Community Values: If you don't raise your voice, who will?

Yesterday was my hometown of Stoneham's town election day. It was one of the most heated and contentious races in recent history (words not commonly used in municipal government races). One of the top candidates, incumbent Selectwoman Caroline Colarusso, has a long track record of homophobia, transphobia, and morally distorted rhetoric surrounding the rights of those groups. In fact, in her last race, Colarusso sent out a flyer to residents picturing a child with an adult's hand over its mouth with text insinuating that Michael Day, her opponent, was "failing to protect women and children" by supporting legislation to allow trans people to use the restroom that corresponds to their gender.

Naturally, I felt the need to speak out against this vitriolic bigot, so after my daily ride home on the cattle car that is the orange line I grabbed the sign I had made and headed to Town Hall. Reading "Caroline Colarusso Hates Gays" and "A vote for Colarusso is a vote for transphobia", my flimsy sign somehow stayed intact in the rain as I stood among the crowd of campaigners. What happened next shocked me in the best way possible.

I was instantly approached by a member of a school committee candidate's staff who asked if anyone had given me a hard time, I said "no, not yet", and she thanked me for being there, offering me an umbrella and coffee from their tent.

A few minutes later, a father and his son (maybe 11 or 12) walked over to me from the tent where they had been keeping dry.

"Would it be okay for my son to take a picture with you?" the dad asked.

I of course agreed, and afterwards reminded the kid to make sure he votes as soon as he's old enough. I don't think I've ever been so touched, or so proud as in that moment. Years ago, I watched a TEDx talk from a young gay man at Georgetown University who said one thing I will never forget: "Be the person you needed to see when you were younger". It's really stuck with me, and I've done my best to uphold this principle; I wear nail polish most days, I wear floral print pants (sometimes even to networking events!), and in general I make no attempt to assimilate to preconceived ideals of what a straight man should look or act like.

This young kid on that rainy sidewalk in Stoneham has grown up in a town where his elected officials openly spit homophobic condemnations that attack the very core of his identity, that suggest that sexuality is indicative of violent, immoral behavior. How else are other children and young adults in similar situations supposed to know that someone has their back; that it's okay to be the way they are and they don't have to hide it, other than to put yourself out there and say "this is not okay", "this is not normal"?

I hope I made even an ounce of difference in his self-confidence, and made even the slightest dent in the wall of shame and guilt that other community members have undoubtedly built up around him.

We, myself included, tend to take it for granted here in the Bay State that we're all mostly on the same liberal, accepting page, but that's not always the case.

If you disagree with what someone says or does in your community, or see harm being done through rhetoric or policy, say something. There are others who feel the same way, who may not be as willing or able to voice their truth.