When coming up with an idea for a column, I was mulling over the issues of the day -- O.J., Bosnia, Medicare, and the like. But on my way to class one day, I saw that someone had scrawled something on my door that I can't help but comment on.
In addition to a message board, I have four bumper stickers on my door; two for the college radio stations, one indicating support for my political party, and one that says "Eliminate Heterosexism." I found the other day that someone had defaced my gay-rights bumper sticker, inquiring as to what heterosexism is -- doing so, of course, with obscene language. I shouldn't really be surprised, but I figured the odds of my door being vandalized are slim considering that I live up on the fourth floor of my building.
This person could have asked me -- either in person or by blitz -- what "heterosexism" meant. Why he or she chose this particular method to express himself or herself is not entirely clear. Is he or she somehow afraid of me? That would be odd, considering that my sticker does not in any way mention what particular persuasion I might happen to have, which in any case is irrelevant. Is he or she afraid of the "PC thought police," whatever that means? From what I can tell, the average Dartmouth student isn't much more sympathetic to the notion on that bumper sticker than whoever perpetrated this act of foolishness must be.
For the curious, heterosexism is the ideological belief held by many that alternative sexual preferences are somehow inferior to heterosexuality. It is a more accurate term than "homophobia" because the root "homo," really has nothing to do with gay or lesbian rights, except, of course, as a slur. In essence, the message of the sticker I had on my door comes down to this: Provided they aren't forcing anything on you or keeping you awake at night with incessant noise, why should what consenting adults of any gender wish to do with each other be considered "inferior" to whatever it is that you or I, or anyone else would rather do with someone of our choosing?
It has occurred to me that this person may find non-heterosexuals in some way offensive, morally or otherwise. This person has a right to whatever personal morals and/or preferences he or she wants, so long as those values do not cause harm to other individuals. Perhaps whoever wrote on my door has a different value system than I do. If this is the case, I wish he or she would let me know so we could discuss our differences like rational, intelligent people.
I should not really be surprised by any of this, but this campus is supposed to be a place where these kinds of issues can be discussed in the open, with a minimum of juvenile behavior. I'm a Boston Red Sox fan, but you don't see me scrawling "Yankees suck" all over people's doors. No one is about to catch me defacing Bob Dole or Pat Buchanan signs either. I'm not necessarily averse to telling people I dislike Dole, Buchanan, or the Yankees, occasionally without even their asking. So, if something I put on my door or something I say upsets you, you should have the courage to let me know who you are and why you are upset rather than superfluously demonstrating that somebody out there is both immature and ignorant.
