problems like hating on people because they are different, I just laugh and think why are you adding more problems to your already growing list of them?
An ideal day for me ia eating some great food and just staring at the sky. Pretty small scale but it gets the job done and never gets old for me. I suppose I think this is my ideal day because I have lived in the same place for over 18 years. Canarsie has always treated me well and the backyard has always been the reason I have enjoyed lazy days with the sun. Not a glamorous place but it gets the job done. |
Be straight. Then the guy meets girl, they talk, they kinda like each other, and then they end up together. This is the arbitrary rule and if you are transgender, you can be verbally or physically abused for not complying. By transgender, we mean "an umbrella term for persons who challenge gender normativity, which includes persons who identify as transfeminine, transmasculine, transsexual, Two-Spirit, cross-dresser, genderqueer, same-gender-loving, in the life, female-to-male (FTM), male-to-female (MTF), intersex and more” (Johnson, 2013, p. 3). In "Cisgender Privilege, Intersectionality, and the Criminalization of CeCe McDonald: Why Intercultural Communication Needs Transgender Studies," by Julia Johnson tell us about the experience of CeCe Mcdonald and the court's willingness to punish her for not complying with societal codes of gender and sexuality. The short version of the story is that Mcdonald was walking to a store with some friends of hers and was approached by a bunch of white guys. These guys started throwing obscenities at her and her friends because they were transgender and queer. McDonald tried to avoid physical violence but ended up killing one of the attackers in self-defense. Normally she would have gotten off, but because she was black and transgender, she was charged with manslaughter and sentenced to time in a male prison.
Johnson offered us many interesting and compelling analysis of McDonald's story. As Johnson (2013) argues, “The treatment of McDonald illustrates the layers of violence often imposed on persons who are transgender, particularly trans* persons of color who are (or are perceived to be) working class or poor” (p. 2). Transgender people of color are often looked down upon and have it even harder. It sees like they have to go through so much more hardship than white straight people that it seems like we intentionally make it unbearable from them to live.
The story of McDonald shows us the difference that difference truly makes. While I know there were many factors in her becoming a transgender that are beyond my cisgender understandings, I do know she has been punished severely for these choices. Since she is not a sheep and not a part of the flock, she like many others become a maligned shephard and forced to take the heat. This really emphasized just how messed up the criminal justice system is in the way that it enforces the sheep-like training of gender and sexulaity norms.
References:
Julia Johnson (2013). Intersectionality, and the Criminalization of CeCe McDonald: Why Intercultural Communication Needs Transgender Studies. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication.