Human Rights: How Is The LGBTQ + Community Being Treated Globally?

The reason we chose this topic for our global perspectives group project was to raise awareness on the LGBTQ + Community. For our research question, as a group, we decided to focus on same-sex marriages and coming out as being someone that is included in this community. We hope to achieve our goal, which is to educate the people of Malaysia and also most teenagers about the LGBTQ + Community and to raise awareness for the community. We decided to raise awareness because it is an important issue that is happening globally and has its fair share of consequences. Our goal was to educate people on this wide topic and to let them know the issues and the courses of actions. We have conducted a survey on LGBTQ + and have sent it to people with different backgrounds, cultural beliefs and people of all ages. We planned to interview people who are part of this community or those that are going through the process. Talking to people who are experts on this subject matter would help us gain a lot of information. Using this information, we wanted to create a website aimed towards the younger generation such as to students in our school and other teenagers over the whole world to raise awareness about this community and what issues they go through as well as provide moral support in the website itself, as people could communicate with others as well as us to sympathize with each other in the community, and even let those who are heterosexual to understand the community a lot more in order to create a better future.

Project plan and process

The entire process of planning and bringing our ideas to reality was extremely challenging as a team and for each of us individually. However, I have been able to gain a lot of experience by pushing myself out of my comfort zone and gained a lot of knowledge and understanding on the LGBTQ + Community. My group members, Alexis Lim, Syyeda Muneerah and I were lucky enough to have known each other before we started this project. This allowed each one of us to show our strengths and weaknesses in this project which allowed us to delegate the tasks among ourselves easier. Secondly, the three of us were able to communicate with each other very well which allowed us to have mutual agreements and disagreements. I was very satisfied with my group because we were very motivated to always get the job done on time. We also all had a similar interest when we were choosing our title for our team project. At first we were not sure exactly what we wanted our topic to be about but after debating for a good amount of time we decided to settle with the topic we chose which is “how is the LGBTQ + Community being treated globally?” We got rather ambitious at the beginning and we wanted to do all sorts of things such as making a separate video and leaflets to raise awareness for the people of this community. However, after consideration and due to lack of time, we focused on creating a website as it would be able to contain a wide range of people and will be very informative and we would be able to raise awareness globally. We also created social media accounts such as an Instagram page to gather all the information we need. As the secretary of the group, I make notes of all our meetings and information of the interviews such as the interview questions for Natasha Mariam and Qasim Riza Shasheen. I strongly believe that one of our issues was trying to meet the deadlines of the time frame and meeting logs. We try scheduling meeting at suitable timings however we would sometimes get distracted with upcoming examinations and one of our members being absent. School events and examinations would delay us for about 2 weeks because it was not recorded in the time frame that we initially prepared. Yet, we made sure that we all made time to meet at suitable timings so that we could stay on schedule. After school, we would spare extra hours to communicate and discuss any problems on platforms such as Whatsapp or onto Google Drive to make any corrections on our team project. For our outcome, we had first decided to do a presentation at our school assembly however my team and I wanted to reach a wider range of people so we decided to create a website which would be able to reach people globally and not just at our school assembly. To advertise our website we created an Instagram Page to let people know the purpose of our website and what we are able to provide and how it benefits them. Trying to create a website was stressful only because we were not very sure on what we should include in our website and creating an entire website was a difficult task for the 3 of us however, after weeks of planning and designing we managed to publish our website with the appropriate information to help raise awareness for the LGBTQ + Community. If there were any opportunity to make any changes I would want to interview more subject matter experts to gain even more information and understanding on the LGBTQ + Community. With that, we would be able to make a wide range of comparisons.

