As in, I was foolish to think that the brutal treatment she depicted was not as widespread anymore. Maybe, I thought, our nation is getting somewhere. Maybe kids won’t have to face what she did. Read on, you’ll see how wrong I was.

As I was going through my e-mails, I saw the same e-mails I get everyday from the New York Times and the Washington Post (you sign up, they e-mail the news to you, you read it, then….you know what’s going on in our world…check it out, it’s totally free!).

One article struck me as particularly appalling, not because of the way the article was written (in fact, I’d like to give props to Jeremy Peters for covering the piece), but rather for the sad truth of the content it is based on.

JUST THE FACTS:
What happened: Same-Sex Marriage bill was rejected
Who cast the votes: New York State Senate
Vote totals: 38-24
Total potential votes that could have been cast: 62
When was the resolution reached: Wednesday
How long until we hear about it again: 1 year (at least, that’s when there will be a new “legislature”)

As quoted from the New York Times article by: Jeremy W. Peters

“Senators who voted against the measure said the public was gripped by economic anxiety and remained uneasy about changing the state’s definition of marriage.”

“Certainly this is an emotional issue and an important issue for many New Yorkers,” said Senator Tom Libous, the deputy Republican leader. “I just don’t think the majority care too much about it at this time because they’re out of work, they want to see the state reduce spending, and they are having a hard time making ends meet. And I don’t mean to sound callous, but that’s true.”

–Libous, let me get this right, since people are feeling economic anxiety, you want to further restrict the LGBT constituents from SPENDING money on weddings and marriage ceremonies of sorts? Oh yeah, that makes sense. Oh and by the way, you do sound callous, but ignorant as well. Gay marriage wouldn’t make people have a harder time making ends meet.

Also from the article:
“Pollsters say that while support generally is building for same-sex marriage, especially as the electorate ages, voters resist when they fear the issue is being pushed too fast.”

–Oh, I’m sorry, you’re right. We’re almost in the year 2010, in an internet age….and wherein the world keeps changing on so many levels. You’re right, the issue is being pushed too fast. Yeah, and desegregation went far too quickly, and people from multiple races really shouldn’t be getting married, I mean what are they thinking. They don’t belong together, it might make everyone else uncomfortable. What would the neighbors say?

“Since 2003, seven states, including three that border New York, have legalized same-sex marriage. But in two of the seven — California last year and Maine last month — statewide referendums have restricted marriage to straight couples, prohibiting gay nuptials.”

“The defeat revealed stark divides: All 30 of the Republican senators opposed the bill, as did most of the members from upstate New York and Long Island. Support was heaviest among members from New York City and Westchester County and among the Senate’s 10 black members. Seven of the Senate’s 10 women voted for it.”

I love it how the Blacks and the Women are pointed out in the New York Times article. I mean, you must be able to recall the political debacle after the California vote. Everyone blamed the Blacks…because…as I can recall from the media buzz…since we had a Black man (half that is) running for president, all the Blacks came out to vote. And, they overwhelmingly voted against the bill. Okay, so thus it’s their fault, since clearly they’re the majority. Since when did a minority become a majority? The thoughts that ran though the minds of the media elite at the time is just beyond me.

It must have gone something like this:

Oh hey Stew, I have an idea, let’s figure out how many Black people in California voted against gay marriage legislation. Then we can broadcast that number. I mean, ’cause of Obama, they came out to vote. Then we can pitch the gays against the Blacks.

Great idea, get the numbers. This will make our career.

One question, whatever happened to the idea of minimizing harm…and NOT slanting the news? Oh, okay, yeah…get back to me on that.

I love..LOVE when the media poses women with the gays. I mean, if anyone of those 7 women are unwed or without children, they will probably face allegations of having the gay gene soon. That’s my prediction.

“‘I’m a woman and a Jew and so I know about discrimination,’ said Senator Liz Krueger of Manhattan.”

Oh sweetheart. That’s great. I’m glad you expressed your feelings publicly, but I’m sorry. As a JEW in NEW YORK, I have a hard time believing that you REALLY know what it’s like to face discrimination. However, for the moment, let’s say that the life you have lived has, sadly, afforded you the knowledge and experience of being discriminated. The problem is, approving same-sex marriage legislation isn’t about DISCRIMINATION. It’s about giving LGBT individuals that have been together for, let’s just say, 60 years, the ability, no sorry, the legal permission, if you will, to visit their terminally ill partner in the hospital.

