Written By: PARKER GIBSON
20 April 2011
As you may know, April 15th was the national day of silence. This is a day that was organized by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight education Network [GLSEN] and symbolizes the oppression and hate toward the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transexual [LGBT] community. Those who took part in the observance of this day symbolically tied a gag over their mouths with words such as “hate” and “bullying” visible. In the Teaching and Learning Center there were quite a few students who were visible with such attire as well as signs that shared troubling statistics about suicide and pain endured by the LGBT community. It was indeed powerful and moving. A large poster with pictures of LGBT students who had been silenced forever was heart wrenching to say the least.
It is necessary to have events such as this, especially in a society where the words “gay” and “fag” are often used without regard as insults. A day to promote acceptance and equality is certainly valuable when so many of us are unaware of how disrespectful and offensive we are being when we use those terms. However, any sympathy I may have felt was quickly replaced by rage when I saw the abomination on display in the cafeteria. Visible on the podium at the front of the room was a massacred and desecrated American flag. Somebody had taken old glory, and stripped her of her red and white stripes. Instead, the 50 stars on the canton rested upon the stripes of the rainbow flag.
The American flag is a symbol of our wonderful country, and it is a tribute to the men and women who make the ultimate sacrifice to uphold the mighty constitution. The men and women who fought to make it possible for the LGBT community to be proud, and have a voice. The disrespect that the butchered flag promoted was disrespectful and distasteful. United States flag code states clearly in Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 3 in regards to mutilation of the flag:
“…Any person who… in any manner, for exhibition or display, shall place or cause to be placed any word, figure, mark, picture, design, drawing, or any advertisement of any nature upon any flag, standard, colors, or ensign of the United States of America… shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $100 or by imprisonment for not more than thirty days, or both, in the discretion of the court.”
It is disappointing that the LGBT community chose to disrespect the country on April 15th, and I would hope for further discretion in the future. The message would have been equally as strong if the rainbow flag and the American flag were hung in accordance with flag code. We have students in the armed forces on campus, and it is undoubtedly perceived as a personal insult to all of them as well as those patriotic civilians. For a day intended to promote tolerance, there was sure a lot of hypocrisy.
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