The Project Outcome

The project outcome was definitely a success. We created a website to allow anyone from all around the world to get in touch with us for help and emotional support and still be able for them to remain anonymous. Our aim of our outcome is to raise awareness for the LGBTQ + Community. We had several responses which was very unexpected. With this website, we try to encourage people to talk about their emotions knowing that they are not being judged and they have someone who is listening. We tried our very best to update our website and Instagram page few times a week to keep it interesting by posting updates of our website on our Instagram page. We were a bit hesitant about using a website as our outcome because we thought it may not give us any responses and would leave us in a dead end however, there were multiple questions coming to us weekly. There was a bit of difficulty trying to figure out how to create a website according to our needs which we felt might have been time consuming however we managed to squeeze it in our time frame and finished it well. Creating this website has allowed me to gain experience in giving comfort and support those who are in a dark place due to their sexuality. It hit me hard when I realized how many people must be suffering without any help when we received multiple questions and comments on our website seeking for desperate help. This was definitely an eye opening experience.

Individual Contribution

My role and responsibility of the group was to be a secretary, global perspectives researcher and equipment scouting. There was not much equipment scouting that we needed other than the basic essentials such as pens, papers and a computer for our work to be done. I took down important notes and always kept track of what we have completed or what we are lacking. I would also remind my team members to make time from their busy schedules to allocate a small amount on time on finishing their delegated tasks. This allowed us to work efficiently without any misunderstandings or complications. I would allow make sure that my team members and I stay motivated at the tasks at hand.I helped my team members with the interview questions and survey questions using the app Survey Monkey to gather the answers for our survey. Furthermore, I was very satisfied with the end product of our website. The editing and finding the appropriate images and research was slightly stressful as I am not an experienced computer person however with time, the website was completed with the help from my team members. At the beginning it was difficult due to our examinations and other events that came in our way. However, this project has definitely given me the opportunity to develop my ideas and has allowed me to improve my time management skills. Syyeda Muneerah Binti Syed Aftab Ali (MY318/1130) Being a part of this Global Perspectives project has been an incredible learning experience for me. I had learned a lot about the perspectives of the world and the people around me on the LGBTQ + community. I had also noticed that being a part of this community could also be an issue in some parts of the world so the whole reason of doing a project about this topic is to spread awareness and I am proud to say that my team and I had achieved this goal.

Project Plan and Process

First of all, I would like to say that I’m very proud of how far my team and I had come. From planning and processing to finally putting all of our hard work into one amazing project that had exceeded our expectations. At first, Alexis, Nevrita and I hesitated on doing a project about this topic because it was pretty risky. We were afraid that not many people would support us. That being said, we were unsure whether we would get the result we hoped to achieve or if people would even help spread awareness about the issue that people in the community face every single day. After all the doubts we had, my team and I agreed to continue with this plan and do it with no regrets. Thankfully, the process of planning this project and bringing it to life went smoothly and successfully which really satisfied us. I am glad that my team and I did not have any issues or disagreements throughout the process but even when we did had a minor disagreement, we would sort it out within a small amount of time and pick a decision that seemed right for all of us. Furthermore, after a few discussions, we had decided that our outcome would be creating a website and having an Instagram account. We had agreed to create our very own website using Wix, a website creator and creating an Instagram account called ‘love.all.pride’. I believe that the decision that we had made for our outcome was a good one and we continued to make progress after that.

