Hello, I'm sorry, I lost myself
I think I thought you were someone else.
So, yesterday I was discriminated against. On purpose. It was part of protesting military recruiters on campus. There was a nonprofit/government job fair at Statler, which I went to, got information about a few nonprofits, and then talked to the army recruiter guy. I told him I was interested in an army linguist job, because Dad had always told me it would be a good career for me (true). And we talked about that a little bit, and then I asked "So, were you just talking about 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' with that girl?" He said "Yes." I said "Does that apply to translators?" He told me it applied to everyone in the military (which I knew, for the record). I said that would be difficult, and he told me I could not be openly gay in the military. I thanked him for his time, then went outside, where a fellow activist was waiting with a sign saying "Cornell Supports Discrimination" and a bunch of blank bias incident report forms. That was the name of the game - we were trying to get as many people as possible to fill out bias incident forms. Protest through clogging up the beaurocracy with paperwork. Filling out the forms with other people was fun. The actual being discriminated against was less fun, partly because even though I knew what I was there for, it was still disappointing, and partly because I felt guilty. The military recruiter was a very nice man. And I actually had him thinking I was legitimate for a couple minutes, in spite of the fact that we'd already had about thirty queer activists buzz him and the marines guy. That's the thing about protest, which it's so important to remember: the people you're opposing are just that - people. He didn't make the rules. That doesn't mean what I did was wrong. But it's important to keep that in mind.
Later in the day, I was about to leave Risley, when someone tapped me on the shoulder and then hugged me. Joey. He was the one who had told me about this protest in the first place, so I figured he must have gone there to be discriminated against. He was wearing lipstick, girl hair, and a t-shirt that said "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Discriminate." And he told me that when he went to the fair, he was also wearing a red skirt, but had changed since because it was too cold. He went at the end of the day, so by then the military guys had accepted that most of the people talking to them were queer activists. As he was coming up the stairs, the woman with the walkie-talkie who was policing the event saw him, went over to the military tables, and said "There's a drag queen coming." I find that very funny. Of course, I would say that Joey's look was less "drag queen" and more "genderfuck," since he was also wearing a couple days worth of stubble. Anyway. He talked to the same army guy I talked to, and agreed with me that he was very nice. He was saying that it would be nice to have a miltary job for financial security, since his parents were ashamed of him. At that point, the marines guy leaned over and said "Your uncle's ashamed of you too." Joey's like "Sorry, my what?" Marines guy says "Your Uncle Sam," and laughs. Joey's basic reaction was "Wow, you actually said that! Now I have to kill you!"
So, that's the story. I'm glad I was a part of it.
And I get to see Jon Stewart talk tonight!
So, yesterday I was discriminated against. On purpose. It was part of protesting military recruiters on campus. There was a nonprofit/government job fair at Statler, which I went to, got information about a few nonprofits, and then talked to the army recruiter guy. I told him I was interested in an army linguist job, because Dad had always told me it would be a good career for me (true). And we talked about that a little bit, and then I asked "So, were you just talking about 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' with that girl?" He said "Yes." I said "Does that apply to translators?" He told me it applied to everyone in the military (which I knew, for the record). I said that would be difficult, and he told me I could not be openly gay in the military. I thanked him for his time, then went outside, where a fellow activist was waiting with a sign saying "Cornell Supports Discrimination" and a bunch of blank bias incident report forms. That was the name of the game - we were trying to get as many people as possible to fill out bias incident forms. Protest through clogging up the beaurocracy with paperwork. Filling out the forms with other people was fun. The actual being discriminated against was less fun, partly because even though I knew what I was there for, it was still disappointing, and partly because I felt guilty. The military recruiter was a very nice man. And I actually had him thinking I was legitimate for a couple minutes, in spite of the fact that we'd already had about thirty queer activists buzz him and the marines guy. That's the thing about protest, which it's so important to remember: the people you're opposing are just that - people. He didn't make the rules. That doesn't mean what I did was wrong. But it's important to keep that in mind.
Later in the day, I was about to leave Risley, when someone tapped me on the shoulder and then hugged me. Joey. He was the one who had told me about this protest in the first place, so I figured he must have gone there to be discriminated against. He was wearing lipstick, girl hair, and a t-shirt that said "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Discriminate." And he told me that when he went to the fair, he was also wearing a red skirt, but had changed since because it was too cold. He went at the end of the day, so by then the military guys had accepted that most of the people talking to them were queer activists. As he was coming up the stairs, the woman with the walkie-talkie who was policing the event saw him, went over to the military tables, and said "There's a drag queen coming." I find that very funny. Of course, I would say that Joey's look was less "drag queen" and more "genderfuck," since he was also wearing a couple days worth of stubble. Anyway. He talked to the same army guy I talked to, and agreed with me that he was very nice. He was saying that it would be nice to have a miltary job for financial security, since his parents were ashamed of him. At that point, the marines guy leaned over and said "Your uncle's ashamed of you too." Joey's like "Sorry, my what?" Marines guy says "Your Uncle Sam," and laughs. Joey's basic reaction was "Wow, you actually said that! Now I have to kill you!"
So, that's the story. I'm glad I was a part of it.
And I get to see Jon Stewart talk tonight!