Last week, I wrote about my frustrations with crudely expressed anti-gay opinions at our football game. As an extension of that post, a graduate student has organized a gathering to discuss ways to prevent bullying based upon sexual orientation. The discussion, called "End Victimization of LGBTQ Youth", was planned as a result of the recent suicides of five gay teenagers, all occurring in the last three weeks. The meeting may include planning a vigil for the five teenagers who took their lives. A little closer to home, a University student was assaulted off Grounds last week, as a result of the student's presumed sexual orientation.
While it is reassuring that other people take these events as seriously, or more so, as I do, I find it infuriating that LGBTQ's still face prejudice nearly everywhere. In the last two weeks alone, very obvious prejudice has occurred on and off Grounds here in Charlottesville, not to mention the aforemetioned national tragedies. I do not understand why this is the case. We have given equality to racial minorities and women, and it is considered socially unacceptable to oppose that equality. Congressmen would not be applauded for campaigning for subordination of women or eliminating blacks from the workplace, but issues involving gay rights are used as legitimate platforms. True--sexism and racism both persist. But, at least those groups have the same legal rights as the majority of citizens, and those who threaten those rights are ridiculed and scorned. Why shouldn't homosexuals be allowed to marry or adopt children just as easily as heterosexual couples? It seems to me that this has no impact on those around them, and does not infringe upon other people's freedoms in any way. Bringing up opinions on the issues of gay rights is a touchy subject, and is generally avoided, but I don't understand why that's the case. If people are too afraid to discuss it in the open for fear of offending someone's belief, how will any understanding be reached and any progress towards equality be made? Keeping silent about gay's rights allows for the kind of bullying that pushed those five teenagers to take their lives to continue to occur, because the longer the issue is tiptoed around, the longer prejudice will persist. I'm not calling for petty bickering, where phrases and terminology like "It's Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve" and "fag" are off handedly thrown around to defend an opinion--that kind of immature discussion is unproductive and turns too emotional too quickly. I'm calling for serious, practical, dialogue between people with opposing viewpoints. I would strongly encourage anyone in the Charlottesville or UVA community to attend Thursday's discussion. It is one small step toward jumpstarting a dialogue that could make Charlottesville a safer place for everyone.
"End Victimization of LGBTQ Youth" - Thursday, October 7th, 7:30 PM, Kaleidoscope Room in Newcomb Hall