As the group leader of my team, I was aware that I had full responsibility in figuring out the strengths and weaknesses of each of my members and based on the information that I had about my group members, I had successfully distributed the roles and responsibilities to each of my group members. I am glad to say that I have been friends with Alexis and Nevrita for many years and the three of us know each other very well so I had no issue with any one of them so that is something that I am very thankful for. I am lucky enough to be able to work with these wonderful girls happily. I would say that throughout the whole process of this project, the three of us had definitely learned a lot more about each other and this project had also taught us to rely on each other and build trust within one another. In my opinion, I certainly think that all of us did a terrific job in planning and processing this project. I would like to thank Alexis for being a wonderful photographer, videographer, editor and designer. I appreciate all of the effort she put in to make sure this project looked great. Adding on, I would also like to thank Nevrita for being the best secretary I could ever asked for. She did a wonderful job in making sure everything went as planned and I appreciate the effort she put into that as well. Moving on, I would like to say that being the interviewer of this group had taught me to be more confident in myself and speak up for what I believe in, whether it is right or wrong. Interviewing many different people had really boost my confidence and shaped me into becoming a better and wiser person. I was happy when it came to interviewing people that I have never met before as I was not afraid to speak and I was rather very confident as I always am. Besides all that, there was one downside into making this project and it was meeting the deadlines. I would say that it was not easy for neither of us to complete this project as soon as we could as we were disrupted with many exams and school events. Nevertheless, we still managed to complete all of our tasks in time with very little trouble so I am very proud of Syyeda Muneerah Binti Syed Aftab Ali (MY318/1130) us. Lastly, if I could change anything about this process, it would definitely be starting the planning sooner so we would at least be able to finish up with the project smoothly with no troubles and hurry. Other than that, I feel relieved that everything went as planned. Massive thank you to my group members for making this happen.

The Project Outcome

Our project outcome was a huge success. We managed to create a website to allow different people from all parts of the world to get in touch with us and allow us to help them with any troubles that they were facing. Not only that but our Instagram page had helped us spread awareness about the LGBTQ + community and we had many great responses about it. The whole reason of our outcome was to spread awareness and provide emotional support to those in need and we certainly did achieve that. We received a lot of responses, messages and emails from people regarding our website. I was surprised to receiving positive comments and I felt blessed that majority of the people around the world were very supportive of this community and I hope that it remains this way throughout our lives. I am definitely proud to say that I got to help out a lot of people out there who needed help and advice from us. Having a website for our outcome was one of the best decisions that we’ve made. It allowed us to give out messages to every single human being around the world. Before we even thought about creating a website, we had a few other ideas as our outcome but after a few verbal discussions, we officially decided to create a website as it gives us an opportunity to spread the news fast and steadily. We did not have any regrets ever since.

Individual Contribution

My role for this group project was to show what I had of being an interviewer and a group leader. I am happy to say that I had fulfil the needs and wants of being one. Holding the responsibility of being a group leader is not as easy as everyone thinks but due to my experiences, I believe that I had the requirements of being the group leader. That is why my group members had chosen me to be one. I am confident, hardworking, skilled and organised. I also have great experience in leadership skills and have an amazing sense of humour. As the leader of the group, it was my responsibility to ensure that my group members stayed on track and never lose focus when it came to work. I made sure I was there for them when they needed me and guide them with whatever help they needed. There were some moments where we would lose track in time so I had to remind my team members about the deadline and made sure each and every one of us completed the tasks that we were assigned to. Besides that, I contributed in interviewing many different people and compiling their answers in a way that we could easily review them. I had also contributed in making questions for our survey which was conducted in an app called Survey Monkey. We had received great responses so I am very proud of that. Furthermore, I was also in charge of handling our Instagram account and website which was a great experience for me as I got to spend time talking to different people who had reached out to us. I would like to say that I feel very delighted because I had the chance to help out to those in need and I had the opportunity to give my best advices to them.

Being a leader and an interview for this group project was a tremendous experience for me as it motivated me to help others in need in the future and not only for this group project. Being able to help others has made me a more humble and cheerful person and I wish more people in this world could do something kind as this. Lastly, I would like to say that working with these girls and being their group leader was the best thing that has happened to me in my whole schooling life and there is nothing that I would change about it. I had gained a lot of experience and contributing in this project has shaped me into a better person so I am more than just happy. I will forever be happy that I got be a part of this wonderful journey.

