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. And I
every third Sunday at Q Center, 69 S.E. Taylor St.
first doggie day care in the country that’s also a
|
For more information visit www.pdxqcenter.org.
kind of miss that piece.”
ful thing.” Especially, he says, when the advice is
job training program. When it offered him a job
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