Protests are an essential part of any conversation that we have on a public scale, whether it be municipal, state, federal or even international. When there is disagreement and controversy, there should be dialogue so people remain informed about the issues. It might come as a surprise that the keynote speaker event for the U’s Pride Week was protested, not by conservative groups, but rather by other LGBT groups, such as the Queer Students of Color, the Social Justice Scholars Group and the Honors College Queer Activism and Social Justice Think Tank. Those groups were not there to drown out the voice of the speaker but instead to facilitate a conversation between nationally syndicated columnist Dan Savage and the audience members.
Well-known as a sex advice columnist, Savage is a prominent gay voice in the community and has more recently been known for his work in creating the ‘It Gets Better’ campaign directed at gay teenagers who have contemplated suicide. However, the theme of this Pride Week was ‘Pride Has Many Voices,’ and as the statement from the Queer Students of Color argued, “those who are already excluded from gay politics have been marginalized even further.” The Pride Committee’s choice to invite Savage is reasonable, but it raises questions about the discussions we are having and hope to continue to have at the U.
In his talk, Savage talked about the protesters at some length in response to multiple question submissions. As he pointed out, some of the quotes they used to discredit him were presented without context, such as those from the Denver debates in the last presidential election. The protests went on without causing a disruption in the presentation and instead only served an informative purpose, mainly to ensure that the audience was informed about the controversy surrounding Savage as the choice of speaker. While Savage has never claimed to speak with anything but his personal voice, other individuals have constantly held him up as a spokesperson for the wider LGBT community, raising questions about the views he represents to the larger public. As Savage remarked in an interview with The New Civil Rights Movement a few years ago in response to accusations that he has made transphobic comments, “15 years ago, I didn’t know as much as I do now.” And during his event, he addressed that again, discussing the evolution of his understandings and views.
Whether or not Savage has really changed his opinions on certain subjects — such as trans individuals, bisexuality, race or weight — is still in question. But the U students involved in the protests are pleased their voices continue to shape the Pride Week debate. I hope other groups on campus take this as an example and continue to be involved with events that occur on campus.
Full Disclosure: The author is a member of the Honors College Queer Activism and Social Justice Think Tank, which was one of the groups protesting at the Dan Savage event on Oct. 9.