For Jodi – The Gay and Deaf Worlds
I just finished reading Jodi’s blog, and I felt compelled to write a post in response.
The Deaf world is very much like the gay world. Gay by Nature, Proud by Choice is a slogan that us Deaf could borrow if you replace Gay with Deaf, because so many of us identify with that sentiment. You’re born with it, and it’s who you are.
For the Deaf Community, when we see a parent trying to have their deaf child implanted, many of us recoil, because it’s similar to the gay conversion pseudo-therapy that some parents put their gay kids through.
In fact, the whole Oral/ASL debate could be compared to the gay conversion/gay pride debate pretty well. On one hand, you have a faction who’s screaming, “It’s abnormal! There’s too much social stigma, and it’s unnatural! We gotta change it!” and you have the other faction going, “Variations in human nature is normal! Be proud of who you are and just accept yourself!”
Now we know that gay conversion doesn’t really work. There might be 1% where it does succeed, but then it’s probably because the person’s bisexual, and not gay. So when we see a deaf person get a CI, we feel that person’s lost to us, shoved back in the closet and a pretend hearing. Up to several years ago, the CI didn’t really work as advertised. So we had to sit back and watch in sorrow as that child or adult struggled for years, even decades before giving up, and accepting himself then joined us. Those people were taught to be ashamed of his/her deafness, that speaking and lip-reading is infinitely better than waving about your hands in public.
Just like how being straight is taught to be infinitely better than being gay.
And then we have ASL. Our language’s like how a dyke or a flamboyant gay would dress. We’re so obviously gay. We’re so obviously Deaf. We swagger around, swish our hips, wave our hands about in public and we’re not ashamed to show that we are X, and that offends the sensibilities of the Puritans! We just cannot have those outrageous displays! *hands over mouth!*
Then we just don’t know what to do with the proud oral deaf. They’re the bisexuals of our world. Not quite in the hearing world, but not quite in the deaf world either. They’re in their own world. Just like the gays and straights, we want them to just make up their minds, goddamn it and pick one side! But it doesn’t work that way, does it?
Then we have the semi-closeted deaf. They don’t use ASL. They use other communication modes and we’re annoyed at their refusal to just come fully out of the closet. A deaf person using SEE is like a butch saying, “I’m a lesbian, yes.. but I’m still going to wear dresses.”
You know that this person is a butch and not a lipstick. You know this person is Deaf. Why don’t you just embrace yourself for who you are? Go full throttle and freely express who you are instead of being stifled in a social construct in what’s supposed to be normal, proper and acceptable? Screw what’s normal, proper and acceptable!
The LG community eventually came to accept the transgenders and bisexuals, and so will we when it comes to the oral deaf and CI’ers.
P.S. When that happens, can we borrow your flag? 
Rant Redux
I thought I would repost an essay that I wrote before I began blogging. This essay also happens to be one of my very first blog posts. I thought it would be worthwhile to repost it, due to the controversies going on DeafRead. I am hoping it will give an insight to the hearing readers into the mind of a culturally Deaf person.
Without further ado, my infamous rant.
———-
I am stone-cold Deaf. I do not consider myself to be disabled. I can read and write far better than the average person at my age. I can do anything just as well as any average hearing person. The difficulties I have with being Deaf is how people judge and treat me.
I have been asked if I could read and write. My hearing friends have been questioned about my mental capacity from strangers who have never met me. My friends and I receive dirty looks when we use ASL to converse in public. People have approached me, only to blanch and leave when they realize I am Deaf. One woman, jealous of my writing skills, submitted me to public humiliation by standing up in class and accusing me of turning in a paper written by my mother in order to receive an “A”.
My Deaf friends have been abused sexually, physically, emotionally, and mentally, simply because they were Deaf. Furthermore, they cannot get justice for these inhumane acts, because just by being Deaf, their credibility is in question.
Hearing educators, arrogant in their assumptions, have integrated Deaf people into hearing classes. Most Deaf students go through school without a bilingual education, therefore forcing them into a system about which they are unaware. Through social promotion, they are advanced without learning anything. The highest level that my Deaf classmates ever attained was a sixth grade education.
