Neil G. Schloesser: Loudest Elements: Sissy Boy in Glitter

To the Editor:

Regarding Matthew Bakko and Shannon Bacon’s letter dated 7-29-10:

The point of Pride is to sell a product and the product is us. When selling a product to a skeptical buyer one talks the buyer’s language using familiar images that allows the buyer to identify with and thus making the product seem safe, familiar, and worth buying.

Pride is a celebration but it is firstly an attempt to bring attention to our cause. If we are seeking attention in the public sphere then we should put forth a more conservative foot to gain supporters in this nation that is politically right of center.

I am advocating for restraint at some public events when it comes to overt displays of sexuality, not the removal of sexual liberation from the GLBT platform because ground conditions favor this strategy.

Humans are not rational creatures. We react with our emotions. Merely pointing to a “sissy boy….in glitter” and saying that he deserves to be treated equally just because he is human is noble but not practical. While it should be a given that a human has the right to portray his sexuality as they see fit, this isn’t the reality of the situation and a community is often judged by its loudest elements.

Bacco and Bacon argue that by denying the right of the “sissy boy…in glitter” that I am dehumanizing him but ask a conservative what they see and they’ll likely say they see something strange and unsettling, not a relatable human being. While these two believe that sexuality and humanity go hand in hand (as do I), others do not and since objectivity is elusive outside of the hard sciences this “sissy boy….in glitter” has dehumanized himself and become a fringe element that can be used by our detractors as evidence against our quest for equality.

Bakko and Bacon’s letter was based on an ad hominem fallacy. They attacked my character in an attempt to discredit my assertions. This is neither a literary device nor does it make for a good argument.

-Neil G. Schloesser
Fargo