From Sep. 29 to Oct. 3, Temple celebrated National Coming Out Week (NCOW), which celebrates LBGTQ+ voices, both out and private. The week was packed with festivals showcasing LGBTQ+ friendly clubs, health organizations such as Student Activists Against Sexual Assault (SAASA), diversity at Temple, and organizations giving out vaginal care products. This week also included drag shows with beautiful performances by locals who were brave enough to share their story. Temple gave students the opportunity to share their stories with the âSpeak Out and Speakeasyâ session, where those in the community chose to share their stories through artistic mediums such as acapella and dance. Those named were only a few events that were held during this week. Â
The spirits were high, and all types of love were in the air. But before the celebration had a chance to kick off, members of Key of David, a religious organization, set foot on campus in a protest which directly targeted and endangered people of color, queer people, and women. The protestors held signs with phrases âWOMEN BELONG IN THE KITCHENââŻand listed that LGBTQ+ individuals were going to hell.  Â
Students fought back with fiery energy, showing pictures of gay couples, shouting against the hateful rhetoric, and staying true to themselves amid hatred. Despite the burden of midterms and overall college life, students chose to take their power back and remain solid in their identities, fighting for the belief that no one should be prosecuted for who they love, transitioning genders, or their cultural background. Â
While this was a beautiful act of resilience, it was they are owed as students on a college campus. Students shouldnât be belittled with violent wishes against them as they walk to the library or the student center. They shouldnât have to avoid certain roads or streets to get to their classes, out of fear that they may be noticed as âabnormalâ and be told theyâre âgoing to hell.’ Temple is a public school, so it is unable to do much against the protesting organization’s arrival, but there are still some barriers that could have been put in place to show support for students. Â
Here are some suggestions that I believe could have been helpful in fighting back. Â
- Temple bound organizations
Temple has the resources to take its own organizations such as Diversity at Temple or Institutional Diversity, Equity, Advocacy, and Leadership (IDEAL) and protest these demonstrations. Studentsâ quality of life should outweigh these organizationsâ schedules or conferences. When huge waves of verbal violence like these happen, it should be the schoolâs responsibility to use the same agreement that allowed the religious group to set foot on campus, to use civil disobedience to support their LGBTQ+ students and those from all walks of life. Especially because Temple was told in advance that the protesters would be coming, it would have been beneficial to plan a peaceful protest in response to this commotion. Â
Temple is a public campus and there are constraints against controlling these riots. I believe that Temple could have found a legal, peaceful loophole to show support for the students. This is not to say that Temple takes the blame, but more so that the school should consider that NCOW festivities lose their spark when students are defenseless against verbal attacks like these. The celebration was a beautiful display of pride, love, and activism, but these opportunities are the perfect time to divert from regular programming to show raw compassion and empathy. Students can then resonate with organizations like IDEAL and lean on them when in danger or in need of refuge. Â
- Utilize student organizations
Our student organizations hold some of the most resilient, dedicated, and brilliant minds that have tirelessly stood up for their beliefs. Student organizations should have been notified and given the option to protest this hateful movement. Individuals fighting back alone are great, but when students see organizations run by people like them, it assures them that there is nothing wrong with speaking up, and that they have an army behind them who have gone through similar things. Students see themselves in these leaders and recognize that soon, they can also be in positions to provide stability, gentleness, and strength to those who canât give it to themselves. ïżŒIt is the presence of these students that emphasize how valuable these organizations are to Templeâs success, which draws students to join these organizations, as they can see the physical changes they make in their community. Â
Although for most, National Coming Out Week is merely regularly scheduled programming, it means the world to those who can’t be themselves at home; who feel they donât belong at home and can only find true community through Templeâs resources. When hateful groups are allowed to vocalize harmful rhetoric, it can put those who have put their trust in Temple into a mental state that takes a toll on their involvement and overall well-being. Even for students who are confident in who they are, many rely on their own hard work to pay for their tuition, and they are rightfully angry at the lack of effort surrounding overt discriminatory practices being performed on their campus. Â
Templeâs staff aren’t superheroes, but I believe they are in positions of power that can easily give their students the best quality of life possible. Students from all backgrounds, genders, and sexualities should feel as if Temple is a second home rather than just a university. I believe that the merriment of Temple-bound organizations and student-led coalitions can help protect communities from all walks of life.