According to the site, FreedomToMarry.org:

“There are over 1,100 protections and responsibilities conferred on married couples by the federal government including access to health care, parenting and immigration rights, social security, veterans and survivor benefits, and transfer of property—and that doesn’t include at least several hundred state and local laws, and employers, or the intangible security, dignity, respect, and meaning that comes with marriage. Excluding committed same-sex couples from marriage means shutting out families from the safety and security created by these protections and responsibilities.”

More from the NYTimes article:

“I think that there were political forces that in some respects intimidated some of those who voted,” said Mr. Paterson. “I think if there’d actually been a conscience vote we’d be celebrating marriage equality right now.”

“Several supporters said they felt they had been betrayed by senators who promised to vote yes but then, reluctant to support an issue as politically freighted as same-sex marriage if they could avoid it, switched their votes on the floor when it became evident the bill would lose.”

–Great point. Since when did politics become about your next term in office rather than your current constituents? Was this vote more about how many “successful” these senators record proves to be? Isn’t it their job to vote for bills that the people want, rather than going with what’s cool?

“Advocates for same-sex marriage have attempted to portray their cause as inevitable,” Richard E. Barnes, the executive director of the New York State Catholic Conference, said in the statement. “However, it has become clear that Americans continue to understand marriage the way it has always been understood, and New York is not different in that regard. This is a victory for the basic building block of our society.”

–Yeah, Barnes is right, I mean….slavery, religious discrimination, multi-racial marriage, the Ku Klux Klan, all tenants of the American society. Let’s bring them all back. When slavery was abolished, that meant that what “had always been understood” was proven wrong, and had been for a while. People were starting to understand that.

Alan Van Capelle, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, New York’s largest gay rights group, hinted that senators who voted against the bill on Wednesday could face repercussions.

And Christine C. Quinn, the New York City Council speaker, echoed that sentiment, saying, “Anybody who thinks that by casting a no vote they’re putting this issue to bed, they’re making a massive miscalculation.”

I agree with all of them. You just wait…

See the thing that people keep misunderstanding…is that we (as in LGBTQ people) are EVERYWHERE. Yes, in your schools, teaching your children. Yes, in your military, defending the rights you take for granted. Yes, in your families, your parents, your siblings, and most of all, your children. Yes, kids are coming out earlier and earlier as of late. As the adage goes, yes, “we’re here, we’re queer.”

I prefer the version put together by members of “the family” earlier this semester at the National Equality rally in Washington, D.C., perhaps it’s been known like this by others in the past.

We’re Here,
We’re Queer,
Don’t Fuck With Us.

(Yeah not every great chant has to rhyme.)

It’s really interesting that the New York State Senate has a website where they provide information for their constituents. The front page is void of anything about this vote, other than a line from their Twitter section announcing the vote. In the area where they have press releases, there isn’t anything about this vote. Despite the fact that a press release about other legislation went live yesterday. They’ll be working on this press release for a while, if they knew what was good for them, they’d get to it quicker. Oh, but we don’t want to put pressure on them or anything…in this trying economic time. I’m sure they’re really busy doing “real” work. No, that’s alright. We’ll wait. After all, last I checked, we’re not going anywhere.

As I’ve been writing this, my pandora station has been playing. This song came on. It’s very appropriate for the mood this story brings about in me. Time to tell “the family” in New York to go hide for a bit…

Hide and Seek: Imogen Heap

Lyrics Below (since this is a life version, she changed some of the words):

where are we?
what the hell is going on?
the dust has only just begun to form
crop circles in the carpet
sinking feeling

spin me round again
and rub my eyes,
this can’t be happening
when busy streets a mess with people
would stop to hold their heads heavy

hide and seek
trains and sewing machines
all those years
they were here first

oily marks appear on walls
where pleasure moments hung before the takeover,
the sweeping insensitivity of this still life

hide and seek
trains and sewing machines (oh, you won’t catch me around here)
blood and tears (hearts)
they were here first

Mmmm whatcha say,
Mmm that you only meant well?
well of course you did
Mmmm whatcha say,
Mmmm that it’s all for the best?
of course it is
Mmmm whatcha say?
Mmmm that it’s just what we need
you decided this
whatcha say?
Mmmm what did she say?

ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut outs
speak no feeling no I don’t believe you
you don’t care a bit,
you don’t care a bit

Just for fun:

Take a Stand: Support the Human Rights Campaign’s Online Petition HERE

And now, for the awfully WeiRd News of the day:

As I’m writing this, S.W.A.T. in Seattle, Washington are surrounding a house wherein an alleged “cop killer” from Sunday’s shooting in Tacoma, Washington is believed to be located. Maurice Clemmons apparently opened fire in Forza Coffee shop and killed 4 police officers. Oddly enough, the coffee shop where the shootings occurred was owned by a retired police officer.

This guy has a record. Apparently in the past, Clemmons threw baseball sized rocks in the windows of his neighbors houses for which he was supposed to go on trial in January. According to the police, he has a “history of instability and violence.” He has a laundry list of accusations including rape, burglary, possession of fire arm in school, and it goes on.

How is Huckabee related to this case?

As the Governor of Arkansas from 1996-2007, Huckabee had the ability to relieve people of their sentences. In 1989, Clemmons was given a 95 year sentence for robbery and theft. In 2000, he was commuted by Huckabee.

In case the name Mike Huckabee doesn’t ring a bell, he was one of the leading Republican candidates for president. Just a few moments ago, I heard a statement by Huckabee (shown again on Anderson Cooper 360) that he many requests, and about 92% of those get denied. Perhaps he was trying to say he had too many and made a quick decision? Hmm well I’m glad he isn’t president we couldn’t really afford those kind of mistakes from our Commander in Chief.

Courtesy of AC360 of Seattle Times and the Arkansas Parole Board

The following are statements from Clemmons posted on AC360.com. The statements are from the Arkansas Parole board including the application Clemmons originally filed for clemency:

“Please keep in mind that before this crime spree I had at no time in my life ever been into any kind of problems with the law. I come from a very good Christian family and I was raised much better than my actions speak. (I’m still ashamed to this day for the shame my stupid involvement in these crimes brought upon my family’s name.)
But, as mentioned I was only (16) sixteen years old and had just moved into a very crime ridden neighborhood. Where I was unable to resist the negative influence of the other neighborhood boys because I only wanted to fit in and be accepted because I’d just moved away from all my childhood friends and had no friends in Arkansas.”

Clemmons also added:

“Where once stood a young (16) sixteen year old misguided fool, who’s own life he was unable to rule. Now stands at 27 year old man, who has learned through the ’school of hard knocks’s to appreciate and respect the rights of others. And who had in the midst of the harsh reality of prison life developed the necessary skills to stand along and not to follow a multitude to do evil, as I did as a 16 year old child.”

However, the WeiRd news for today did reach the White House. A couple from an elite crowd attended a Congressional Black Caucus dinner. The Salahi’s allegedly breached security at a dinner where President Obama was at. The media has been throwing this around quite a bit today because this couple apparently didn’t go through metal detectors. It doesn’t matter where the breakdown of security happened, why is this such a topic on the news? Shouldn’t this be kept quiet because the world doesn’t need to know that the secret service and/or C.I.A. isn’t protecting our president as well as they should be. Now, I’m pretty sure there will only be party-goers that are officially on the list, regardless of their standing among the elite. Too bad huh….maybe we all could have had a chance to chat with Obama.

One other thing…I found it really interesting that friends of the Salahi’s were supposedly speaking out about this party-crashing couple on the news, but they weren’t really saying much. In fact, they sounded rather ignorant and it seemed like they were enjoying the media attention too much. One woman even referenced pictures put on facebook. I mean really?

Tiger Woods:

In a single car accident wherein the driver, Woods, had slight injuries, there has been a flurry of media coverage. The accident occurred at 2:30 am Friday morning.

Tiger Woods Car Crash Courtesy: TMZ.com

In the accident, his SUV hit a tree and a fire hydrant in his Florida home. Woods has released a statement about the incident on his website after several days of silence: “I’m human and I’m not perfect.” Since then, allegations have been instigated about his personal life, medical records, and the possibility of an affair.

Tiger Woods Car Crash Courtesy: TMZ.com

There’s no evidence of alcohol, and the incident remains a simple car accident. The problem is the fact that he’s supposed to be a public figure, despite his extreme desire for privacy. (Apparently he even named his boat “Privacy.”)

Members at the Protest courtesy: Robby Wilkinson

The group held the protest at his office because he hasn’t voted for LGBT issues. “He hasn’t really been a friend or ally of the LGBT community,” said Steven Wyatt, member of eQuality-CU. He was for the Defense Against Marriage Act (DOMA) and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT). In addition, he has voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crime Prevention Act (also known as the Matthew Shepard Act), as explained by Wyatt.

