Diversity according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary means “the quality or state of having many different forms, types, ideas, etc.” What the dictionary doesn’t say is that being diverse, being different from everyone, or just some people forges an individual into who they are. For me, an openly gay male living in a society in which gay people are regularly assaulted, murdered, or discriminated against has shaped me who I am as a person; this gives me the ability to contribute not only to the diversity of NKU, but the inclusiveness of the campus.
I have learned to look past the labels assigned to people by society and learn who they really are. People find out I’m gay and immediately start using that label to confine me to a box of their expectations. They think that because I am gay I should fit the stereotypical, caricature of gay male that permeates American media: A promiscuous, shopping-fanatic, Broadway-loving, empty headed thing. They dig no deeper than that. They just assume who I am based on the label. Society assigns everyone labels: Caucasian, African American, Asian, Straight, …show more content…
This stems from years of harassment I faced based on something I couldn’t control: My sexuality. I remember how helpless I felt in the face of persecution and to me there was nothing that I could do, I was effectively voiceless. Other people used their voice on my behalf and taught me how to use my voice. Now I am the kind of person who sees injustice and speaks out against it. On a campus of 16,000+ students, injustice may happen, and without voices unwilling to speak out and speak up then that injustice can never be acknowledged. I believe that my voice, forged in the crucible of my life experiences will allow me to contribute to the inclusiveness of the campus because if people don’t feel safe, they close up, they put up walls and do not connect with others. Maybe with my voice, they will feel
I have learned to look past the labels assigned to people by society and learn who they really are. People find out I’m gay and immediately start using that label to confine me to a box of their expectations. They think that because I am gay I should fit the stereotypical, caricature of gay male that permeates American media: A promiscuous, shopping-fanatic, Broadway-loving, empty headed thing. They dig no deeper than that. They just assume who I am based on the label. Society assigns everyone labels: Caucasian, African American, Asian, Straight, …show more content…
This stems from years of harassment I faced based on something I couldn’t control: My sexuality. I remember how helpless I felt in the face of persecution and to me there was nothing that I could do, I was effectively voiceless. Other people used their voice on my behalf and taught me how to use my voice. Now I am the kind of person who sees injustice and speaks out against it. On a campus of 16,000+ students, injustice may happen, and without voices unwilling to speak out and speak up then that injustice can never be acknowledged. I believe that my voice, forged in the crucible of my life experiences will allow me to contribute to the inclusiveness of the campus because if people don’t feel safe, they close up, they put up walls and do not connect with others. Maybe with my voice, they will feel