You are on page 1of 2

 $V$JJLHVZHQHHGWRIRVWHUDOHYHORIXQGHUVWDQGLQJIRUWKH*/%7FRPPXQLW\7KH%DWWDOLRQ2SLQLRQ

As Aggies, we need to foster a level of
understanding for the GLBT community
%\(YDQ)ORUHV_3RVWHG0RQGD\2FWREHUDP
,DPD+LVSDQLFKHWHURVH[XDO&KULVWLDQPDOH,EULQJ
OLWWOHWRWKHWDEOHZKHQLWFRPHVWRWKHREVWDFOHVRI
PDUJLQDOL]DWLRQWKDWPHPEHUVRIWKH*/%7
FRPPXQLW\PD\IDFH%XW,GREULQJVRPHWKLQJWRWKH
WDEOH

,KDGQHYHUPHWDOHVELDQXQWLOP\PRWKHUWROGPHVKH
ZDVGDWLQJDQRWKHUZRPDQ%XWDIWHUWKLVZHHNHQG,
DPQRZWKHVRQRIDZRPDQZKRKDSSLO\PDUULHGKHU
SDUWQHU,ZDVWKHEHVWPDQDWWKHLUZHGGLQJ6DWXUGD\
Flores
LQDGGLWLRQWREHLQJWKH'-$\HDUDJRP\PRWKHU
FDOOHGPHDVNLQJLI,FRXOGKDYHKHUEOHVVLQJEHIRUH (YDQ)ORUHVVWDQGVE\KLVPRWKHUDQGKHU
WKHVDPHVH[PDUULDJHODZSDVVHGLQ$WWKHWLPH QHZZLIHRQFDPSXV
ZHKDGQRLGHDZKDWZDVWRFRPHRUZKDWODZZDV
HYHQWXDOO\WREHSDVVHG7KHTXHVWLRQWKHQZDVKRZFRXOGWKH\JHWPDUULHG")XUWKHUPRUHFRPLQJ
IURPDEDFNJURXQGZKHUHP\IDPLO\ZDVXQVXUHDERXWKRPRVH[XDOLW\KRZVKRXOG,KDYHUHVSRQGHG"
,KDYHVHHQWKHVWUXJJOHVVKHKDVIDFHGGHDOLQJZLWKWKHMXGJHPHQWRIRWKHUV%XWRQHWKLQJWKDW,
KDYHDOZD\VNQRZQVLQFHP\PRPVWDUWHGGDWLQJKHUZLIHLVWKDWGHVSLWHP\EHOLHIVVKHLVKDSS\²
DQGDVKHUVRQ,FRXOGQ¶WDVNIRUDQ\WKLQJPRUH

,QOLJKWRI1DWLRQDO&RPLQJ2XW'D\VRPHRIXVIHHODELWXQVXUHRIZKDWWRVD\DERXWWKHGD\
P\VHOILQFOXGHG7RWKRVHRIXVZKRGRQ¶WVKDUHLQWKHH[SHULHQFHVRIPHPEHUVRIWKH*/%7
FRPPXQLW\ZKDWFDQZHRIIHUWRWKHWRSLF"6KRXOGZHKDYHLQSXWDWDOO"

,ZDVZLOOLQJWRVXSSRUWKHUFKRLFHVZLWKRXWJHWWLQJRIIHQGHG,NHSWP\VDPHSHUVRQDOEHOLHIV
UHJDUGLQJZKHWKHURUQRW,EHOLHYHKHUPDUULDJHRUKHURULHQWDWLRQLVULJKWRUZURQJ7KDW¶VFDOOHG
XQGHUVWDQGLQJ
7KHSHRSOHRIWKH*/%7FRPPXQLW\KDYHIDFHGPDQ\VWUXJJOHVLQWKLVURDGWRZKHUHZHDUHQRZDQG
WKHVDPHFDQEHVDLGDERXWVWXGHQWVDW$ 0ZKRDUHPHPEHUVRIWKH*/%7FRPPXQLW\DQGZH
VKRXOGQRWGLVFRXQWWKDW,QWKHIDFHRIWKHVHKDUGVKLSVWKHSHRSOHRIWKLVGHPRJUDSKLFDQGVWXGHQWV
KHUHXQGHUVWDQGWKHVRFLHWDOERXQGDULHVEHIRUHWKHP7KH\ZLOOFRQWLQXHRQWRDZRUOGZKHUHWKH\
ZLOOVWLOOEHOLPLWHGLQVRPHIDVKLRQDVP\PRWKHUZDVDQGLVVRPHWLPHV

KWWSZZZWKHEDWWFRPRSLQLRQDVDJJLHVZHQHHGWRIRVWHUDOHYHORIXQGHUVWDQGLQJDUWLFOHBHFIDHDHIDIIDIIKWPO"PRGH SULQW 


 $V$JJLHVZHQHHGWRIRVWHUDOHYHORIXQGHUVWDQGLQJIRUWKH*/%7FRPPXQLW\7KH%DWWDOLRQ2SLQLRQ

:HQHHGWRUHVSRQGDVDVWXGHQWERG\WRWKHFKDOOHQJHVSODFHGRQWKHVKRXOGHUVRIRXUIHOORZSHHUV
²KRPRVH[XDOKHWHURVH[XDOHWKQLFHWF²ZLWKXQGHUVWDQGLQJ

