Political statements became fashionable and fashion statements became political this April as the LGBT celebrated out and about\ month with a rainbow of ""gay? fine by me"" T-shirts. But though the T-shirts intend to create a climate of acceptance on campus, they send an implicit message that undermines the printed words. By advertising the ""fine by me"" message, the T-shirts imply that gays are somehow abnormal, or not inherently ""fine"" and rely on heterosexuals to legitimize homosexuality.
However, Eli Judge, spokesperson for Students for Equality described the ""fine by me"" campaign as a ""big success here on campus,"" with T-shirt sales reaching 732. ""What this [campaign] was used to do was just increase visibility and support of the LGBT community,"" Judge said. ""It shows that [UW-Madison] is a safe place to come and live and learn.""
But though anyone can purchase and wear the shirts, the tees empower straight individuals to condone or condemn gays. Consequently, heterosexuals determine the campus climate toward the gay community. The fact that heterosexuals serve as the billboards for the ""fine by me"" message reflects the persisting power system in which the straight majority determines the degree of social acceptance achieved by the LGBT community.
Essentially, the ""fine by me"" T-shirts demonstrate the enduring prejudice against gays in the current social climate. As a social litmus test, the sale of 732 ""fine by me"" T-shirts indicates fairly positive reception of the gay community on campus. But if sales had turned up sparse, the gay community would likely have looked to other power sources to justify their inherent sexuality.
Think back to previous social justice movements of other minority groups. Though it would seem criminal if the Multicultural Student Coalition produced T-shirts claiming, ""black? fine by me"" in 2006, a T-shirt printed with a similar message in the 1960s would have seemed acceptable as a statement in support of an integrated, diverse society, much as the ""gay? fine by me"" shirt seeks to achieve today. Yet, in today's context, black-condoning T-shirts would undoubtedly inflame accusations of racism. The thought that being black could be anything but fine in 2006 would seem utterly preposterous.
Recall the women's suffrage movement, a time when society degraded women as the inferior sex, immoral via original sin and incapable of democratic participation. In the context of the 1920s, a ""female? fine by me"" T-shirt would have received applause from suffragist allies and scorn from chauvinists with archaic senses of social equity—just as bigoted individuals seek to deny social rights from gays in 2006. So imagine if the Campus Women's center introduced a ""female? fine by me"" T-shirt—it would seem ludicrous, as will the ""gay"" version of the tee decades from now.
Today, T-shirts legitimizing racial or ethnic minorities and women would seem criminal. It should be equally unacceptable to question the ""fine-ness"" of one's sexuality. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals should not have to prove their sexual identifications as ""fine."" Rather, they should simply receive equal status. Though the shirts send a bold message on a provocative topic in 2006, history will reveal the social prejudice concealed within the ""fine by me"" message.
In terms of access to income, education, health care, housing and criminal justice, racial and ethnic minorities, females and gays face similar plights. The political battles to ensure these rights prevail should not hinge on whether society accepts the biological factors that individuals receive upon conception. It is unjustifiable to call into question such an inherent aspect of an individual's constitution. \