People keep decrying, “How do the Deaf know when they are in danger?”
Being Deaf is not dangerous. We have ample warning if we are in danger through pagers, phones, television, strobe lights, and our own eyes.
People then ask, “How can the Deaf really experience music?”
One need only experience a small portion of the songs and poetry in ASL to realize that they are some of the most beautiful works ever composed. Our hands are our voice. Our faces convey our emotions. Some things expressed in ASL can never be properly translated.
One needs only stand still and feel the rhythm, to feel the vibrations course through one’s body, to realize how we hear music that hearing people create.
To hear the rain drops patter down, we simply just have to place our hands on the windows. To hear the thunderous applause from an audience, we just have to look at the hands applauding.
We hold a baby, and see it’s laughter on it’s face. A toothless grin. To hear how people feel, a simple glance is only needed.
I can sit in the middle of a forest, and enjoy it. I see the birds and squirrels flit from tree to tree. I smell the freshness of the earth. I feel the gentle, warm breeze that carries wafts of various scents.
I can see a rainbow. I can see the pure white snow. I can see the beauty that is here on the earth. I can feel, smell, and taste it.
With a swish and twist of my fingers and hands, I can tell a joke that will cause a room full of people to burst out in laughter. With my hands, and my eyes, and my body, I can tell a story that will move people to tears. I don’t need a voice or ears to do it.
I can even sit anywhere, with people or alone, and simply enjoy the so-called silent world I am in.
I cannot properly convey the full beauty and depth of Deaf culture with words, because there are no words to describe it. As Deaf people, we cannot fully grasp hearing culture, and hearing people cannot fully grasp Deaf culture, even when one is immersed in the other. Therefore, all we can do is wonder how the other side truly experiences life and try to accept each other.
©Jeannette Johnson/A Deaf Pundit
Petitions
Some students at NTID have set up a petition for the removal of a plaque honoring AG Bell, and it has over 160 signatures at the time of this writing. I think it’s cool that people are pulling together for something that they care about, and I hope the petition is successful. AG Bell does not deserve to be honored.
However, what strikes me the most are people’s apparent priorities. When I started the Bahl petition, a petition to object against police brutality against the Deaf, the Bahl petition barely squeaked past a hundred signatures.
Judging by the amount of signatures on the two petitions, police brutality is not as important for the Deaf Community as removing a plaque from a dorm and renaming said dorm.
I can’t help but wince at that.
Impersonation and Libel
It was brought to my attention that someone on Mike McConnell’s blog left a comment saying:
“The person who mentioned AGBell’s grandson is Brian Riley, so take everything he says with more than a grain of salt. He is also “Deep Ears” and writes stuff for Eggbert on agbellinfo.com”
Written By Deaf Pundit, the Deaf Edge
I have never said or written that quote in that comment. That accusation is false and I do not appreciate being cited for things that I have never said or written. I have emailed Mike McConnell to give me the ip address of that person so then I can consult with an attorney about whether to take legal action or not.
Boycotting of AG Bell!
I was just told today from a reputable source that a quite few parents who have CI children have resigned from AG Bell or will not renew their membership, because of the organization’s letter to Pepsi. I applaud those parents for taking a stand against intolerance.
This should serve as an example for all of us. If an organization expresses intolerance like AG Bell did, be prepared to deal with the consequences such as members withdrawing from your organization, and the community boycotting you and your donors.
Jay Krieger in his vlog listed the donors of AG Bell and I applaud him for taking the initiative for doing that. It’s about time we do this appropriately such as investigations and such. If you want to make a loud statement, pun intended, stop being consumers of AG Bell donors and tell them why you are no longer their consumers.
Or you can politely discuss with those donors on why they donated money with AG Bell and request civilly that they stop donating money to an organization that practices intolerance.
It is important for us to remain civil and polite in this process. Remember, people quit AG Bell because they were not. So, let’s take our money elsewhere and invest in companies that are tolerant and care about us and do it with class and dignity!
And by the way, Seek Geo can help you switch pager service providers! 