Alexis Lim Apandi (MY318/1153)

Project Plan and Process

This project had been a great experience for me personally and I enjoyed the work, effort and long process it took to get this far, as well as the contribution of all of our team members, Syyeda Muneerah and Nevrita Raj. We knew each other before working on this project and I am relieved by this fact mainly because it was much easier to work with people I knew and trusted. I couldn’t have possibly asked for a better topic which is “How is the LGBTQ+ Community being treated globally?” It was one of the first things that we had easily concluded about when we had first started as a team. Finding out all sorts of information about the community interests me and urges me to share it with a lot of other people. With the teamwork and some specialization in several separate areas of the project, we had come to a completion. One of the first things we did was making suitable survey questions in class, which had been double checked by our teacher as well. After some discussion, we had come to an agreement that we should post the survey online and promote around our school as well as the internet.

We used a website called Survey Monkey, and we managed to get a lot of well thought out responses to analyse. After that, we had decided to meet up more often to decide to a project outcome. At first, our project outcome had been different, we were being very ambitious with the project, until we settled on a presentation in our school hall to a large audience, which would have to have a lot of work put into it. However, it was soon changed again when we realized that it wasn’t exactly what we wanted our project to be, since we might not even be able to finish it on time and the large audience would still be limited to people in our area only. Despite the slightly difficult start, we were able to have a discussion with our GP teacher and settled on another outcome that was far more effective, which was a website. Once we got things down, we were able to progress smoothly. Next had been the making of interview questions for Natasha Mariam and Qasim Riza Shaheen. We had time in class to create a lot of questions, we had conducted an online interview. We created our website on Wix once we had all the necessary information. To promote our website, we had also created an Instagram account to post regularly on updates.

The Project Outcome

Our main aim for this project was to raise awareness on the discrimination that the LGBTQ+ community are facing as well as the measures taken to counter it, and the comparison between before and now. It was incredibly interesting to the differing opinions of so many people of different age groups, races, religion and expertise in current time, and how different it was compared to the previous generations known hatred for the topic. In my opinion, I believed a website to be a good outcome for this project because our project was meant to be aimed for teenagers. Of course, all ages, gender, sex, races and religion are welcome to visit the website whenever they want, and that is actually the point. The internet is such a vast place in which our website could be discovered incredibly easily, and Alexis Lim Apandi (MY318/1153) for teenagers who are claimed to be “tied to the internet” who might want to learn more about the LGBTQ+ community might be able to find some help in our website. Not only that, but our website does contain a help or ask box where people can come in contact with us anonymously, or with identity, to ask questions or even ask for some advice, for which we would answer to the best of our ability. Personally, I believe that people would feel much more welcome this way and therefore making our website a safer environment for people who apart of the community, or people who have good genuine interest in the topic.

Individual Contribution

As the editor of the group, I took care of making sure that there was nothing wrong with the website and the document and that everything was in the correct order. I was also the photographer, meaning that I took the process pictures of what we had done. Designing and editing things is what I specialize in and I am glad that I had the opportunity to put my skills to action. I also kept up to date with the most recent news regarding our topic so that we might be able to use that information in our website. Most of this news-sharing was done through Whatsapp which is our main form of communication aside from face-to-face meetings. In a way, I was the one who did research on the current events and had gotten the information that was necessary. There were also other certain tasks that I did as well, such as the making of mini flags to have the photos be taken as such. The making of the meeting logs was done by me as well. I would note down what we did during each meeting. With the use of the meeting logs, we could keep track of our progress more easily and therefore wouldn’t be able to forget small details that we might have missed without it. This mostly helped us in remembering to perform certain tasks in order to meet our own set deadlines in the timeframe. Most of our meetings were set during our GP class time, so there were no problems in holding our discussions with everybody present. However, it wasn’t always perfect, especially when it came to our meetings that were outside of class time. Sometimes our schedules would get too full and we didn’t get to meet on certain days. I am sure that one of our greatest roadblocks was this problem, however, somehow, we still managed to push through. Other than that, most of what we did was done together with teamwork, and good communication between us had clearly helped us in so many ways.

Overall, I thoroughly believed that we all tried our very best and did an amazing job.