Third annual Day of Silence shouts over Elon

Jason Pressberg / Columnist

I didn't talk to you yesterday. Sponsored by Spectrum, Elon's Gay/Straight Alliance, yesterday's Day of Silence saw members of the Elon community wearing black shirts with the word "silenced" written boldly across the front. We were "silenced" to raise awareness about the people in our society who have been silenced for their sexual identities.

The Day of Silence brings up a lot of questions. Why do we need this event? Is homosexuality natural? Why do gay men seem so flamboyant? What's the deal with Elton John?

Gay people in this country are still extremely discriminated against. They can be fired from their jobs, denied marriage, and have an incredibly hard time fighting for custody of children. But why?

Doesn't everyone have at least a gay uncle, and shouldn't this be enough to have us be compassionate and supporting towards the GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) community?

As a "straight ally," it's my role to assist the gay community whenever possible. Being a straight ally is easy. All you have to be is straight and a supporter of the gay community. I suppose most heterosexuals have little reason to be a straight ally if they have no close friends or family members who are gay. Personally, I never thought about it, until senior year of high school, when my cousin came out of the closet, my new job had me working in the basement of a boss who had a "life partner," and two of my best buds started dating.

It was quite a year.

Suddenly, I was thrown into this new gay world, where many of the people I was close to were suddenly dating members of the same sex. I had two choices: support them or condemn them. Doing nothing leaves us just as guilty as those who condemn.

A lot of people discriminate against homosexuals because they think it is unnatural. Some religious interpretations consider it evil or relating to the devil. There is research to show that it is both due to nature and from nurture.

Personally, it doesn't make a difference to me whether homosexuality is learned or is due to how you're born, although I subscribe to the thinking that it is completely natural. Even if I'm wrong, this shouldn't matter. Homosexuals are here, and we should welcome them as people, granting them the rights of being heard that we all enjoy.

Yesterday I did my part to support the GLBT community by wearing my "silenced" t-shirt, helping Spectrum spread the message that we are not going to settle for anything less than equal rights for all Americans. I invite more of my fellow heterosexuals to stand up and participate next year.

Contact Jason Pressberg at pendulum@elon.edu or 278-7247.