UPDATE: NAD HAS RESPONDED TO AGBELL. http://blogs.nad.org/president/?p=14
We *Are* Effecting Change
Amidst the uproar over the AG Bell’s letter to Pepsi, I thought it was worthwhile to recognize that we are making a difference for the better and celebrate that. We have more than two oral/CI deaf individuals learning American Sign Language, thanks to the DeafRead vlogs and blogs.
They are: Kim of Living The Questions, Val of Tales from a CI Gal, Abbie of Chronicles of A Bionic Woman
Then we have Jodi, a hearing mother of a deaf CI child, learning Italian Sign Language (LIS). In her blog she directly acknowledged us on DeafRead for prompting her to learn the language.
And lest people think all deaf oralists support AG Bell’s letter to Pepsi – they do not. Meryl of Bionic Ear Blog wrote an entry opposing the letter.
That shows the power of our vlogs and blogs. We are making a difference. People are listening to us and even taking up our languages.
If we want to make a greater impact and effect change even more, then I encourage all of you to join NAD and donate money to the organization. With our individual knowledge, words and money put together, we will inspire others to discover the truth about our culture and language. ASL and our culture will be brought into the light, despite AG Bell.
Update: Another person is learning ASL! Jennifer, a deaf CI user of Surround Sound left a comment below, stating she too is learning ASL, thanks to DeafRead.
Yes, We Can!
IamMine forwarded me this video, and much to my surprise, Shoshannah Stern, the deaf actress in the television show, Jericho is in it! This is an awesome video. The lyrics are below the video.
Song & video, featuring a star cast, by Will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas.
Lyrics:
It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.
Yes we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.
Yes we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.
Yes we can.
It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.
Yes we can to justice and equality.
Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.
Yes we can heal this nation.
Yes we can repair this world.
Yes we can.
We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.
We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics…they will only grow louder and more dissonant ……….. We’ve been asked to pause for a reality check. We’ve been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.
But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.
Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea –
Yes. We. Can
A Letter to Pepsi
After I sent out an email to my friends encouraging them to email Pepsi and thank them, a friend shared with me what she wrote to Pepsi. I asked her if I could share it on my blog, and she granted me permission. Her letter is quite eloquent and perfectly states how I feel about AG Bell’s response to the Pepsi SuperBowl commercial.
Thank you, to my dear friend for writing this and allowing me to share it with the world!
——
Dear Ms. Hamp,
When I first heard of the Pepsico commercial using Deaf individuals to be aired during the Super Bowl, I immediately sent the link to those in my address book. I thought how wonderful it was to provide education with humor. As an interpreting instructor in a Community College (and former Commissioner on the Michigan Commission on Disabilities Concerns), I use humor quite often to get important points across to my students. Using a joke directly related to Deaf Culture was an excellent way of providing education to people who can hear and who may or may not have had exposure to those using sign language.
When I read the letter you received from the A.G. Bell Association, I was concerned by this negative reaction to your efforts to encourage diversity. I have always supported people making informed decisions related to their mode of communication, whether it is through American Sign Language (ASL) or Speech Reading and spoken English with technology or both. The letter written to Pepsico by A.G. Bell’s, Karen Youdelman, (posted on the A.G. Bell website) addresses myths being perpetuated. My experience is that many deaf and hard of hearing individuals find later in life the advantages to knowing ASL. The myth that learning ASL prevents a child’s cognitive development and the ability to use residual hearing and speech is one of the biggest myths presented to parents of deaf or hard of hearing children. The irony is that hearing children are being taught Baby Signs because of the advantages of communication at an early age related to their development. If ASL has such benefits for hearing children, how much more beneficial can it be when used with deaf and hard of hearing children?
The Modern Language Association recognizes ASL as a language. Colleges and universities recognize it as a language. The Community College where I teach has continual growing enrollment in classes teaching ASL. Your commercial will not only be appreciated by Deaf and Hard of Hearing persons themselves, but also family members, friends, interpreters, and others working with members of the Deaf Community; and also — the many thousands of students learning ASL.
As a former Coke drinker, I now buy Diet Pepsi along with my husband, children and other family members.
Thank you.
(Name Withheld)
