Growing up I never really considered myself to be a feminist. To be honest, I don’t think I even knew the word existed. But throughout high school and my first years of college, I came to learn that the word “feminist” aligned with many of the values that I already had. I valued equality, kindness, and acceptance to all those different from myself. Not only did I realize the importance I placed on those qualities, but I also realized the importance I placed on being an ally to the LGBTQ community, different races, and different religions. I have always found politics to be a fascinating subject, but this election year surprised me in a new way, with the shockingly large amount of bigoted “politicians” coming out of the woodwork.
Don’t even get me started on Donald Trump. The hateful words he spewed every day while on the campaign trail felt like bullets to my soul. The fact that someone could be, and still is, so incredibly ignorant and ill-mannered bewildered me. Let alone that anyone took him seriously enough to entrust him with taking care of our country. I believe that the answers to most issues are through kindness, humility, and acceptance. I do not believe that the man elected president understands that. His infamous and disappointing rise to power was one of the many reasons that I realized I wanted to further understand and learn about gender studies. This realization inspired me to make a significant change in my life, so I changed my minor to Gender Studies.
Prior to starting college, I decided that to make the most of my college experience and to supplement the BFA in Ballet that I would be working towards, I was also going to minor in Writing and Rhetoric Studies. Unfortunately, after finding myself miserable in those classes, I realized I needed a change. My wakeup call was the election. I figured I should study something I am truly passionate about, and why shouldn’t I be focused on developing a more compassionate and well-rounded understanding of the issues surrounding gender? Each time I look at the class list for the gender studies minor, every class feels relevant to the current societal issues, and I could not be more excited to take them.
For all of the hate speeches and disheartening executive orders that have resulted from the election year and the presidency of evil incarnate, at least there have been a few hopeful things nestled within it all. I am completely unafraid to voice my values and beliefs, especially in the face of ignorance. I am owning who I am, unapologetically. And I will soon be studying something I truly care about, while hopefully being able to help spread a little more kindness to others.