| This paper addresses the oppression that the queer community faces in the United States, and examines how dance, through a phenomenological lens, is a means of education that leads to understanding and greater human connection. This two-year research culminated into a dance performance entitled The Invisible Others. The chapters within this paper explore how lived experiences shape the human consciousness, what it means to be oppressed, what it means to identify as queer, acknowledges the role of intersectionality, how the queer community is being oppressed, as well as a self reflection of the creative process. The underpinning research includes the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) hate crime statistics, a list of organizations that oppose conversion therapy, research about homelessness among queer youth by The Williams Institute and the True Colors Fund, The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report about queer suicide, and the number of AIDS-related deaths from the CDC. |
