The Fight for Your Life: Tactics and Representation

I've worked for a couple of libraries on campus during my college career, so I've seen my fair share of strange and curious things. Most recently, I witnessed the following:

In the media section of the library, one of the library staff found a DVD that had been boldly and emphatically vandalized with a permanent marker. A large black X scarred the plot synopsis on the back along with the words "LIES LIES LIES." On the front of the case, amidst more angry zigzag lines, the accusation "HOMOPHOBIC LIES" was written. The DVD itself echoed the verdict: "HOMOPHOBIC TRASH."

The movie in question was the 1978 film "A Different Story," in which a gay man, who has immigrated to the United States illegally, marries a gay women in order to remain in the country. From what I can gather from online synopses and reviews, the two end up falling in love with one another in a way that either assumes or implies that their homosexuality had been a choice all along.

Today, I brought the incident up with a friend, and our discussion turned into a very interesting debate.

We both agreed that vandalism was wrong. My friend argued that this destructive crime - defacing a DVD that one does not own, that belongs to a library no less - can not be excused, even if the person who defaced the disc was trying to make a point or take a stand against homophobic and/or stereotypical portrayals of homosexuality in the media. And while I don't disagree with her points, I do beg to differ.

Suppose I saw a video of Former Alabama Governor George Wallace from the 1960s declaring "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever." While this is certainly not a comparable example (You can't make this up, boys and girls - Wallace really did say that), as an African-American female who has attended integrated schools all her life, I would certainly feel my identity was under threat - that I was in the presence of a person who wanted to erase me, who would look right through me if we met, who not only believed that I was unfit for education with his children but also would strike me down with his own hands before he let me get near my elementary, middle, or high school; in other words, a person that threatened my very existence to my face. And no matter whether the threat was physical or purely philosophical, I have found that the psychological effect of such things is very real.

Now while I would never excuse the vandalism I described at the beginning, I can't say that I don't understand it. If I believed that my sexuality was not something I determined, and someone very calmly told the world, in my presence, that I not only could I chose my sexuality, but also that I was, in effect, a big faker...

...well, I hope you would forgive me if I got more than a little upset.

And while I would not expect you to forgive me, and I would not expect to evade the consequences, I hope you would understand where I was coming from should I choose to take a stand (...even if my choice took the form of scribbling big black Xs across the antagonist's face).



I do believe that there is a time and place for respectability. Personally, for me, it's the rule and not exception. My friends have always teased me about not swearing or cursing, but I save extreme behavior for extreme circumstances. And even if something appears to be an extreme circumstance, it's very likely that cursing and whipping out my permanent marker will not achieve my desired outcome - and will make it appear that I am being childish and immature as I lose control of the situation.

Yes, your tactics reflect on you. Yes, you should always represent yourself at your best if you want to be respected. And most of the time, the respect of other parties is crucial to getting your point across - to getting justice, equality, or just plain understanding.

You can't just be heard. You have to be understood.

But I have to say, when I saw that DVD covered in bold, angry lines, I understood the place that message came from. Sometimes in the face of psychological violence, in response to a world asserting that you are an impossibility, the first response - right or wrong - is an incoherent scream.