The approximately 30 people in attendance at the protest represented several organizations such as Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), Graduate Employee’s Organization (GEO), Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), and the International Socialist Organization (ISO).

According to Wyatt, the organization (eQuality-CU) sent a letter to Johnson’s office two weeks ago requesting a meeting with him with media presence. A response came back saying that he’d be in Washington, D.C. at the time. The organization was informed that they could meet with his aides.

Members at the Protest courtesy: Robby Wilkinson

“The point of the rally was to draw attention to the fact that Tim Johnson was against LGBT issues,” said Wyatt,”We didn’t have the disillusionment that we’d be able to change his mind.”

Three of the individuals at the protest went into the building to speak with one of Johnson’s aides. Representatives from the Daily Illini as well as some TV stations were there, but individuals in Johnson’s office claimed their wasn’t enough space. The media crew went in later, according to Wyatt.

The aide explained that Johnson wasn’t going to change his position. Despite the bad news, Wyatt believes that, “Just by being there and getting more activists involved, we’re in a much stronger position to further LGBT activism in CU (Champaign-Urbana).”

Members at the Protest courtesy: Robby Wilkinson

Lena Reynolds, university student, attended the rally, and explained why the organization was preparing for a letter writing campaign that happened earlier this week. The three students who went in to speak with Johnson’s aides reported to others in the group that his office hadn’t received a lot of letters on this issue. Thus, the letter writing campaign.

“It was small, and his response was depressing, but it was motivating,” said Reynolds.

The pictures in this blog were taken by Robby Wilkinson, who also attended the protest and said, “The protest essentially was to call on Tim Johnson to support LGBTQ issues and to show that there are people within his constituency that care deeply about these issues.” As Wyatt and Reynolds said, Wilkinson further explained, “The outcome of the meeting was a little disappointing, but not totally unexpected. Johnson’s representative basically said that, he respected our right to free speech, but in the end Johnson was not going to budge on these issues.”

This campus is wrapped with apathy. I’m in no way absolved from this claim. As a Big Ten school, it makes sense that we stand by the claim that “we pregame harder than you party.” Maybe, just maybe it sometimes gets to be too much? I’ll leave that for you to decide. Let me attempt to paint a picture for you…

We’re just about a moth away from finals, but I think some people may have missed the memo. It’s Sunday night around 11:30 pm. I walked down Green Street to get a bite to eat, but it’s easier to get a beer than a sandwich at this time of night.

I notice Subway’s “OPEN” sign from across the street. As I continue walking toward my destination, I see a kid passed out at an unknown doorway near Dunkin Doughnuts. I pause, consider trying to summon him back to reality, but I stop myself and walk away. Why? It’s simple. There have been weird police reports recently of individuals deceiving passersby by asking them for a cigarette and then mugging them with a gun. Being the lone female that I was, I didn’t want to take the chance. All I could think of was, might this be one of those tricks?

After about ten minutes, I’m sitting down to eat with a delicious sub and I hear the blaring sirens of an ambulance. Turns out that kid needed some help. He was beyond intoxicated, and I did noting. Apathy?

Someone else may have, but from the looks of it, I think a cop passed by and saw him there. I didn’t see anyone around who looked like the good Samaritan. Though, I may be wrong; the lights at the scene were awfully blinding.

Fast forward twenty minutes, and I’m walking to my friend’s apartment feeling distraught and horribly guilty. As I approach her street, I hear sirens. No one running or walking toward the sound but me. I begin to walk a bit faster when I realize it might be coming from my friend’s place. I pass it up and see the source of the gawking fire alarm.

As I quicken my pace toward the building, a few individuals are casually walking out of the building. Two guys mutter some comments reflecting their annoyance with the whole thing. Shadows move in the windows of apartments in this supposed burning building. Tenants from the building stand outside, and no one can tell me which apartment it’s coming from. So, I rush in.

From all the fire safety discussions I had since middle school, I gather up the idea to check the doorknobs. A hot one indicates a fire (I believe). I’m checking and smelling for smoke. From what I can tell, and all the door knobs I checked on every floor, this may be a false alarm. Some girls pass me on the third floor claiming they may have heard some drunk people talking outside their door, and that they may have pulled the alarm. I look on the third floor and see the pulled alarm.

I hear the fire truck and go downstairs to meet the firefighters. I told them what I knew and excused myself. I think it was a false alarm, but I’m not sure.

As the firemen were working on shutting the alarm, people stepped out of their apartment (adjacent to the alarm) because one of the firemen leaned on their door. How they managed to hear that amidst the blaring alarm escapes me. Who ever pull the alarm could face up to three years in prison. (I believe that’s the warning I saw written on the alarm switches in the building.)

