Cultural Experience Impact

In his critically acclaimed epic “Animal Farm,” Eric Blair, writing under the pen name “George Orwell,” tells the heartbreaking and equally fascinating story of how animals banded together against their owner, drove him out, and gained possession of the farm, only for certain cunning animals to turn against others. I still find myself connecting this fictitious scenario to a painful incident in which my friend Elias spontaneously turned against me and took advantage of my then dire circumstance. It all started one Friday morning when Mr. Dwight Callaway, the then senior Dean of Students in our college, called me to his office for some urgent talk. Being that it was abnormal of him to call students to his office, I braced myself and quickly rushed to see him. To my surprise, he started the conversation on a note I least expected. Immediately I entered the office he started;

“Mr. Powell, sit down. It has come to our notice that you have publicly announced to other students that you are a keen member of the LGBTQ (Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender and queer). As you know, our school rules have not factored in any special consideration or allowed any accommodation of such elements…” at this point, I swiftly interrupted him and informed him that it is only recently that I discovered I was transgender. “Sir, this is pure discrimination which has no place in our modern society”, I retorted. Outraged and evidently determined to see me out school, he claimed that it was advisable that I seek admission in some other institution that accommodates LGTBQ, and immediately offered me an expulsion letter.

Heartbroken and feeling dejected, I informed my parents, and they helped me look for other school to complete my studies. This experience has purely informed my current admiration and fight against discrimination for the LGTBQ community. It made me accept myself as a transgender, and enticed me to join hands with other prejudiced brothers and sisters who are sexually misrepresented and fight for our rightful place in the ever-demeaning society.

The experience has helped me identify with the plight of those who are struggling to identify with their gender, and informed my understanding of our LGBTQ brothers in the society such that at no point have I found myself sidelining them on any issue based on their gender orientation. Actually, based on the experience, and how it almost ruined my education, I made a solemn vow to always accommodate those sexually misrepresented in the society, and be committed to maintaining a morally upright way of life contrary to the widely held opinion that LGBTQ people are deviant to the societal norms.