By Carter Hanson, President of College Democrats
Poster from the College Democrats Instagram (Courtesy of Carter Hanson).
What they want is attention; for them, attention is the closest thing they can get to actual power. They pull stunts, write editorials, demand blank checks from Student Senate to fund their homophobia and transphobia, and bring hate-speakers to campus for the sole purpose of provoking outrage. They are empowered by outrage. They are empowered by angry YikYak posts, and administration emails reminding us about “free speech”—that inalienable right they so readily misunderstand and abuse.
On Tuesday, they are bringing Ryan T. Anderson—a man who makes a living by denigrating the LGBTQ+ community—to campus, and the best protest is simply to not attend their event. Attending events with speakers like Anderson legitimizes their speech it legitimizes their argument as discourse, as something that can be debated. Homophobia and transphobia are not up for debate; that kind of speech is beyond the pale, it is abhorrent, it is unacceptable. Again, they are empowered when people show up to their events, even if people show up to protest. If people attend, they win. Simple as that.
So, rather than attend the Anderson speech and give them more attention than their measly club deserves, please spend that time next Tuesday at one of the many events celebrating the LGBTQ+ community!
The Gender and Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC) will be hosting Signs for Solidarity and button making next Tuesday, 12–2 p.m., in the GSRC (located on the first floor of Apple Hall). They will later be hosting an Inclusion and Belonging BBQ on Stine Lake starting at 5:30 p.m. After the BBQ, students can use the GSRC as a support/processing space until 9 p.m..
The Women, Gender, and Sexuality Department will have an Open House on Tuesday night in the CUB Junction. They are hoping to extend this event far beyond the usual department open house in response to the Anderson event, to make the event a celebration of queer joy.
Gettysburg College Democrats (of which I am president) is working to bring together a coalition of campus organizations to provide more alternatives to prevent people from attending the Anderson event. If you are involved in a campus organization and are interested in working with us, either directly or indirectly, please email me at hansca02@gettysburg.edu.
I would also be remiss to not take this opportunity to implore the College community to register to vote in Gettysburg. The single most important weapon we possess to combat homophobia and transphobia is the ballot. Doug Mastriano, Republican candidate for PA governor, Mehmet Oz, Republican candidate for PA senator, and Dan Moul, Republican candidate for State House, are homophobic and transphobic, and, if elected, will consistently vote against LGBTQ+ rights.
If you care about the LGBTQ+ community, you have a responsibility to register to vote here and prevent those who are homophobic and transphobic from being elected to positions in which they will have the power take away gay and trans rights.
