Hays Assessing Model Of Cultural Identity

The three cultural identities where I have privilege according to the Hays ADDRESSING Model (Hayes, 2008) are age, religion and sexual orientation. I was born in 1980 just outside Chicago, IL to a two-parent Christian, Caucasian married couple whom were junior high sweethearts. My family and my family’s closest circles were very liberal and I was encouraged from a young age to be accepting of all people from all walks of life. My parents divorced when I was 4, and my father quickly melded himself into the background of my life. I grew up in upper lower-class neighborhoods which were ethnically diverse. I was raised to be independent, strong, and to have high goals and aspirations. After my mother worked multiple jobs for years and put …show more content…
Growing up, I didn’t see it this way because I have Jewish friends and pagan friends. I didn’t see us being treated differently, but looking back at the holidays we were given off from school or work holidays given off has proven otherwise. The standard holiday off is Christmas. There are many people, however that celebrate the holiday and are not Christian. This does not negate the privilege and the ability for me to worship when I wish and where I wish. So many pieces in this country point to Christianity, from our money stating “in God we trust” to our national anthem. Things are starting to shift in this area and attacks on Christians are becoming more prevalent. There is a stigma that Christians think they are better than other religions because we feel our God is the one and only true God. I feel pressure not to share my faith in forums such as there because of not wanting to invite criticism. The reality for me is my faith does define every part of who I am. I would not even be in this class or in grad school for that matter, had I not been lead here by my faith. My faith also led me to my