We Are Family Website Analysis

The "Cultural Wars" Over Queer Sexualities:  A Sociological Analysis of Anti-Queer Web Sites and Queer Responses to the Attack

        This issue is not an easy one to deal with from neither the pro nor the anti.  While we hear daily of the injustices that homosexuals endure, some of us praise the harsh treatment of the sexual deviants, while others feel compassion for the oppressed.  This paper is an analysis of WeAreFamily, a pro-gay organization with a web site organized in response to anti-homosexual activity and thought.

        WeAreFamily was established in August of 1994 in Charleston, South Carolina.  Since then, their goal has been to broaden the acceptance of teen homosexuality.  On their homepage, they say, "WeAreFamily is a voice of informed straight, lesbian and gay people who have chosen to love and support our gay and lesbian relatives and friends by working to spread the truth about homosexuality.  Our focus is on young people because they generally feel so desperately alone."  So the organization is a coalition of both heterosexuals and homosexuals that know the impact homophobia has on teens.  The next line on the same page is, "We fight homophobia, the 'last acceptable prejudice'."  So upon entering the website, their goal is plainly stated.  They want to educate people about the facts on homosexuality, and the toll that homophobia has on youth.

        Also on this website, we find mission statement, which is to "encourage straight and gay/lesbian members of our community to value one another through education."  They also place a few facts on the home page about the affects of homophobia such as, "An estimated 40% of street kids are lesbian or gay.  These youths have either run away or been thrown out of their homes.  Many get involved with prostitution and other abusive behaviors as a way of surviving."  These statements along with a few others on the homepage attract the attention of web surfers.  They are strategically placed there to grab attention to what lays ahead in the rest of the website.  Other parts of the site include resources, youth services, and an archive of first hand experiences from gay and lesbian youth.

        On the resources page, there is a list of other organizations that have the same goals as WeAreFamily.  These include the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund (LLDEF), and the Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).  There is a brief description as well as links to their homepages in case you want to see their stance on the issue of homosexuality.  The youth resources link describes "Safe Space", WeAreFamily's attempt to provide a haven for LGBT youth.  They describe it as, "a regular 'open house' each week when gay, lesbian, and questioning youth from 16 to 23 years old can gather together and talk safely about what is going on in their lives.  It s a time without judgment and a time when you can let down the shields we all put up to protect the secrets that we think only we have."  This gives the time and place of meeting, as well as further lines of encouragement to promote the safety and importance of having a place to go when you are feeling doubt about your significance as a human being due to your sexual preference.
       In the archive section, there are many articles written by gay and lesbian youth in response to the criticism and rejection they face on a daily basis.  There are also articles by anti-gay individuals to display the ignorance alive in many Americans.  The archives are broken down into subcategories.  These categories include homophobia & discrimination, government, religion, schools, studies, violence & hate, legislation, religion, orientation, marriage, youth, and suicide.  These articles are important because they encompass many of the issues and stances to be taken on the subject.  They include both pro and anti-gay articles to present both sides in order to effectively show cause and effect.

        All of this works together to educate people who work with teens about the hardships faced by homosexual youth.  WeAreFamily tries to do this in a "non-threatening" way.  Another goal of the organization is to alleviate homophobia in schools, and respond to it and other issues like suicide.  They stress the fact that the more people that work with youth are educated about the struggles homosexual youth are dealing with, the easier those people can make the struggle for the youth.

        WeAreFamily say, "We have worked hard on awareness and education." Some actions they have taken are the web site itself.  It is reported that "over 1000 people per month" visit the site.  These web surfers are opening their minds to the struggles written in the archives and learning about acceptance.  WeAreFamily also uses direct mail to reach people in the local area, along with "public appearances at professional, church and civic groups."  Another action taken by WeAreFamily is "Stop the Hurt; Start to Help", a booklet containing writings of gay and lesbian youth distributed in the Charleston area.  All these actions have proven somewhat effective in the fight against homophobia, but the war still continues.

       This website is a great tool for those that want to educate themselves on homosexual issues pertaining to youth.  The information is well organized and "straight friendly", meaning there aren't a bunch of triangles and rainbows intimidating the heterosexual visitor.  It is important to get this collective information out in the public because it can make a change for the better in someone's life that might question the significance of living.  Although it is a pro-gay site, it offers more of a relaxed supportive stance, rather than a harsh radical
stance.  This could attract visitors that are scared to read radical gay material.

        WeAreFamily is significant to our class project because it focuses on the results of homophobia in youth, which is often a topic forgotten in the gay rights movement and overlooked by the Right, who like to portray homosexuals as perverts that pray on the youth, not as youth themselves.  It also shows that hetero and homosexuals can work together in order to save lives of questioning teens.  An alliance should be presented in our class project, in order to bridge the gap between straights and gays.  Until the "cultural war" is over, websites like this one sponsored by WeAreFamily are essential to make life easier for homosexual youths.