The Graduate Students’ Association. Campus Safety. Equity Services. Student Affairs. The entire administration.
This is a list of groups and bodies on campus who have come out in fervent support of the Challenge Homophobia and Transphobia (CHAT) campaign created by the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) in conjunction with the Lesbian Gay Bi Trans Youth Line. Arun Smith, the victim of an online hate crime earlier this year, was inspired to bring a branch of the campaign to Carleton to educate students and help eliminate homophobia and transphobia on campus.
When I look at that list, I see one glaring omission: my own student union.
During the last session of council, Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) voted against supporting the campaign (without even debating the motion, I might add) and I can’t think of a single legitimate reason for doing so.
According to Smith, several different campaigns were considered before settling on CHAT. I’ve investigated them myself, and found that each one of them had problematic aspects that would hinder their application in this context, be it lack of trans perspective, being too online focused, lack of Canadian context, not being suitable for a larger scale, or excessive cost.
CHAT is made by students, for students, to be used in a university context. It deals with discrimination based on both sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as issues of intersectional oppression, how issues of race, age and ability interact with issues of sexuality and gender. On top of that, the CFS provides the campaign materials to students free of charge. It is, far and away, the best campaign available. So why did CUSA vote it down?
The simple answer: a blatant and somewhat unsurprising display of partisan politics. You see, the campaign was initiated by the CFS. Many of the councillors who voted against the campaign are openly anti-CFS, and have long advocated de-federation (leaving the CFS). I’m not psychic, but I don’t think I need to be to connect the dots on this one. Most councillors are anti-CFS. They see a CFS campaign on the table. They vote it down automatically out of some misguided political principle. Presto. CUSA declines to support the campaign.
Now, I know what some of you will say. “How do you know they didn’t see some other problem with the campaign?” I, nor anyone else publicly connected to CHAT, have heard one single legitimate criticism of the campaign itself. Nothing. All they can talk about is the CFS. Not only are these critics woefully unqualified to deconstruct or criticize an LGBTTQ-related campaign, but it’s blatantly obvious from the lack of substance behind anything that’s been said to me that they haven’t even bothered to read the campaign material. Talk about due process.
As for the CFS connection itself, if you are starving, and someone you dislike offers you a sandwich, you don’t refuse because you don’t like the person holding it. Anyone with half a brain would swallow their pride and take the sandwich.
To councillors like Ben Diaz, Kaylee Cameron, and David MacMillan, who, among others, voted in favour of supporting CHAT, thank you. Everyone else, you succeeded in putting your own partisan political garbage before ensuring the best possible learning environment for your queer constituents. Sure, you might come back with some flimsy photo op event or campaign, but the fact remains that until you decide to challenge homophobia and transphobia, you are complicit in its existence. It’s like the saying goes, if you refuse to stand against oppression, you stand with the oppressor.
I don’t know about you folks, but I don’t think that’s a good place to be.
