Sexism, Racism, Homophobia

While many like to believe that discrimination has been purged from our society, sexism, racism, homophobia, and transphobia still remain active aggressors of a large segment of our population. And while many schools preach “upstanding, not bystanding”, many victims of discrimination are not only injured, but ignored. In fact, feigning the absence of these societal issues is perhaps the most popular response to them. For many, it is easier to look away than to stand against.

For me, this is the an equally great crime, one that I hope to undermine. While I recognize the alarming prevalence of sexism and racism, my closest experiences have been with transphobia, particularly amongst a group of my classmates, whom I perpetually overhear using transphobic and homophobic slurs. While I make frequent attempts to dissuade their discriminatory views, I am often met with hostility. These confrontations eventually peaked after I witnessed their ridicule of a transgender girl on our bus. Identifying an easy target, the group of aggressors spent a few moments giggling and gesturing crudely. Rapidly, I turned to my classmates and urged them to stop their bullying. I asked them to consider the girl’s hardships and pleaded with them to remember a time when their own insecurities had been mercilessly persecuted. Their torment

In many cases, I realized, no one would have come to the girl’s assistance, and she would have been forced to silently suffer their humiliation for the duration of the ride. Likely too, is that the bus driver, clearly aware of the event, would not have taken action against the aggressors. With his stance as a figure of authority, this is disheartening and disconcerting, and speaks to a trend of inaction within our community. Because transphobic and homophobic actions are largely without consequence, it is likely that they will remain prevalent for far