In Hallwards Ted Talk, Hallward talks about reducing the power of shame with an interesting example from the LGBTQ community. She suggests that supporting marriage equality in the USA is like a domino effect throughout the states. Hallward interestingly ties this domino effect to shame by claiming, “It feeds right back to the sources of external shame, and it begins to reduce their power.” In Massachusetts, marriage equality has been the law for ten years. Because of this, the rate of teen suicide in LGBTQ teens has been cut in half. She then goes on to explain that shame is what is the center of our suffering. If we go towards the shame, we can start to heal from it. Sharing our shameful stories can especially help heal yourself and others who went through the same thing. Hallward believes that sharing our stories can be a force of social change. Hallward states, “I think that telling our vulnerable silence stories is like a form of nonviolent social change and it can be unstoppable.”
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“Because of this, the rate of teen suicide in LGBTQ teens has been cut in half.”
I believe this could tie in really nicely with what Yoshino discussed in his writing. You have found a perfect link between the two to tie them together. Do you believe the rate of suicide was cut in half because of the ability to share their true selves? And those that had committed suicide before were hiding behind their false selves so that was ultimately what drove them to the edge?