If one believes in something -- oh, gay rights, for example -- but is only a passive supporter, does one actually contribute to the cause negatively? Is non-participation a form of adverse participation?
Like any other person, I support a lot of things. But I've never truly advocated for anything.
My point is that my support of anything has always been passive. I kept my mouth shut and my head down and endured what I had to until I could get the hell out. But I can't do that anymore. It feels wrong to say, "yes, I support gay rights and gay marriage" and then do nothing about it. There are people for whom I care deeply who are personally oppressed by our heteronormative society. I can't stand aside and, in doing so, tell some bigot to go ahead and revoke my loved ones' rights to livelihood and happiness. And so, now, I advocate.
Yet, why is there so little participation in advocacy on the Ursinus College campus? I see plenty of active support for the Gay Rights Movement -- opportunities for discourse, forums for opinion, pushes for awareness. But I also see a great deal of passivity and non-participation.
Members and allies or supporters of the LGBTQIA community should do something. I don't think that doing absolutely nothing will irreparably hinder the Gay Rights Movement or a much more positive, widely accepted opinion of the LGBTQIA community, but it cetainly slows their progression. How does anyone expect this crap-chute of a world to improve if they don't help out?
- Saw the Special Education students being bullied in the Cafeteria ... Got really pissed off and kept my mouth shut.
- Listened to my high school Economics class unanimously attack the Public Welfare System ... Got really pissed off, told my class that the government institution that they thought was so useless kept my family alive for most of my life (a lovely five-second silence ensued), and then went to the bathroom to cry.
- Sat in CIE and endured my class' uniquely ignorant ideals and "solutions" for a semester-and-a-half ... Got really pissed off and told my class that they couldn't think that way, were close-minded, and knew nothing of the real world. (... Okay, so I cried then, too.)
My point is that my support of anything has always been passive. I kept my mouth shut and my head down and endured what I had to until I could get the hell out. But I can't do that anymore. It feels wrong to say, "yes, I support gay rights and gay marriage" and then do nothing about it. There are people for whom I care deeply who are personally oppressed by our heteronormative society. I can't stand aside and, in doing so, tell some bigot to go ahead and revoke my loved ones' rights to livelihood and happiness. And so, now, I advocate.
Yet, why is there so little participation in advocacy on the Ursinus College campus? I see plenty of active support for the Gay Rights Movement -- opportunities for discourse, forums for opinion, pushes for awareness. But I also see a great deal of passivity and non-participation.
Members and allies or supporters of the LGBTQIA community should do something. I don't think that doing absolutely nothing will irreparably hinder the Gay Rights Movement or a much more positive, widely accepted opinion of the LGBTQIA community, but it cetainly slows their progression. How does anyone expect this crap-chute of a world to improve if they don't help out?
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