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Victor Kalei Groberg

Professor Phillips

Comm 2150

24 April 2019

Service-Learning Paper:

Utah Pride Center

Community Partner:

Brandon Devlin at Utah Pride Center

brandondevlin@utahpridecenter.org

1360 S Main St. Salt Lake City, UT 84115

Project:

I worked on several projects while volunteering for the Pride Center. To kick it off, the

first two sessions were more-so a training/orientation where Brandon and I toured the building,

got a feel of what the Pride Center was like, their history and discussing the common

misconceptions surrounding their organzion. After these hours I jumped into action with their

group and helped create a community dance event called, “Qpid’s Ball” where myself and the

other volunteers designed a deck of cards theme that focused a lot in hearts and spades. We

made a mural of large decks of cards that hung in the middle of the center. The other event

project was a meet and greet club where I helped chaperone again, but this time it was to an

older demographic, that was also catered by LGBTQ+ chefs (Service Learning Notes).

Brandon Devlin is the head event organizer of the Pride Center, who actually is a Salt

Lake Community College alumni, he was at every event I helped at and was always welcoming

and kind.

Culture Group:
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All people that attended the events that I went to were in one way-or-another connected

to the LGBTQ+ community. Whether it be the person themselves are queer or a friend or family

of theirs is. The ages of who attended the events varied between younger ages 10 to 12, up to,

older ages 40 to 50. The culture and their people have intent focus on allowing everybody be

who they are, free of ridicule. In this culture, it isn’t uncommon for women to dress like men and

visa versa. Fashion, makeup, and hairstyles are all examples of mediums that this culture uses

to express themselves.

There are subcultures within the LGBTQ+ community itself, one of the most prominent

ones being something called “drag.” This is commonly known as a male exoctically

crossdressing with a lot of makeup and bouncy hair. It is referred to as a form of satirical art

(Utah Pride Center Volunteering).

Challenges:

There wasn’t anything particularly hard or stressful that happened during my time

volunteering, but I did find it shocking in many ways. I saw what is generally regarded as over

explicit or exotic fashions that people used to express themselves. In the LGBTQ+ culture many

people dress in brightly contrasted and highly saturated colors and although it wasn’t a trigger

for me, I found it shocking that people could express themselves so valiantly. The costumes I’m

referring to are the ones that you see and you think, “That has to take a lot of confidence to

wear that.” Which is true, because a lot of the people I talked to were assertive and not too shy.

Theory: The Cultural Environment Theory

This theory was created by Geert Hofstede in 1984. Hofstede and colleagues examined

and valued the differences between macrocultures and made a system that identified them by 5

areas of common problems. As referred to in Intercultural Communication in Contexts by Judith

Martin, the problem types are identified as follows:

● Power distance: social inequality, including the relationship with authority.

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● Femininity versus masculinity: the social implications of having been born male or

female.

● Ways of dealing with uncertainty, controlling aggression, and expressing emotions.

● Long-term versus short-term orientation to life.

(Martin Judith and Thomas Nakayama, 107)

1. Power Distance is identified by the ambiguity or lack of in relation to power and class in that

culture.

Low Power Distance High Power Distance

Less hierarchy better More hierarchy better

E.g. Denmark, Isael, New Zealand E.g. Mexico, India

2. Masculinity-Femininity Value is identified by the ambiguity or lack of in relation to gender roles

in that culture.

Femininity Masculinity

Value quality of life, support for unfortunate Achievement, ambition, acquisition of material
goods

Eg. Denmark, Norway, Sweden Eg. Japan, Austria, Mexico

3. Uncertainty Avoidance is identified by a culture’s strictness on rules and dissonance. The

definition of strictness and dissonance is in relation to how much a culture expresses emotions

and aggression.

Low uncertainty avoidance High uncertainty avoidance

Dislike rules, accept dissent; less formal. More extensive rules, limit dissent; more
formality.

Eg. Great Britain, Sweden, Hong Kong Eg. Greece, Portugal, Japan
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4. Long-term Orientation is identified as a type of value orientation where the definition of good

and evil is relative to the person and that morality is taken into account.

5. Short-term Orientation is identified as a type of value orientation where the definition of good

and evil are strict to universal guidelines and that ethics are taken into account.

Short-term orientation Long-term orientation

Universal guidelines for good and evil; prefer Definiton of good and evil depends on
quick results. circumstances; value perseverance and
tenacity.

Eg. Western Religions Judaism, Christianity, Eg. Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism

Islam

Analysis:

I chose this theory because it perfectly applies to my service learning project. The

LGBTQ+ community is closely related to Denmark in the table because they value a low power

distance, as well as, the quality of life for the individual. Low power distance is applied because

there isn’t a hierarchy or entitlement from one person to another. Masculinity-Femininity Value is

applied as the community is identified by having strong moral values and caring about the

individual. Uncertainty Avoidance plays into my volunteering because rules aren’t instilled into

the culture, although basic ethics and laws that are universal are accounted for. Their term

orientation is closer identified by long-term orientation as they have a strong moral standing on

the liberty and pursuit of happiness for the individual.

Reflection:

I learned a lot from volunteering at the Pride Center. I learned more about the ambiguity of

sexuality and gender and how both play different parts in defining a person. I feel like I walked in

with an open mind, but I still was shocked and informed about things I didn’t initially expect. I
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thought that the welcomeness of the collect towards the individual was inspiring. The people of

the LGBTQ+ community themselves are distinctly different, but they maintain and grow as a

collective inspired by the same goal: Letting people be themselves.

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Work Cited

Martin, Judith N., and Thomas K. Nakayama. Intercultural Communication in Contexts.

McGraw-Hill Education, 2018. Page 107.

Service Learning Field Notes. Intercultural Communication, Salt Lake Community

College.

Utah Pride Center Volunteering, Utah Pride Center. 2019.