graysonblack179

[graysonblack179]

Hi all! I am a postgrad studying Global Social and Political Thought at the University of St Andrews. My final research paper pertains to how social and institutional queer oppression (and colonialism) bleeds into the subjugation of the non-human animal, and, in turn, how non-human animal liberation is integral to (global) queer emancipation. Furries are a crucial link between these seemingly unaffiliated groups and are, in many ways, a model of queer ecological holism.

I’m eager to include individual narratives and experiences, so please share and contact me if you or a loved one is a furry, identifies as LGBTQIA+, and would like to contribute to my work! All names will be pseudonymised, as participants’ anonymity and security are of the upmost importance. Thank you💚

[graysonblack179]

VCU and the Globe

While I have gleaned a tremendous amount of knowledge during my time in the Virginia Commonwealth University, the VCU Globe program has helped me hone my global leadership skills and my academic prowess. Global leadership is the interdisciplinary exploration of the main fundamentals that prospective leaders all over the world should procure to successfully familiarize with the mental, bodily, anthropological, historical and sociological ramifications of globalization, neoliberalism, and capitalism. Due to the caliber and depth of these studies I was able to form my own thoughts and ideas about progressivism and leftism that I will be able to carry throughout my life, especially in a vocation. Even this semester I was lent a book by the Globe Director, Christina Marino, that enabled reflection and exploration into professionalism and finding the perfect careers for me, the reader. The nexus bridging general and specified knowledge about socio-ethical concepts and operative scholarship effectively strengthens cross-cultural interactions and success in making a meso and macroscopic difference in the lives of human and non-human animals on this planet.

While I established relationships with beings outside the classroom, the group of individuals who I have gotten to know at VCU, whether they be faculty, staff, peers, and exchange students will catalyse further networking connections and opportunities for collaboration and dialogue in the future, no matter where any of us end up. Additionally, I have also made numerous connections with those I chose to volunteer with for VCU Globe credit.

Plus, by being accepted into VCU Globe, it prepares us scholars for further study and careers in foreign service and intercontinental statecraft. By the end of VCU Globe, members such as myself will have accomplished over 40 hours of community service, and if they so choose, be awarded an official certification from the Peace Corps Prep Program. I find this incredibly rewarding as I have been searching for jobs in foreign service and academia. Even if I do not pursue the Peace Corps program, it gives me a significate advantage over other competitive candidates for jobs and further scholastic undertakings.

The intersectional and wide-reaching scope of specifically VCU Globe’s curricula is applicable to many subjects as well as a lifetime of future opportunities. I look forward to being able to use these skills and my accrued knowledge well into the future.

[graysonblack179]

Please see the book in which I was published! I feel honoured to have contributed to this anthology while professionally exercising my activism. 

[graysonblack179]

This competence and subsequent confidence gained in my degree, as well as VCU Globe, prompted me to save my money as much as I could while working, attending classes and other obligations so I could travel on my own dime more often. My eagerness to examine cultures and the beings that create them, many of which had been often discussed in the Globe, has propelled me to two dozen countries through self-funded travels that have indisputably enhanced my world view. Whether paying homage at unmarked mass graves of Bosniak civilians or conferring about religiosity in legislation along the border of Egypt and Sudan, travel has taught me skills I could only absorb through direct engagement. This past autumn, I temporarily studied at the University of Edinburgh where I became an active participant in socratic debates, a member of the Marxist Society, and managed to also get engaged to my singular fiancé, Matthew. Matthew, who attends the University of St Andrews, introduced me to some incredible graduate programs in Scotland. After being accepted into all five graduate schools to which I applied, I have chosen to study Global Social and Political Thought at the University of St Andrews. 

[graysonblack179]

In 2014, I began my continuous involvement with Democratic administrative campaigning and was subsequently invited to several conferences. One such meeting was the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence where survivors of gun violence as well as progressive legislators spoke on behalf of overdue common-sense gun reform. 

[graysonblack179]

Membership in the Omicron Delta Kappa Society is regarded as one of the highest collegiate honours that can be awarded to scholars, as one must stand among the top thirty-five percent of all students at one particular institution. I was nominated for my scholarship and my 4.0 GPA, as well as being a part of the student body government.  

[graysonblack179]

As the Vice President of the Vegan and Vegetarian Society at VCU, I organised many tabling events and socials. At the end of my term, I coordinated a trip to Grateful Meadows, an animal sanctuary for animals who were disabled or rescued from slaughter. As you can tell, there’s never a quota on new friends!

[graysonblack179]

In May 2019, I recruited protesters and marched alongside them to decry Dominion Power’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The ACP not only disturbs the natural order of Eastern Seaboard ecosystems, including animal migratory patterns and habitats, but its installation also displaces communities of colour. In this photo I hold a photo of Ms. Rose, an outspoken member of the community who’s voice has been drowned out by drilling and the clink of pocket change. 

[graysonblack179]

Since 2018, I have been organising and leading protests and vigils for the tortured and consumed non-human animals and exploited workers at Smithfield Slaughterhouse. Smithfield Slaughterhouse, in southern Virginia, is the largest abattoir in the world and has had thousands of reported de jure environmental and ethical infractions and violations on their record. Justice and equality is intersectional, and I will continue to promote and participate in direct action advocacy for a better, more just world. 

[graysonblack179]