Summary: In this article from Affinity Magazine, writer Mikayla Connolly describes the events of January 23 in which, Tomi Lahren, an ultra-conservative right wing political commentator, hosted a party in honor of veteran remembrance, and Youtube star Shane Dawson and his boyfriend Ryland Adams were allegedly kicked out of said party for their public displays of affection such as kissing, holding hands, and hugging. The two turned to Twitter to vent their frustrations and Lahren, who is known for having scandal, rebutted their claims with a lengthy Facebook post that stated that the information Dawson were circulating was "fake news", that their appearance was "spectacle to advance whatever political message they placed above common courtesy for our veteran event" and that these were "tricks of the Left". After the post, both Dawson and Ryland retracted Lahren's name but the hashtag #IStandWithShane was circulating. Reporters also found that hours before Lahren's post, she wrote a tweet targeting the LGBTQIA+ community, stating that "LGBT community claims to be victimized by bullies so they spread fake news & encourage supporters to bully me? Makes no sense. Sad.". There have been no further comments from Lahren or Dawson.
Analysis: Okay, let's face the facts - Tomi Lahren is a woman who says what she wants, to whoever she wants, because she feels like she can. And she can. In the system we live in, a cisgender, blonde haired, blue eyed, thin white woman such as Lahren can say whatever detrimental things she wants without any real repercussions because the system we live in does not place value on lives of non cis, binary, non white people. And with our recent inauguration, the electoral college has told us what they really think of people who don't look like them or who love different people than them. If it wasn't Tomi Lahren who did this, even if she didn't, I wouldn't bat an eye if she did because of the hateful rhetoric she sprouts. I stand with Shane because he, my LGBTQIA+ friends, and everyone else in the world deserves to live in a place where they are valued and their life has value, and where they can be free to be themselves, wherever they are. Until that time comes, it is our job to stand up for them, to reject and fight the system, where I, your classmate, peer, fellow student, and fellow human, am not valued because of the color of my skin and where your fellow peers, students, and humans are not valued because of who they love. Stay woke, people.
Synthesis: This is eerily similar to how up until 1956, Thailand hadn't decriminalized what they deemed "homosexual acts".
I heard about this controversy. It disappoints me to know that people can be so close minded.
ReplyDeleteThat quite saddening. I wish one day this would end.
ReplyDeleteThis is so saddening to hear> I think that as a society we should move past this, and hope that one day issues like this never come up again.
ReplyDeleteKiri Luckey: This is so sad! It's sad to see that people are so cruel and not open minded to others life style choices.
ReplyDeleteThis is awful, but very well put by you.
ReplyDelete