last quarter someone told me that i was consistantly the white elephant in the room that nobody wanted to talk about. hmmm. rough words to hear, but i've heard worse. as i try to analyze situations like this, i try not to get caught up in the fact that the individual spewing this shit happens to be a straight identifying white male. i try to let these facts go so that i can more objectively evaluate what is going on. the first question is why would i be thought of in this way. Is it because i think it is absolutely necessary to discuss the historical contexts around the texts we are reading and i doing this pointing out the racist, sexist, ablist etc. groups and actions these men are involved in? Is it because i stick up for myself when someone ignores the fragrance-free policy and my tireless pleas and wears chemicals to class anyway? Is is because i talk about my partner? Is it because i'm trans, the faculty announced this and told everyone to respect it, my allies in class corrected people when they refer to me with the same pronouns? Is it because I use a cane? Is it because i talk about being disabled? Is it because I don't live up to the standards of middle-class whiteness and couldn't if i tried? Is it because in spite of these facts I get all my work in, more than can be said for those harassing me? Is it something I'm not aware of? Do all of these things about me fly in the face of all that these kids know and therefore require them to reanalyse their conceptions of reality? Does this scare them? Is it just cuz they think im stupid, or ugly, or naive? Are they afraid of the rage they can see behind my eyes? Can they feel the deep resentment i still harbor for their people, the people who have worked for hundreds of years to enslave, indoctrinate or flat out eliminate my people?