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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2008)
northwest Learning to Listen Trans man works within the system to reach queer youth by Jacob Anderson-Minshall ej Joo may have stumbled into his ca spearheading a pilot project that targeted home reer working with queer teens, hut since less queer youth, he quickly signed on. then he’s become solidly committed “Working with LGBT youth—specifically to helping Portland’s queer youth help within the homeless youth continuum...was very themselves. much a learning experience. 1 went from small A few years ago, Joo (“just a guy" who identi SMYRC, where we had like 10 staff, to hundreds fies politically as a trans man) had just earned his of staff.” psychology degree when he t(X)k an AmeriCorps A year and a half later, Joo has settled into position with the Sexual Minority Youth Resource his Outside In position, but his experience at Center. SMYRC—especially the organization’s youth Rej Joo helped launch an anti-smoking campaign geared toward the queer community. As SMYRC’s first health education specialist, empowerment m<xJel—continues to inform his Joo collaborated with the organization’s tobacco work. . prevention coordinator, R.E. Szego, on Breathe “We do a lot of focus groups,” Joo explains. Free, a statewide queer smoking prevention and “The rules and...activities we do, those are all re about dealing with issues no longer relevant to the When he moved to Oregon, Joo says he also dis education initiative. Hoping to raise awareness ally generated by youth. Working with any kind younger generation. covered that when it came to trans men, Portland about the tactics the tobacco industry uses to of youths, whether it’s ethnic minorities or what To become useful allies, Joo suggests “just be had “no community cohesiveness, no groups.” He target marginalized populations, they examined ever, the best way is to just ask them... they’re the ing open...letting them know that you’re willing quickly set about resolving that problem, founding tobacco use and other risk-taking behaviors by experts.” to listen. [Start] building that rapport with them, and co-facilitating an FTM support group that con masculine characters in popular films, televi Approximately 60 percent of homeless youth and eventually they’ll open up, and when they do, tinues to meet each month at Q Center. sion and advertising, and presented a number of in Portland identify as queer, and Joo says resolv just listen. Oftentimes they don’t get a chance to And Joo has been able to participate from afar papers and workshops, including “Smokin’ Hot ing the problem won’t be easy, because there are talk about their identities or struggles.” in the New York-based Dari Project, an online ef ’n’ Butch: Tobacco, Masculinity & the LGBTQ complex reasons for homelessness among youth. However, there’s one identity youth generally fort to develop resources and increase awareness Communities.” “Some youth are so immersed in the street cul don’t want to discuss: being homeless. and acceptance of queer people of Korean de “Why is it sexy that this guy is smoking?” Joo ture that being part of mainstream society isn’t an “Being homeless is just another source of scent, by documenting and sharing life stories of asks rhetorically. “The Marlboro Man and Shane option. Then you have the youth that get kicked shame for some of them,” Joo explains. There are queer Koreans and their families and friends. [a butch lesbian on Showtime’s The L Word].. .the out [because they’re queer]. And you have youth situations where these youth feel comfortable be “Portland is such a predominantly white place more masculine characters tend to be smoking, that are queer, but the reason why they’re home ing out about that identity, he says, but plenty of and I’m working with mostly white queer and and people see that as being hot.” less isn’t because of their queer identity; it’s really others where they don’t. He suggests being aware trans youth, but I think, proportionately, there Joo says he was most impressed by SMYRC’s because of abusive household or whatever.” of (and sometimes avoiding) situations that would are more youth of color among the homeless than youth empowerment model, which provided the There’s no easy answer, J< xj contends. “1 don’t “out” their lack of permanent residence. in the rest of the population, so in that sense, I’m clientele a voice in decision-making and a stake think there’s one solution to really alleviating or As a Korean American, Joo sees advantages working more with people color, but it’s still a in developing organization policy. “Just giv minimizing queer youth and trans youth from be and challenges in Asian gender roles and stereo very small percentage.” ing [youth] the ownership of the space and the ing on the streets. We can focus our energy into types. “It’s kind of nice,” he says, “that 1 don’t Those youth who are from ethnic minorities environment...[was] amazing. 1 know this theory supporting youth who got kicked out, because have to measure my masculinity [against] hyper I feel another level of discrimination, Joo claims. is around a lot of youth organizations, but the way that really almost never happens with straight masculinity stereotypes, but...being in a predomi “[It] forces them to put the queer part aside and it’s actually implemented is different; SMYRC youth. So...that would make sense, but if we’re nantly white culture, and being the Asian guy, really deal with th^ race issues first. Because they truly embodies that.” focusing on that effort, we’re neglecting maybe 35 there’s the stereotype that I’m always going to be face more slurs...regarding their racial back the feminine one. That’s kind of frustrating, and Just as Joo’s AmeriCorps tenure was wind [percent] to 40 percent of the queer youth that are ground... that’s the primary struggle, even though I’m working with them in a queer venue. © I don’t know if that’s what most Asian men feel ing down, he was approached by Outside In—an on the street.” Happy that there are adult queers who—re like.” agency dedicated to providing low-income adults Sometimes, J<xt says, he misses living in New membering the struggles they once faced—are T ranz G uys — a discussion group for trans, and homeless youth with services like transitional York, were “there’s actually a queer Korean group, intersex, gender queer and questioning folks who were housing, a community health clinic, the Trans/ trying to give back to the younger generation, assigned female at birth—meets from 6 to 8 p.m. Identity Resource Centre and Virginia Woof, the J(xt argues that well-meaning adults often “of and I felt like that was my community—that I fer advice, and that’s not always the most help didn’t have to explain about our culture. 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