7KURXJKRXWP\WLPHDVD%DWWDOLRQZULWHU,KDYHKDGWKHSULYLOHJHRIDWWHQGLQJPDQ\IXQFWLRQVZLWK
DPXOWLWXGHRI$JJLHVDQGIDFXOW\DQGWKHZRUGWKDWFRQVWDQWO\DSSHDUVWKHPRVWLQFRQYHUVDWLRQLV
³FDPDUDGHULH´2QWKHSODTXHVRIWKHHQWUDQFHVWRWKH0HPRULDO6WXGHQW&HQWHUWKHFRUHYDOXHVDUH
OLVWHG²+RQRU,QWHJULW\5HVSHFW/R\DOW\&RXUDJHDQG6HOIOHVV6HUYLFH
:KHQWKHZRUGV³:HEOHHGPDURRQ´DUHVDLGLWGRHVQ¶WVSHFLI\DFHUWDLQGHPRJUDSKLF:HDUH
$JJLHVZHDUHFDOOHGWRDOOHPERG\WKHVHYDOXHVDQGZLWKWKHPVKRXOGFRPHDQXQGHUVWDQGLQJRI
HDFKRWKHUV¶SRVLWLRQVLQOLIH%XWZHRIWHQORVHVLJKWRIWKDW
:HDOOKROGGLIIHUHQWEHOLHIV²VRPHVXSSRUWLQJKRPRVH[XDOLW\VRPHDJDLQVW²EXWWKDWVKRXOGQRW
GHJUDGHWKHUHVSHFWZHVKRXOGKDYHIRUHDFKRWKHU:HDUHWKHQH[WJHQHUDWLRQRIDGXOWVDQGZHZLOO
GHFLGHZKLFKGLUHFWLRQRXUFRXQWU\ZLOOWDNH²LWEHJLQVKHUHDW$ 0
8QGHUVWDQGLQJGRHVQ¶WUHTXLUHXVWRFKDQJHDOORIRXUEHOLHIVRUYDOXHVXQGHUVWDQGLQJLVDVLJQWKDW
ZHFDQUHVSHFWHDFKRWKHUGHVSLWHRXUGLIIHUHQFHVDVLJQRIZLVGRPDQGPDWXULW\DQGWKDWVKRXOGEH
RXUJRDO6WXGHQWRUQRWVWUDLJKWRUKRPRVH[XDOZHDOOKDYHRXUH[SHULHQFHVOHW¶VQRWGLVFRXQWDQ\
RIWKHP
,QDZRUOGZKHUHHYHU\RQHKDVDFKDQFHWRYRLFHWKHLURSLQLRQQRRQHLVOLVWHQLQJ:HIHDUWKDW
OLVWHQLQJPHDQVJLYLQJXS:HIHDUWKDWQRWFDOOLQJWKHRWKHUVLGHZURQJQRWYHKHPHQWO\VWDQGLQJXS
IRURXUEHOLHIVFDXVHVXVWRDEDQGRQWKHP

,DPKHUHWRWHOO\RXLWGRHVQ¶W

,DPVWLOOD+LVSDQLFKHWHURVH[XDO&KULVWLDQPDOH²WKDWKDVQRWFKDQJHGLQOLJKWRIP\PRWKHU¶V
ZHGGLQJ+RZHYHU,EHOLHYHWKDWZHDVDFRPPXQLW\VKRXOGUHFRJQL]HWKHMRXUQH\WKLVGHPRJUDSKLF
KDVKDGDMRXUQH\WKDWRXUFRXQWU\KDVKDGWRJHWKHUHDQGQRWPLQLPL]HWKHH[SHULHQFHVRIRWKHUV
UHJDUGOHVVRIZKHWKHUZHDVLQGLYLGXDOVIHHOWKHLUSRVLWLRQRUWKHLUGHFLVLRQVDUHZURQJRUULJKW:H
VWLOODOOKDYHDZD\VWRJREHIRUHZHJHWHYHU\RQHRQWKDWVDPHSDJHXQGHUVWDQGLQJ

$WWKHUHFHSWLRQWKDWIROORZHGP\PRP¶VZHGGLQJSHRSOHZRXOGQRWVWRSFRQJUDWXODWLQJWKHP
&URZGVVWRSSHGLQWKHVWUHHWWRZLVKWKHPORYHIRUDQHWHUQLW\DQGWKDWLVDOO,FRXOGGRDVZHOO
,QP\WRDVWDVWKHLUEHVWPDQ,VDLGWKLV³7KHUHLVMR\EHWZHHQWKHVHWZRGHVSLWHDOORIWKHWKLQJVZH
KDYHEHHQWKURXJKWRJHWKHUHWKHUHLVVWLOOMR\,KDYHJRQHWRPDQ\SODFHV,KDYHVHHQPDQ\WKLQJV
EXWZKDW,DOZD\VILQGKDUGWRIRUJHWLVZKHQ,VHHMR\,VDZLWLQSHRSOH¶VH\HVZKHQWKH\PHWDQ
$PHULFDQIRUWKHILUVWWLPHLQ&KLQDDQGRUSKDQV¶H\HVZKHQZHIL[HGWKHLUKRPHVLQ0H[LFRDQG,
VHHLWLQWKHH\HVRIWKHVHWZR7KDW¶VZRUWKKROGLQJRQWR´
(YDQ)ORUHVLVDQLQWHUQDWLRQDOVWXGLHVVHQLRUDQGDQHZVUHSRUWHUIRU7KH%DWWDOLRQ

KWWSZZZWKHEDWWFRPRSLQLRQDVDJJLHVZHQHHGWRIRVWHUDOHYHORIXQGHUVWDQGLQJDUWLFOHBHFIDHDHIDIIDIIKWPO"PRGH SULQW 

You might also like