Purpose/Giles Bench

I just got through most of the posts on the blog as its existence has somehow escaped my surfing habits. I can say that I'm rather proud of the idea but as I see it now it is lacking in that it caters almost exclusively to the LGBT crowd. While I understand that it serves as means of self-help in between us, it would be of much more help if the greater public and our allies would benefit from reading our insightful and somewhat revealing experiences and ideas. Maybe if we advertised the blog more? or somehow include more people in it I believe it could become a good vessel of peaceful discussion, without it becoming an LGBT version of the metoo blog.

I am certain we have many allies in our student body who are either unaware of the adversity we face everyday, even with what some might deem minor lingual kinks, or who see them happening everyday but do not know how to cope with them. What if we could somehow reach out to them and give them the background information they need?! Think if every day just a couple of people back-lashed when someone uses the word gay or fag?! I think the reason why this social phenomenon has been rampant is exactly the lack of response from everybody. This in turn has lead to what the previous poster described as, the terms becoming part of "habitual-daily speech", a mass-desensitizing phenomenon.

As part of my coming-out process I've tried doing my best to kindly correct any people I was talking too if they ever used any terms associated with LGBT or any other minority or group for that matter. While some viewed it as me beeing a "party-pooper" and taking things "too seriously" I remained adamant and I hope that if not all, some realized that it was something that really mattered to me and have stopped using it.

Trying to cut my late-night stream of conciousness blurb, I want to end by saying that I have great hopes for the LGBT community and Duke and that if we work at our full potential there is room for great change. We have the raw materials and the tools, we need just be the catalyst for change.

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Tagging of the Giles Bench

The tagging on the Giles bench and the subsequent addition of flyers to counter this hate speech by members of the Duke LGBTQ community today caused quite a bit of interest to passersby. Most just stared, wondered what the crazy alternative gays were doing, then continued on to the Marketplace to escape from the cold. A few came over to express support. Two guys asked what the big deal was, obviously the tagging wasn't directed towards gays, but was a bit of light-hearted ribbing to the denizens of Giles. The question of whether they would feel the same way had the N-word been substituted for 'fag' was posed to them. They actually had the audacity to respond "Well it's different because n***r isn't a word used on a daily basis." "Everyone has their own opinion."

Well, they certainly are entitled to their own opinion, but that doesn't mean that it isn't bigoted, ignorant and just downright stupid.

Later on in the Marketplace two girls were overheard discussing the tagging and flyering. Again they had the view that it was ok because the tagging wasn't meant to be hostile towards gays.

Apparently it's ok to use derogatory terms referring to minorities as long as:

1. Everyone uses the word(s).

2. It wasn't even aimed at said minorities.

3. The word has supposedly taken on a different meaning.

In my opinion these viewpoints need to be destroyed, just as racist, sexist and every other type of bigoted viewpoints need to be eradicated. Only through education and standing up for ourselves will we achieve this. As the poster below me says, we have to fight against hate such as this, regardless of how small it seems, reacting in any other way legitimizes the act.

As a slight digression, something I have been pondering a lot lately is the actual tag itself. 'FaG-Spot'?

Really? Reeeally? These people go to Duke and 'FaG-Spot' is the best they could come up with? I mean, what 8th graders taunt each other with is Dostoyevsky compared to this.

Anyway. Apart from a few isolated incidents, my gay experience (or rainbow adventure as I like to call it) at Duke has been really positive. Before coming to Duke, I had decided that I was going to 'lie low,' at least for a few years or months. There was no need for people to typecast me so soon, especially not when I had four years here. Besides, Duke's in the South, people aren't going to be accepting or tolerant I figured. I am really glad to have been proven wrong.

 The first time I came to Fab Friday, I was terrified. I half expected to be devoured by the fierce boy-hungry gays and outed to the whole campus when I pushed the door to the Center open. My fears were allayed almost immediately, everyone there was incredibly friendly and welcoming, not to mention the amazing cupcakes. I've started going to the Center more and more, there truly are some awesome people who go there and I'm really glad to have gotten to know them better. I'm looking forward to furthering my involvement with the Center and the LGBTQ community at Duke, and take up all the opportunities that present themselves.

In conclusion, you all rock :)

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We Don't Tolerate Hate

What should we do when we encounter hateful speech and actions like this? Is it permissible for us to not react when it "wasn't meant that way?" Or is any action like this one worthy of a reaction because it perpetuates a mentality of hate and intolerance even if it is not "meant that way" by the authors? I believe in the latter, that we should react and fight against hateful speech regardless of how "small" it may seem, because taking it as a joke legitimizes this ignorant comment as funny. It is not funny and should not be tolerated whether or not it was meant as an act of hostility towards the gay community. It is hurtful and not welcome on Duke's campus, and so we must react and we have reacted.

We Don't Tolerate Hate, Homophobia, Bigotry, Ignorance, Oppression... These words only serve to call us to action against the people who perpetrate these crimes of intolerance.

"michael"

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