A. Pre-viewing

Familiarize yourself with the following entries before watching a video about the sexual minorities:

1. sin - the offence of breaking a religious or moral law
2. sodomy - oral or anal sex
3. homophobia - a fear or dislike of gay people
4. closet door - a figurative saying when one conceals his/ her homosexuality to others
5. bigotry - extreme intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own
6. sanity - the state of having a healthy mind and not being mentally ill, or showing good judgment and understanding
7. intertwine - to twist or be twisted together, or to be connected so as to be difficult to separate
8. instate - to place in a state, position, or office; install
9. bi - (bisexual) a person who is attracted to both men and women
10. straight - not gay, a person who is attracted to his / her opposite sex
11. humanity - people in general
12. refrain - to avoid doing or stop yourself from doing something
13. pertain - to be connected with a particular subject, event, or situation
14. expelled - to force someone to leave a school, organization, or country
15. succumb - to lose the determination to oppose something; to accept defeat
16. shed - to produce tears, light, blood, etc.
17. denied - to say that something is not true
18. contemplate - to spend time considering a possible future action, or to consider one particular thing for a long time in a serious and quiet way
19. subside - If a condition subsides, it becomes less strong or extreme
20. stride - an important positive development
21. intertwine - to twist or be twisted together, or to be connected so as to be difficult to separate
22. provoke - to cause a reaction, especially a negative one
23. disintegrate - to become weaker or be destroyed by breaking into small pieces
24. peers - a person who is the same age or has the same social position or the same abilities as other people in a group

B. Comprehension

According to the context of the video, select the options which explain the underlined words.

1. “I want to know what it's like to have liberty & justice for all, to break down this dividing wall, to remove homophobia from the law.”
   1. analyse
   2. classify
   3. dismantle
2. “I want to know what itʼs like to donate the blood from my vein, but because Iʼm gay i must refrain.”
   1. resist doing something
   2. avoid doing something
   3. regret doing something
3. “I want to know what itʼs like to donate the blood from my vein, but because Iʼm gay I must refrain. Why does my sexuality pertain?!”
   1. matter
   2. infect
   3. harm
4. “I want to know what itʼs like to not be the target of bigotry, to not have you question my sanity…”
   1. balance
   2. rationality
   3. comprehension
5. “I want to know what itʼs like to not be the target of bigotry, to not have you question my sanity, to not succumb to your superiority!” .
   1. question
   2. agree with
   3. give in to
6. “I want to know what it's like to uncry these countless tears.”
   1. endless
   2. multitudinous
   3. immortal
7. “I want to know what it's like to have pride, to not have to hide, to not have to lie my whole life, to not have my sexuality be denied.”
   1. misleading/ deceiving
   2. be hidden/ covered up
   3. not recognized/ acknowledged
8. “I want to know what it's like to not have to feel this hurt inside, to not think these thoughts in my mind, to not contemplate suicide.”
   1. attempt
   2. consider
   3. anticipate
9. “I want to know what it's like to have this pain in me subsided, to heal this wound that bleeds inside.”
   1. worn off
   2. hidden
   3. collapsed
10. “I want to know what it's like to be treated equally by my peers.”
    1. helpers
    2. fellows
    3. accessories

C. Using vocabulary

Complete the following sentences using the words in the box. Use the correct grammatical form of the words.

• refrain
• pertain
• deny
• contemplate
• subsided
• sanity
• intertwine
• stride

1. We refrained from talking until we knew that it was safe to speak.
2. The question was ignored because it did not pertain to the subject.
3. As the pain in my foot subsided, I was able to walk the short distance to the car.
4. Neil denies that he broke the window, but I'm sure he did.
5. The West made impressive strides in improving energy efficiency after the huge rises in oil prices during the 1970s.
6. The town's prosperity is inextricably intertwined with the fortunes of the factory.
7. I'm contemplating going abroad for a year, which country do you think I should go to?
8. He'd been behaving so strangely that they began to doubt his sanity.

