Riley Cunningham
(she/her)

Our trip to Seattle is one I hope to always remember. At first glance, Seattle seems like every other big city. There is a huge population of homelessness and the opioid crisis is very prominent on almost every block. However, once we began to explore, it was clear Seattle is a Queer hotspot. 

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While one could easily argue Seattle is an example of rainbow capitalism, which is very true in a lot of ways, having this representation of Queerness all around us was something I saw as a positive. Coming from Norfolk, Virginia where there are certain Queer hubs, but not necessarily an all encompassing feeling of Queerness, this city was a nice change. We are very fortunate to live in Norfolk which has a lot of Queer history, yet it is still not as openly Queer as Seattle seems to be. It is, however, important to remember that there is a very high chance that rainbow capitalism might play a role in having all of this Queer representation. 

 

I would say that my idea of diversity has expanded because of this trip. Diversity is one of the main reasons why I wanted to attend ODU in the first place, so this concept has always been on my mind. This trip to Seattle has broadened my view of diversity in that we must not simply strive to check a box and have a few people of different races, but we must make sure that people of all different backgrounds whether that be race, gender, or sexuality, feel heard and seen and have fair opportunities within a community or business. 

 

I learned that my values of diversity and inclusion will always be important in every aspect of my life. I was able to see the importance of having an inclusive workplace environment while at the KING 5 TV Station as well as Microsoft. People need to feel heard and seen and this trip definitely reinforced these values. We were able to learn about why ethical journalism is so important as well as why having representation in news stories is crucial to making people feel seen.

 

It was clear that many, if not most, of the businesses in Seattle catered to the LGBTQ+ community. There were many businesses that offered HIV/AIDS care and resources which is a positive. On the other hand, many of these businesses also seemed to promote rainbow capitalism, which is a problem. While I still am amazed with the amount of Queer merchandise there was, I do see how this can promote a false idea of inclusion. This idea of rainbow capitalism means that by buying products that are LGBTQ+ related, we are supporting capitalism, which is a system that does not support LGBTQ+ lives. 

 

I do feel different from before the trip in that I now know I can successfully travel without my family there to guide me. I also feel different because I have been able to  talk to very important people from big businesses and know that it is possible to have a high position, if that is something I would be interested in doing. Overall, this trip taught me a lot about myself and others. I hope to remind myself of the importance of inclusion and giving people a voice that I was able to learn about by going to Seattle.