Dear Family
Role: Researcher, Designer
Research Methods: survey, immersion, social listening
Research Methods: survey, immersion, social listening
THE CHALLENGE
Facilitate equal, peaceful, effective conversations between individuals about bias in family relation.
Facilitate equal, peaceful, effective conversations between individuals about bias in family relation.
THE OUTCOME
An accessible, open-discussion card game to create moments that provoke reflection about relations between family members and individuals.
An accessible, open-discussion card game to create moments that provoke reflection about relations between family members and individuals.
Background story
In 2004, Taiwan released the Gender Equality Education Act to promote not only gender, also sexuality equality in public affairs and education field. However, according to the 2020 School Climate Survey on LGBTQ+ Students in Taiwan (conducted by Taiwan LGBTQ+ Hotline Association), over 50% of students experience verbal harassment due to their gender expression, and 70% of them experienced anxiety symptoms. Facing harassment and exclusion, over 50% of the students never told their parents and faculties about their difficulties and helplessness. I aims to figure out what factors are involved and how can I open a discussion space for the queer teens in Taiwan.
In 2004, Taiwan released the Gender Equality Education Act to promote not only gender, also sexuality equality in public affairs and education field. However, according to the 2020 School Climate Survey on LGBTQ+ Students in Taiwan (conducted by Taiwan LGBTQ+ Hotline Association), over 50% of students experience verbal harassment due to their gender expression, and 70% of them experienced anxiety symptoms. Facing harassment and exclusion, over 50% of the students never told their parents and faculties about their difficulties and helplessness. I aims to figure out what factors are involved and how can I open a discussion space for the queer teens in Taiwan.
Survey
I survey 16 students from age 15-24 about their sexuality and gender expression in school, family and internet. Result shows that comparing to at school and on the internet, only 32% of students agree that they’re confortable taliking about sexuality-related topics with family.
Social listening
Why are the discussion space for sexuality and gender full of awkwardness and fear? To figure out, I joined the Taiwan LGBTQ+ Hotline chat room to collect more perspectives from parents and LGBTQ+ students, sorting out the rooted complexity in different families.
“The minority stress in both parents and queer youth is mainly from the normativity of relation and family.” -insight
“Teachers and faculties have an attitude of ‘why look for trouble’ when it comes to sexuality-related discussion.”- insight
“Students stop sharing due to past unequal discussion and informations with parents.”-insight
Interview
To find out who and where will students turn to when they’re facing systematic struggles in home and schools, I survey the 16 students also from 15-24 about their past experiences in searching for supports and informations.
“With different social and financial backgrounds, family cultures and communications are formed and operate interdependently. Not every family has time and money for third parties resources.” -feedback
“I turned to the internet community, such as group counseling/sharing chatroom on an official hotline site. We can ask for coming out advice.” - feedback
Design Output
My research shows that, family relations often come with the default normativity that excludes fear, vulnerability and multiplicities in each of us. The normativity affects the queer youths and their parents, causing their minority stress. In this project, I am seeking to facilitate an open and empathy dialouge for family, when it comes to coming-out, emotion education, and gender-related discussion.
Dear Family is an open-resource card game to create cross-party discussion for hidden delimas in family and relationships.
