Sexuality and Justice Beyond Rhetoric

William Shakespeare’s play, Twelfth Night, pushes the limits on perceived gender roles that have been in place for centuries. Throughout the years, there have been ongoing discussions and debates regarding the topic of sexuality. On Thursday, November 9^th, I attended the 2017 Commitment to Justice Panel: Sexuality and Justice Beyond Rhetoric. During the panel, I was lucky to hear from four people who each bravely shared their personal journey with sexuality. Although these conversations are important to have, it is a hope that in the future they will be more organic and less uncomfortable.

A major theme in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is disguise and identity confusion. Orsino begins to see Cesario, who is actually Viola disguised as a man, in a romantic light. Also, Olivia begins to develop feelings for Cesario as well. As well as those relationships, Antonio finds himself caring deeply for Sebastian, in an almost romantic way. Shakespeare’s play defies stereotypical gender roles by having characters of the same gender falling for one another. Love cannot be controlled. People cannot choose who they love. The panelists that participated in the Sexuality and Justice Beyond Rhetoric panel, are all members of the LGBTQ+ community. It took the panelists a long time to be as comfortable as they are with their identity today, but it is a constant battle with other members of society.

The panelists have all been subjected to discrimination and phobia that other people have towards them. Kathleen Ball discussed the many misconceptions there are in regards to asexuality. Many people believe that being asexual is a result of trauma or that there is something wrong with the person. I was unpleasantly unsurprised to find out that in previous editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), being asexual was considered a mental disorder. This fact is based on years of prejudice and wrongful treatment. Megan Suder is pansexual and gender non-binary. Megan told the audience that a lot of their problems come from home. Megan’s family is traditional and religious and have a difficult time accepting Megan’s sexuality. They said that they are not yet comfortable to confront people directly so their family still uses she/her pronouns. They hope to one day be comfortable enough to correct people but it is still too difficult today.

The reality of life is that outward appearances shape our perceptions of people. When we look at people, we make split-second judgments about that person. It is part of our fight or flight instinct we are born with. We judge people based on their perceived gender. It was an honor to hear Shiva Subbaraman, Special Assistant to the Vice President of Student Affairs, speak at the Sexuality and Justice Beyond Rhetoric panel. She began with the quote by Father Gray, “God loves you, the Church is still learning to love you.” This quote speaks volumes about how the Catholic Church regards sexuality. She spoke about how belonging in America is a matter of knowing your size, constantly being sized up, and fitting in. If you do not fit into perfect boxes, you are an outcast and are discriminated against for being yourself. Shiva told the story of the time she was a young girl and decided she wanted to be a monk. A monk told her that, “being a monk means having intellectual prowess and women don’t have that.” “And that is how I became a feminist,” she said, which provoked a resounding applause from the audience.

During Shakespeare’s time, all of his plays were acted out by men, as women were not allowed to participate as actresses. We have come so far in women’s rights, but there are still miles to go before true equality is reached.

            Shiva told us that “we are the stories we tell.” The audience plays a crucial role in this. People need to listen, absorb, and spread the positive messages they hear. Keeping important information and life lessons to yourself has no benefit to society and the greater good. Personally, I know many people at Loyola that could have benefitted from attending the 2017 Commitment to Justice Panel. During my time at Loyola, I have overheard many homophobic, sexist, and racist comments. It is up to me and other people to speak up and defend those who are persecuted on a daily basis. We need to advocate and “leave this campus better than we found it.” Hopefully, one day we can reach a place where these conversations are simple and trivial. That does not mean unimportant, it means unnecessary because we’d already be living in a safe, welcoming, and inclusive society.