Wow! 

What a trip this has been so far! 

There are so many things to talk about it is hard to pin point only a couple of things to share!

Nina & Greta

On Sunday night we had two amazing visitors come to the hostel, Nina and her partner Greta, who shared their experiences as trans women in San Francisco. We all learned so much from them! One thing that Nina shared with us is something called the "Gay panic defense" which is a legal defense for perpetrators of assault against an individual identifying as a member in the LGBTQIA community. One may claim "temporary insanity" because of a so called condition called the "homosexual panic" or "trans panic" which caused one to act violently towards another. It is up to the judge, who are often conservative, white, male, and older, to decide if such a claim is valid. Yes. This exists. 

One question that was asked was how someone who identifies as cis-gender (identifying with the sex given at birth) can be an ally to someone who identifies as transgender. Greta and Nina both spoke about the importance of recognizing someone's experience and identity as valid is a big first step!

On Monday and today we worked at GLIDE. Overall, GLIDE was an amazing experience. It was fast paced work, but we all fed so many people! On Monday, we had our orientation with the organization; we learned about GLIDE's ideology of never turning away someone who comes to their door. No one has to prove they are hungry, everyone gets a meal. After learning this on the first day of work there, the second day was an even more impactful experience because we were apart of something that was doing so much good for the community. 

We also went to the Women's Building yesterday and today. However, on Monday we worked with SFWAR and today we worked with the Resource Center. While we fliered yesterday, today we helped decorate for their open house as well as serve all the guests who came through the doors! It was a very busy time and a very intense task for the introverts of the trip.

We ended the day with a reflection that allowed us to write in our journals. 

More Soon, 

Ayja