As I headed back the way I came to get to my friend’s apartment, I saw people standing outside their buildings looking towards the source of the alarm, but no one came to help.

I realized a few things that night. First, some people have redefined the meaning of partying on a Sunday. Being passed out drunk and pulling fire alarms (though, not at the same time) aren’t the best ingredients for an 8 am Monday class.

Second, this campus needs more “good Samaritans” and people that actually pay attention or just care about those around them.

Finally, I think I need to get an apartment in Urbana for next year. This night in Champaign was a bit much for me.

Earlier this semester, I got really excited when I saw the free newspapers being distributed across campus and even more so when I noticed that after 5 pm each day, it’s rather difficult to find a Chicago Tribune. I thought this meant U of I students were engaging in the world around them, and being more conscientious people.

After that night, I’m not sure if we (as a student body) are.

On a side note, with tomorrow’s strike impending, I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

Considering the season that is upon us, I figured Halloween would be a great topic. Being an Illini myself, I see a hefty amount of orange as it is, but I’m about ready for this holiday to be over. Anyone else with me?

I mean, how many skeletons, cobwebs, decapitated heads, and orange pumpkins does a person need to encounter? I think this holiday season pretty much did me in.

This is the first Halloween since I was a kid that I’m actually going to be dressing up. Hypocritical? Perhaps. I figure if I participate, this holiday may pass sooner. I’m going to be dressing up as one of a few things, the actual decision hasn’t been made yet. I always wanted to be one of those clever costumes. My friend is being a cop, so I was thinking I could be the “Cover” or “Undercover” to her cop? Or the Rat…to the undercover cop role. If I was that, all I’d have to do is get a tail and ears. Do any of you have clever costume ideas?

According to The33tv.com the top costumes of 2009 include Michael Jackson, Kate Gosselin, Balloon Boy, Amy Winehouse, and Lady Gaga. I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw some rude Kanye’s or offended Taylor Swift’s.

Kate Gosselin, the real and fake Source: The33tv.com

I spoke to Sargent Robert Fitzgerald from the Urbana Police Department. They’re not expecting a lot of trouble this weekend, though Fitzgerald told me “we’ll have extra officers in our part of the city to deal with parties.”

Even though the cops aren’t worried, I would be. I guess the one costume I don’t recommend for this holiday weekend would be a 21 year old.

Have fun and be safe!

Photo by Michael Brosilow of James Elly in
Pangs of the Messiah at Silk Road Theatre Project, directed by Jennifer Green

The play focuses on a religious family that finds itself torn between fighting to stay in their settlement and obeying their government’s decision to dismantle it. Left hanging in the balance is the legacy of their beliefs.

The Silk Road Theatre Project showcases playwrights of Asian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean backgrounds, whose works address themes relevant to the peoples of the Silk Road and their Diaspora communities.

The play runs through May 10th in Pierce Hall at The Historic Chicago Temple Building, 77 W. Washington St., Chicago.

Click here to view a clip from the play:
http://www.stagechannel.com/video.php?ebc=lEQNMxHdNGVH

Susan Adler, actress who plays the part of Amalia, believes that this production is a very real portrayal. “I think it’s time that the Jews own up to the fact that right wing fundamentalists exist among us” she said.

Jamil Khoury, co-founder of the Silk Road Theatre project, stated that this play was chosen because it “speaks to the audience.” He also believes that this play shows that there is “as much of a conflict between communities as is in them” he said.

Upon first reading the play, Khoury admits, “I felt a source of discomfort. I went to that place of discomfort and realized this is more of a reason to produce it.”

Photo by Michael Brosilow of Stacie Green and Brent T. Barnes in
Pangs of the Messiah at Silk Road Theatre Project, directed by Jennifer Green.

Though the play was written almost 20 years ago, “It still has a lot to say now,” said Jennifer Green who directed the production. The play was modernized at Theater J she said.

As an Isreali-American, with the Middle East conflict constantly a topic of discussion, this play simply scared me. Even though it is projected in the future, the issues depicted are very real. For anyone who has an interest in delving further into the complex aspects of this conflict, I urge you to stop in to see the play.

In case you missed it, here’s the DI’s editorial Cartoon from Wednesday

Ayers began his discussion Tuesday night about one of his many books, Fugitive Days. According to Ayers, the book is a story about a boy making decisions and choices in a “fraught world.” A lot of the presentation revolved around his own experiences protesting the Vietnam War. The cause was important to him because, “Every week that we failed to end the war, 6,000 people died,” said Ayers.

