Identifying as an Ally is incredibly important to the queer community. But as someone who has experienced harassment and judgement repeatedly in various locations, it’s important to remember how words and actions differ. This video is intended to spark thoughts about the protective effect that we experience as people based on macro-level knowledge or observations, and forgetting what happens in the day-to-day to folks from marginalized groups.
Just because I live in a state like Massachusetts right now doesn't mean that I'm protected or any more safe from people's harassment or from stigma. For people who identify as an ally, you have a responsibility to educate yourself and support people who are a part of the queer community.
Hi, Cadre. I wanted to post a video or, like, start a conversation around the concept of allyship, because I think especially when we're in election season and people think about who they're voting for and civil rights and geographic locations and all of these things, we kind of forget how impactful an individual can be. And to paint this picture as a gay man, I wanted to let you know that just because I live in a state like Massachusetts right now doesn't mean that I'm protected or any more safe from people's harassment or from stigma.
And I posted about stigma before. But to give a really specific example, in the last couple of weeks, me and two friends that went to a concert while walking back to the car were not once but twice verbally harassed by people that just drove by in a car, making sure that they knew that we were different from them. They didn't like that, and that the Bible didn't like that. Similarly, living in Boston when I was in college and then working there afterward, I and an ex partner were verbally harassed and almost got into a physical altercation on a public beach.
And in both scenarios, nobody did anything. There is something about bystander effect, and there is an impact of groupthink. However, I don't say this just to, like, highlight examples of bad things that have happened to me because even living in Florida or out in mountain time, I've had people be mean. And it. It's hard to brush off when it's this constant reminder throughout my entire life that I'm different or I'm not welcomed or something like that. But I bring this up because for people who identify as an ally, just because you live in a place that might be more liberal or considered a more blue doesn't mean that you don't have a responsibility to educate yourself or to participate in important conversations and support people who are a part of the queer community.
I mean, living in Massachusetts, no one would probably suspect that I would have multiple experiences of people verbally harassing me or have this continued insecurity or this chip on my shoulder when I go out in public alone or with others. And yeah, I've been verbally abused in public places in Florida, and it happened when I was living out in the mountains. However, I've had it happen more to me in Massachusetts, and maybe that's statistically, you know, prevalent because I've lived here the longest, you know, duration of my life, off and on.
But regardless of me, this is not just about me. But to say that whether you're voting in November, which you should be voting in November. But whether your beliefs are pro allyship, or if you've never thought twice about this, or if you witnessed things, or if you see things online, ignorance only protects the offender. It does not protect the victim. Keep that in mind.
