Actually, the apparent theme of the event essentially encapsulates what Anne Phillips was trying to say: "What can you do to advocate? Tell them your story"
"What can you do to advocate? Tell them your story" was the theme of MT Lambda's "Its Not Just About Marriage" event.
Major Steve Snyder-Hill, whom you may remember as the Army official who got booed at the 2011 GOP nominee convention, and his husband, Joshua Snyder-Hill were the speakers and I feel that their story brought up a lot of really great points. Just a couple [paraphrased] quotes that I caught:
"I kind of wish I had a stamp on my head saying I was gay; If you're black and people crack jokes they know they run the risk of offending you because they know your black. If you're gay, people will keep making jokes and using slurs, never realizing how much they're hurting people they consider to be their friend."
"I don't want to know or think about what you do in the bedroom--it's a private thing. Why don't you extend me the same curtesy I extend to you every day? You don't think about what your boss is doing in bed because "that's gross"... What makes me different?"
"I get people who are divorced telling me that they don't believe I should get married "because of religion". They don't see a problem with Atheists getting married. They certainly don't see the problem with breaking the sanctity of marriage themselves and getting married again."
"I kind of like to antagonize people so they ask questions so we can start conversations and talk civilly." (This was Joshua's segue into his response to TN's "Don't Say Gay" bill, which, by the way, is back and worse then ever before.)
"People who don't see the problem with Don't Ask Don't Tell need to realize just how much they talk about their sexuality--the fight they had with their spouse, what they're doing this weekend, displaying their wedding band or pictures of vacations, the ability to have people over for dinner, even calling home to talk to their spouse where others can here them. And that's just a snapshot of it! I challenge them to go one day without acknowledging their sexuality."
"You can change your name [in our home state Ohio] because "it's dumb" but not because "I'm married."
And last, but certainly not least:
"It doesn't take a superhero to change things-- anyone can recognize and challenge an injustice."
I talked to them for about 5 minutes afterwords and, as always, was blown away at how they're just normal people just trying to live their lives "in the pursuit of happiness"
So, anyways, I hope that that gives some enlightenment If anyone has any questions, or wants to further the conversation, I'm gay and--in the spirit of multiculturalism-- willing to answer them!
(just comment below)
Also, if anyone wants to check out the Snyder-Hills' websites, they are:
jeaksua.blogspot.com
marriageevolved.com
Facebook.com/marriageevolved
I really like the post. I wish I could have been there to hear them. I like that their views mean more than what normal people think. In our group we bring up LGBQt often and releate it to our topic like multiculturalism and how if we all accept the ideas like cosmopolition we could be a better society.
ReplyDeleteMonique McIntosh
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