PROPOSAL
In my piece, I want to take the recent murder of Blaze Bernstein and give coverage to the overlooked fact that he was gay, and that the murder is being investigated as a hate crime. I was drawn to this subject because he was so similar in many ways to me, but at the same time I was drawn to it because I am oblivious to the hate crimes that still happen to people like me. We are simultaneously conscientious of it and yet don’t want to think about it. Blaze’s story is an example of this to the extreme, because the place in which he grew up, a place I know very well, has always been a welcoming environment that outwardly seems to value inclusivity. However, in these places where we overlook the prejudice because we focus on what we have instead of adversity that still exists. This minor minority stress still is additive, leading to a lower quality of life for LGBT individuals. In fact, this is even more present in LGBT communities that seemingly would foster acceptance. However, rejection from these groups is the most damaging given that if one feels rejected from this group, it feels like the last chance they have to be included. The in-group discrimination that research has shown exists in the LGBT community have left many, including myself, to feel isolated and embittered by the process. I want to touch on the murder specifically, my connection to it, and the overall sense I feel about the LGBT community in this piece as I feel like this genre allows me to take a somewhat journalistic approach while peppering it with a bit of creative nonfiction.