D. Prefix and Suffix

A prefix/suffix is a letter or group of letters that is added to the beginning /the end of a word to make a new word. For example, adding the prefix ‘BI’ to the base word ‘SEXUAL’ creates the word ‘BISEXUAL’, while adding suffix ‘-ITY’ to ‘SEXUAL’ creates ‘SEXUALITY’. Identify the meanings of the suffix/prefix in the following sentences by referring to their context.

1. Select the sentence in which the underlined prefix means ‘not genuine but having the appearance of’:
   1. The disease can cause pregnant women to have malformed babies.
   2. They are both charged with conspiracy to defraud an insurance company of $20,000.
   3. Any science that is based on unverified data can rightly be called pseudoscience.
2. Select the sentence in which the underlined suffix means ‘enjoying or liking something’:
   1. The Christian couple named their son Isaac after the biblical character.
   2. Scott is such a bibliophile that he won't even put that book down.
   3. Other sources of information are found in the bibliography at the end of this article.
3. Select the sentence in which the underlined prefix/ suffix means ‘take something away’:
   1. The government recently nationalized the railways.
   2. The first attempt to denationalize the national telecoms company had failed.
   3. Unemployment in the city is significantly higher than the national average.
4. Select the sentence in which the underlined prefix means ‘different’.
   1. You may feel a little discomfort for a few days after the surgery.
   2. The school board strongly endorsed a curriculum that reflected a multicultural education.
   3. When you visit New York City, you quickly realize that it is definitely not a homogeneous society, but rather a heterogeneous melting pot.
5. Select the sentence in which the underlined prefix/ suffix means ‘after, beyond’:
   1. An individual's needs are subordinate to those of the group.
   2. The man could only speak French, which meant he was monolingual.
   3. Most teenagers ask themselves metaphysical questions such as "What is love?" and "What is death?"

Transcription - I Want To Know What It's Like

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibVlVzGI9y0 (0:53 – 3:55)

I want to know what it's like... To be able to believe. In a higher power that doesn't see Me as sin or sodomy. I want to know what it's like... To have liberty & justice for all To break down this dividing wall To remove homophobia from the law I want to know what itʼs like... To have a feeling that isn't sad. To have something that I've never had. To have a child call me dad. I want to know what it's like... To not feel like Iʼm a freak To not feel like I am weak To not be silenced when I speak I want to know what it's like... To live beyond a closet door. To see my father once more. To show him I'm not who I was before. I want to know what itʼs like... To donate the blood from my vein But because Iʼm gay I must refrain. Why does my sexuality pertain?! I want to know what itʼs like... To not be expelled from school To not be made to look like a fool. How is homosexuality breaking a rule?! I want to know what it's like... To undo what's been done to me. To give sight to those who cannot see. That I am no lesser of a human being. I want to know what itʼs like... To not be considered a disease. To not have a majority I have to please. To freely express my individuality. I want to know what itʼs like... To live in a land truly of the free. Not a land that excludes me. This is not how itʼs supposed to be! I want to know what itʼs like... To not be the target of bigotry To not have you question my sanity To not succumb to your superiority! I want to know what it's like... To overcome all of my fears. To uncry these countless tears. That have been shed over the years. I want to know what it's like... To learn about gay leaders of the past. In my high school history class. Can somebody please tell me what is so wrong with that?!

I want to know what it's like... To have pride. To not have to hide. To not have to lie my whole life. To not have my sexuality be denied. I want to know what it's like... To not have to feel this hurt inside. To not think these thoughts in my mind. To not contemplate suicide. I want to know what it's like... To have this pain in me subside. To heal this wound that bleeds inside. To get back the tears that I've cried. To take back the years that Iʼve tried. To bring back the life that has died. To unite this world's divide. To make change with stride. To not stand below, but beside. I want to know what it's like... To have this choice you say is mine. To have science & religion intertwine. To have love be redefined. I want to know what it's like... To have a government that won't instate Unfair laws that provoke hate For fear society will disintegrate I want to know what itʼs like.... To live in a world without hate. A world that does not discriminate. A world in which I can feel safe. Whether I am gay, bi or straight. This is the world we must create!!! These are the decisions we must make. These are the actions we must take. The time is now we cannot, we must not, we will not wait. I want to know what itʼs like... To have equal opportunity. To know full equality. To be one humanity. I want to know what it's like... To be treated equally by my peers.