I woke up this morning with my email abuzz with the most recent gossip politics. The assistant attorney general for the state of Michigan has turned into a Mean Girl - only he's not crafty and manipulative. The biggest tool in his arsenal is stealing pictures from Facebook and using Microsoft Paint to modify them. (I feel sorry for him; he's in a bind. As a government employee, he doesn't make enough money to afford Photoshop, but he's professionally bound not to bootleg it. Thus he's reduced to creating digital creations reminiscent of five year old art projects.)
But I'm not going to spend too much time pointing out how stupid or ridiculous he is. Even his boss says “his immaturity and lack of judgment... are clear.” And it's exactly this reason why I want to call out to all Allies that this the time to speak up.
But I'm not going to spend too much time pointing out how stupid or ridiculous he is. Even his boss says “his immaturity and lack of judgment... are clear.” And it's exactly this reason why I want to call out to all Allies that this the time to speak up.
As someone who identifies as queer, I'm obviously appalled that this is happening. I'm both heartened that Mr. Shirvell's antics are being covered by the media as ridiculous and saddened because it's not surprising to me at all that a significant number of people in this country still feel this way. But most importantly, I refuse to engage with any of Mr. Shirvell's arguments. I refuse to concede that anything he's saying is even worth acknowledging. Like the bully on the playground – we must be above it all.
However. That doesn't mean this is words should go uncensured. There is a common exercise done in LGBT awareness workshops that has each person fill out a survey with two questions. The first asks, “On a scale of 1-5, how comfortable are you with queer people?” The second asks, “On a scale of 1-5, how comfortable do you think other people are with queer people?” Time and again the average of all the people in the workshop rates that they are more comfortable than what people estimate in the second question. The take home message? Even if you are comfortable with queer folks, the assumption is that you're not.
Ultimately, Shirvell's actions are saddening, but in the overall scheme of things, probably not too threatening in a direct sense. (The implications of him being a high ranking state official with sway over the judicial system is a whole different story.) What I'm holding my breath for, is the response of straight folks. Because in situations where it's too undignifying for the direct targets of attacks to respond, it's incredibly important for his peers, in this case other straight folks, to step up and speak out. And if you think we know you think he's being ridiculous – we don't. Your words not only tell him and others like him, that as a society, we're not longer tolerating this, but also that we're safe and accepted.
Furthermore, Shirvell is clearly oblivious to the newest trend amongst straight white men. Gone are the days where being homophobic ensured your heterosexual status. These days, if you're not “man enough” to be ok with gay people, you're gay yourself. Incidentally, I find this male take on homophobia hilarious. A few digital stick figures of my own:
However. That doesn't mean this is words should go uncensured. There is a common exercise done in LGBT awareness workshops that has each person fill out a survey with two questions. The first asks, “On a scale of 1-5, how comfortable are you with queer people?” The second asks, “On a scale of 1-5, how comfortable do you think other people are with queer people?” Time and again the average of all the people in the workshop rates that they are more comfortable than what people estimate in the second question. The take home message? Even if you are comfortable with queer folks, the assumption is that you're not.
Ultimately, Shirvell's actions are saddening, but in the overall scheme of things, probably not too threatening in a direct sense. (The implications of him being a high ranking state official with sway over the judicial system is a whole different story.) What I'm holding my breath for, is the response of straight folks. Because in situations where it's too undignifying for the direct targets of attacks to respond, it's incredibly important for his peers, in this case other straight folks, to step up and speak out. And if you think we know you think he's being ridiculous – we don't. Your words not only tell him and others like him, that as a society, we're not longer tolerating this, but also that we're safe and accepted.
Furthermore, Shirvell is clearly oblivious to the newest trend amongst straight white men. Gone are the days where being homophobic ensured your heterosexual status. These days, if you're not “man enough” to be ok with gay people, you're gay yourself. Incidentally, I find this male take on homophobia hilarious. A few digital stick figures of my own:
men are from mars, women are from venus
And finally, this (in addition to the uncountable generations of people who seem to stake their lives in Michigan football games) proves what I've of suspected since arriving here: that University of Michigan alumni need to move on and get a life.
