This year harassment of people at Luther based on their sexual identity has been atrociously high. My friends have had their property vandalized, their lives threatened, and their sense of security forever weakened. While I realize that people are socialized into believing and acting in a certain way, I would like to believe that at a liberal arts college we would be able to transcend this brainwashing and think critically about that which we have been taught. I have found that this is not the case.
This sort of treatment of fellow students reflects on all of us: demonstrating our ability to objectify, hate, and abuse others. I find it not only disheartening that Luther is a place that fosters such actions, but also that people are completely unaware of the plight GLBT people face every day.
Knowing the high number of people harassed at Luther, I did some research, and was told by the FBI that hate crimes based on sexual orientation make up 16.7 percent of all reported crimes. According to the Des Moines Register, schools are often the arena in which anti-gay actions flourish. The average number of homophobic slurs a student hears per day is 25.5. Furthermore, anti-gay attacks are not limited to words: one-third of gay youth report having things thrown at them and 30% report being chased or followed (American Journal of Community Psychology).
Even more sickening is the fact that these acts are happening to innocent people who are already pushed to the margins of society. GLBT people are unable to marry the person they love. Only Vermont allows civil unions (not marriages), but even these are not recognized in other states.
Along with the restriction of the freedom to marry, the inability to do so accompanies a substantial number of limitations. Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) lists over 60 rights that straight people take for granted linked to marriage. Gay couples are rarely entitled to domestic partnership benefits (even at Luther), tax exemptions, inheritance laws, or insurance benefits associated with marriage.
Even illness and death are not exceptions to discrimination. If one partner was to be injured, the other partner is often unable to visit the hospital because they are not regarded as family. Partners are also not given the right to assist in making decisions in regard to anatomical gifts, or assist in any other medical decisions. Similarly, if one partner was to pass away, the surviving partner is unable to have assistance in regards to funeral costs and arrangements, and is often forbidden time off to attend the funeral (PFLAG).
What also appalls me is the fact that my friends are unable to have the rights associated with parenting. Gay parents are unable to be the guardian over the child of her or his partner, cannot be awarded a child in a custody hearing, and cannot adopt children as a couple, if at all.
In addition to the absence of rights in regard to love and marriage, there are no federal laws that protect GLBT people from discrimination in employment and only eleven states have anti-discriminations laws including California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin. However, currently in Minnesota, House File 341 is looking at repealing civil rights protection.
The list of privileges I have as a mostly-straight person is endless. Not only am I able to be seen as “normal” by majority society, but I am able to turn on the television and see couples resembling my relationships. When I am walking down the street and hear someone remark, “That’s gay” my lifestyle is not being degraded. I am able to be myself and be welcome in most social circles including clubs or federal organizations that GLBT people are barred from.
I find it impossible to understand how unfounded feelings of animosity toward other people can drive someone to commit acts of violence against those with already limited power. I stated before that these actions reflected on all of us as a community. They do. We have a responsibility to educate ourselves so that we can overcome our socialized brainwashing and prevent these acts from occurring. In order to help make Luther into a safe and accepting place for all people come to GLBTA meetings Wednesday nights at 8:30 in the Mott, or check out www.pflag.org and www.hrc.org.