A lot of the publicity was torn down before he arrived and throughout the week. Apparently, crumpling up fliers was considered a wise idea by protesters. However, they didn’t stop there. At the end of the presentation, Mark Thompson, a member of the CU community, dashed for the mic to make a statement–a long one at that. In his prepared statement–or rather speech–Thompson claimed that Ayers is brainwashing students. He ended his statement with the phrase, “Don’t be an Ayerhead.” It was his goal to make the students in attendance think critically. By the mass of individuals who stayed afterwards to continue the discussion with Thompson, it seems that he accomplished this goal. Those students argued, rather than agreed, with Thompson’s position. It seems that Ayers had several Ayerhead’s working for him already.

Credit: Foundingbloggers.com Maybe Allen Hall should have used this image for publicity; it may have attracted more students to the programs.

Ayer’s insight into his own experiences during a past controversial era was very relevant to the current war we’re in. In the ’60s and ’70s, Ayers was involved with the Weather Underground, and engaged in various acts of anti-war activism. The purpose of Ayers’ residency was to be accessible to students as well as offer them a glimpse into his own life experiences. As it stands, a majority of the nation opposes the war that we’re in now, but he wasn’t imposing his beliefs on us.

As a professor of education at UIC, Ayers has spent a lot of time “indoctrinating students” with his agenda. In case you missed it, that agenda is focused on social justice and education reform among other things.

People who attended the event want their money back, others are curious to know what really happened. Stories keep swirling about the events of that night.

What was your take on the night? Know anyone who has more to say? Feel free to send responses via e-mail to me at lihyepstein@gmail.com (if you don’t want to put it up here).

Ashton, a blogger for U of I admissions posted this video of last years Cotton Club performance. I can’t find any footage of this years performance, but I figured this would give a good example of the event itself.

What a lot of people are forgetting is that this weekend had several events. The after party was just one part of it.

On Friday, there was an amazing fashion show, and I was lucky enough to attend. Tickets were sold out! The after party for that was at Canopy Club, and last I heard, that party wasn’t shut down. They did reach capacity though. My friend Kathy Kukuc, who was in the show, was turned away at the door because they couldn’t let anyone else in.

Femi Masha made comments in an article that was in the DI on Monday about his frustrations that only events that reflect badly on the Black community get coverage whereas other events that are positive are overlooked.

As both a Jew…and a member of the LGBT community, it was interesting to talk to members of CRU, and actually forge friendships. It was amazing to have various people come up to me and thank me for what I said (both LGBT members as well as Christians). It seems that this will in fact be a start to merging both communities.

All 8 Panelists

One of the questions that we (LGBT side) were asked was: Are there any barriers that would prevent a lasting partnership to occur between our groups? Of course, I had to tackle this one.

It is my experience that there’s this societal notion that faith-based organizations, especially those affiliated with Christianity, are unwilling to accept LGBT people in their community. So many people assume that anyone who identifies as LGBT has rejected their faith completely, but it’s important to realize that a lot of people struggle with their faith because of their identity.

Often times, this stems from a lack of acceptance from these faith organizations. It’s not that LGBT people want to reject the religion, it’s that people associated with the faith have rejected them because of their identity.

I explained that there are two ways to break the barriers that exist, first, between our two groups, and then among people of our own communities. Active participation from members in both groups at each other’s programs, speaks volumes.

The other way is to have people of varying faith’s who are accepting of LGBT people discuss their choice of acceptance with members of their faith. It is also important for devout (in any religion) members of the queer community to share with others that they are in fact religious.

I asked most of the people who thanked me which group they came with (believe it or not, gay-dar isn’t always accurate). One person who came up to me explained that he came as a member of both groups. It’s amazing that such a program reached people that deal with this conflict. I hope that the honesty of the panel members will encourage him to be involved in both communities.

Just as I did when the Consulate General came to speak, I stayed after the program was over to converse with CRU people from the audience. That conversation touched on heavy questions related to Jesus and personal beliefs. It was interesting to connect with people that I would probably have avoided in any other situation.

This night helped me gain perspective. I really appreciate the fact that they (CRU panelists) denounced the preachers that chant on the quad.

I plan to attend various CRU events to keep the conversation going. CRU is a very welcoming organization for people of various identities and beliefs. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to meet them, and be a member on this panel.