📝 Silence Makes Us Complicit

While this is the first piece being published under the "op-ed" banner, it's less an op-ed than a declaration for the importance of using our voices in a fragmented world. We open up submissions for op-eds at a time of great division—the same time a convicted felon takes over the office of the presidency, whose inauguration included nazi salutes and who has already tried to erase and attack the humanity of trans people—even though his executive order technically declares every single one of us a female, but science be damned.

It feels silly to state simple facts such as trans people are people who should be treated with dignity and nazis are bad—because those are facts, not opinions. But maybe if more people were willing to simply speak up and say these things—rather than sit on the sidelines—we’d be in a better place.

Those of us who feel we can ignore politics for the next four years only have the privilege to do so because we won’t be effected by the policies enacted. If we follow through on this threat of ignorance, we become complicit as the people we claim to be allies with have to deal with the consequences.

Instead, we need to be willing to speak up, show our support, correct those who attempt to deny basic rights to other groups, and raise the voices of those from different backgrounds and diverse groups. Kneel at a football game, shout it from a rooftop, make people uncomfortable, take action; never let someone tell you you are doing it wrong.

Not only can we not be silent, but we owe it to ourselves to listen. Openly receive feedback and criticism with sincerity from people with different perspectives. Rather than quickly jumping to defend or make excuses, take the time to understand where the feedback is coming from, ask questions, and learn from it. We don’t have to always agree on everything—discussion and debate is healthy—but when we don’t actually listen to what’s being said, we just talk past each other and get nowhere.

I'm hopeful we can use this space to elevate diverse voices across various topics so we can learn from each other, discuss, and debate in a meaningful and respectful way. I'm a straight, white, liberal, American, cis-male who is agnostic, leaning atheist, and in his thirties, but I'm hoping to receive op-eds from those of different genders, sexualities, faiths, races, ages, and political views. I'm hoping to receive op-eds I don't agree with—ones that challenge me and make me think, ones that make me uncomfortable and force me to reckon with my past, or ones that make me look to the future in a way I hadn't considered before. I want to hear from people talking about events that have real impact on peoples lives, topics they are passionate about, or even the things that are piquing their curiosity at any given time.

There's a strong possibility I fail at this endeavor of publishing op-eds from diverse voices, or even sourcing any op-eds at all, but it's still something I want to attempt and am hopeful that it can grow into something more.