Words With Friends 14

Words with Friends episodes are bonus episodes where different members of Mama Dragons provide definitions for LGBTQ related topics. This episode includes the following definitions:

Prejudice shared by Chris Davis in Maine

Unconscious Bias shared by Lisa Renaud in Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Microaggressions shared by Marnie in Gold Coast, Australia

Discrimination  shared by Erin in Clinton, Mississippi

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Transcript

JEN: Hello and welcome to In The Den with Mama Dragons. I’m your host, Jen. This podcast was created to walk and talk with you through this journey of raising happy, healthy, and productive humans. Thanks for listening. We’re glad you’re here.

For many parents, learning they have an LGBTQ child also means they have a whole new vocabulary to learn. So we’re here to give you an introduction to potential new vocabulary a few words at a time. These definitions won’t teach you everything there is to know about these new words. But they will give you a foundation upon which to build your future learning. And remember, this is an area where vocabulary is changing rapidly. We invite you to enjoy how our language changes as our understanding grows.

Prejudice shared by Chris Davis in Maine

Prejudice is a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. Everyone has prejudices, whether we are conscious of them or not.  When we unfairly characterize or judge people based on our preconceived notions, we can do serious harm. In order to combat prejudice, it is important to listen to people and stories that are different from your own. Learning from other life experiences can change us for the better. Recognizing our biases and actively working to move past them will create a better world for everyone. 

Unconscious Bias shared by Lisa Renaud in Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Let’s talk about unconscious biases. A bias is a prejudice either in favor of or against a thing, person, or group, usually in a way that's considered to be unfair. Biases may be held by an individual, group, or institution and can have negative or positive consequences. Unconscious biases, also known as implicit biases, are social stereotypes about certain groups of people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness. Unconscious bias occurs when we make judgments or decisions on the basis of our prior experience, our own personal deep-seated thought patterns, assumptions, or interpretations, and we are not aware that we are doing it. Everyone holds unconscious beliefs, and these biases stem from one's tendency to organize social worlds into categories. Unconscious bias is far more prevalent than conscious prejudice. Discovering and rooting out our unconscious biases is a lifelong process. 

Microaggressions shared by Marnie in Gold Coast, Australia

A microaggression is a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group. Microaggressions are often small behaviors that can make people feel like outsiders of a particular group and can be verbal or nonverbal. Microaggressions can be so pervasive and automatic in daily interactions that they may be considered innocent or harmless. However, research has shown that experiencing a microaggression can be detrimental to a person’s psychological health and can lead to chronic stress, depression, anxiety, and lowered self-esteem. A great way to think about a microaggression is to view it as a mosquito bite. Getting bit once by a mosquito won't harm you, but if you get bit enough times, then there is a higher risk of developing West Nile virus, Yellow Fever, or Malaria; this is the same for microaggressions. They seem harmless, like mosquito bites but can have long-lasting harmful effects.

Discrimination  shared by Erin in Clinton, Mississippi

Discrimination is the unfair or prejudicial treatment of people and groups based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, or sexual orientation.  Discrimination is a public health issue. Research has found that the experience of discrimination can lead to a host of stress-related emotional, physical, and behavioral changes. Stress from discrimination can lead to an increase in behaviors that harm health, such as alcohol, tobacco, and other substance use, and a decrease in healthy activities, such as sleep and physical activity. Regardless of your personal experiences, it can be stressful just being a member of a group that is often discriminated against, such as racial minorities or individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. The anticipation of discrimination creates its own chronic stress. People might even avoid situations where they expect they could be treated poorly, possibly missing out on educational and job opportunities.

JEN: Thanks for joining us here In the Den. If you enjoyed this episode, please tell your friends, and take a minute to leave a positive rating or review wherever you listen. Good reviews make us more visible and help us reach more folks who could benefit from listening. And if you’d like to help Mama Dragons in our mission to support, educate, and empower the parents of LGBTQ children, please donate at mamadragons.org or click the donate link in the show notes. For more information on Mama Dragons and the podcast, you can follow us on Instagram or Facebook or visit our website at mamadragons.org.