In the past week, organizations, parties and groups have released statements in response to homophobic comments made in the past by the newly elected executive ticket. This letter to the editor comes from the LGBTQ+ members of Inspire Party who came together to form a response that somehow expresses the pain, fear and disappointment we and many others have experienced.
When the news was released Feb. 15 by The Alligator, there was a great deal of shock across campus. For us, not so much. The comments made by the candidates were simply an affirmation of the prejudice and discrimination that are ingrained into UF’s history and structure, but that doesn’t mean there was a lack of hurt stemming from the news. There has been no shortage of bitter disappointment felt by us and other members of the LGBTQ+ community. It is disappointment because many of us have this sickening feeling and knowledge that this is the norm in which we live.
It cannot be ignored that the newly elected Student Body president, Student Body vice president and Student Body treasurer are guilty of having homophobic material in their social media history. These three people are student leaders on our campus, and as the executive slate, they are responsible for setting the tone of a party. To see these candidates express so little thoughtful regret over their actions speaks more volumes than their comments ever could.
The next logical step in this situation would be to apologize and show true remorse over one’s actions and seek to make amends. Collectively we read the apologies of the new executive slate, none of which were anywhere near adequate for the pain inflicted. The actions of the three following the article did not show genuine remorse either. There was no post made in support of people with different identities, only one offer to meet with the affected communities. Instead of acknowledging the severity of what happened, excuses were given.
There was blame placed on outside factors, claims that a “different time” could excuse their behavior, and everything short of taking full responsibility for their mistakes. As student leaders, these three have enormous power on our campus. As student leaders, they should be expected of more.
Identifying as LGBTQ+ should provide a sense of community and solidarity in a world where actions like these social media posts and worse happen every day. Instead of finding this solidarity, we were instead confronted with a reminder of how far UF has to go. The LGBTQ+ community at UF has been thrust into the spotlight and been used as a tool by Impact, the media sources and essentially everyone to further their political and personal goals. Even when looking at the article, it’s a reminder this information didn’t come to light to advocate for any minority community, but instead to simply shift the balance in the game of SG politics. Instead of reacting to the latest scandal to hit our student leaders, we all need to look around and center those voices that experience this homophobia every day.
In the end, the issue isn’t what the candidates said. It was the reaction to their words, the acceptance of them as normal and the perpetuation of complacency toward homophobia that has haunted us in recent days. As the self-identified LGBTQ+ members of Inspire, we came together to support each other but also to hold our student leaders accountable for their lack of inclusion. Our Student Body president, vice president, treasurer and all our senators set an example for who we are and what we stand for. To remain silent after this would feel like an injustice to us and should feel the same for every student out there.
Together we can work toward a better campus. Together we can beat pervasive homophobia. Together we can be so much better than this. This indifference, complacency and homophobia can only be challenged when people stand up. Simply being “not homophobic” is not enough. All students, especially these three, need to recognize the power of their actions and more importantly, the power of their inactions.
Joey McGinn is an Inspire Party member.
