Where Do You Draw the Line?

I'm looking for suggestions of role models or heroes who aren't necessarily role models or heroes anymore. They might have been a role model when you were younger, before your politics evolved. They might have been a role model before you learned more about them. Or maybe they're still a role model, but their appeal is slightly tarnished now for some reason. Maybe they were never YOUR role model, but other people look up to them, that counts too!

I'm incorporating respondents' words into my art piece, so I'd appreciate full sentence responses if you can. If not, that's cool too, I'd still love to hear your thoughts!

Also, to be clear - I won't be using all of the suggestions made, it just isn't possible to fit them into the scope of the project. But I still really want your suggestions! I'm planning on using the role models whom I receive the most suggestions for, so it's important for you to mention them even if you think someone else probably already has.

For more information about my project, you can check out my website here - http://amydame.ca/2015/04/30/drawing-the-line/
For more information about me, you can check out my website here - http://amydame.ca/about/
For more information about previous work, you can check out my website here - http://amydame.ca/exhibited-work/
If you have any questions or concerns about the survey, please email me at amyamydame AT gmail DOT com

(General disclaimer - Responses are anonymous, so statements won't be credited to those who made them. Feel free to be brutally honest! I reserve the right to edit responses for length, clarity, etc, blah blah blah.)

The actual questions!

Do you have a role model or former role model to suggest?

This could be anyone in the public eye, such as a musician, an artist, a politician, an actor, an activist, a celebrity, a writer, a performer. If your suggestion isn't super well known, it'd be great if you could give me a short description, ie Jean Smith, feminist inspiration, musician and activist

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Why are they considered to be a role model or hero by some people?

What are the good things about this person? Why do people look up to them? Do they do good work in some areas? Are they inspirational in some way? This part is important, because otherwise why bother paying attention to this person? Examples might be - introduced a generation of young women to feminism; was the first out lesbian to appear on tv; one of the few role models of that gender identity in popular culture; supports and inspires young queers, etc

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Why aren't they considered a role model or hero anymore? Or why are they considered to be LESS of a role model?

How are they problematic? Have they said or done things that are offensive? Do they focus only on their perspective, to the detriment of others? Are they a negative role model in some way? (Please feel free to be honest, and don't worry about what language you use or triggering me in some way. If the person used a slur to refer to someone, it's okay for you to repeat that slur here)

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If I wanted more information, what should I google?

Examples based on some of the suggestions I've already gotten - Lea Delaria + racism + misogyny; Roseanne Barr + transphobia; Ani Difranco + plantation; Whoopi Goldberg + rape apologist; Dan Savage + biphobia + fatphobia + transphobia + + + +

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Do you have any links to share about this person and the problematic things that they've done?

Super bonus response - This is totally not required! I'll be doing my own research (hence the question about googling), but if you know of an article or post that really explains what you're trying to say, please share!

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Some info about you, if you don't mind.

This is all completely anonymous, unless you chose to give me your real name and/or email address. If you do, everything will be held in the strictest confidence. It would be helpful for me to know a bit about who's responding, so that I can recognize whose voices I'm hearing. These questions are all optional, so feel free to skip them if you aren't comfortable with them.

What's your name?

If you fill out the survey more than once, it would be helpful to be able to link your answers together and it will give me a better idea of how many individual respondents are participating. Your name can be anything you want it to be - make something up!

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Can I contact you if I have questions about your suggestions? If yes, what's your email address?

(I won't use your email address for anything else!)

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How old are you?

i'm curious about generational differences! Are generations that grew up with the internet less forgiving of role models, because they learn so much about them so quickly? That sort of thing.

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How do you identify your gender?

Give me as little or as much detail as you'd like! ie: transgender, cisgender, genderqueer, female, male, butch, femme, agender, trans masculine, trans feminine, two spirited, etc

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How do you identify your sexual orientation?

Please use whatever terms you're comfortable with. ie: queer, lesbian, straight, gay, bisexual, pansexual, homosexual, dyke, fag, etc

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How do you identify your race and/or ethnicity?

I'm mainly including this question to acknowledge that white is not default. I expect the majority of the role models suggested will be white or read as white, because of who our society values and acknowledges as worthy of appreciation. But that doesn't mean that everyone who makes suggestions is white themselves!

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How would you describe your politics/beliefs?

lefty, feminist, anti-oppression, intersectional, socialist, radical, anarchist, progressive, etc

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Where do you live?

You can give me a specific city name if you like, or you can just give me a general idea, such as "medium sized city in Canada" or "small town in the eastern US"

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And finally, anything else you wanna say?

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