“That’s So Slur,” a semester-long campaign that targets the unnecessary use of words that imply sexist, homophobic or racist slurs, is launched at St. Thomas.
UST Allies Club started the campaign Thursday evening with a presentation featuring Twin Cities spoken-word artist and rapper Kyle Myhre, whose stage name is Guante.
Sophomore Danielle Tschida, UST Allies Club president, thought of the idea about a month ago, and she said she hopes the three-event campaign will raise awareness among St. Thomas students about the language they choose to use.
Tschida said it’s the small changes that matter, and the campaign’s message is to eradicate impact versus intent.
“A lot can be changed with language,” Tschida said. “I can’t go anywhere without hearing ‘that’s so gay’ or something along those lines. It’s hurtful to those who identify as (gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender), and it creates an unwelcome atmosphere at St. Thomas. That’s not what we want to portray as a community.”
Guante’s presentation stayed true to the campaign’s theme. As a spoken word artist, Guante said his 10-year career has revolved around the use of language and the implications words have on people in the big picture.
“Language is more than just the way we share our reality, but the way we shape our reality,” Guante said.
Guante’s set featured poetry and a rap verse of his own, as well as poems from other Twin Cities poets. St. Thomas sophomore Chris Allen and Hamline University sophomore Katie Stever presented their own poetry as a precursor to the main performance.
Senior Rae Horton said Guante’s performance brought new insight to familiar issues at St. Thomas.
“Listening to Guante, I heard social justice through a young, male artist’s eyes,” Horton said. “I think St. Thomas students, especially male students, could utilize his message in order to make a more inclusive environment.”
Sophomore Ryan Welch said he hears slurs frequently at St. Thomas, but he does not think that blatant racism, sexism or homophobia is the root of the problem.
“Usually when I hear one of these slurs, the person using the word is using it incorrectly. This shows me that using these terms doesn’t stem from hatred, but rather from ignorance,” Welch said. “This is a lot to be hearing in such a privileged community.”
Tschida said UST Allies looks to partner with other clubs throughout the remainder of the semester. Thursday’s presentation was co-sponsored by HANA, and Tschida said other clubs are more than welcome to sponsor upcoming events, such as the Day of Silence in April.
“We’re going to start focusing more on advertisements,” Tschida said. “After spring break, we hope to have some material out there that’s a little more in-your-face to start showing students how words affect others.”
Anastasia Straley can be reached at stra0669@stthomas.edu.
Great article. Do you know if there was a recording made of Guante’s performance? Where could I find one?
Languages and terminology change in time. Remember the term “Gay ’90’s?” That this, 1890’s! It referred to times of relaxation, joy, happiness and smiles-maybe even a nice time at a party in flowing dresses and shirts and ties. That was still true in the 1940’s. Even in entries in school annuals, classmates admonished the graduates to “get out and have a gay old time.” Such changes and innuendos are also true of other words. So who means what with current grammar, spelling, and newly invented words? It becomes merely a garbled language. I, for one, still believe in well-spoken rhetoric and courteous communication.
This topic was nicely reviewed, and is worth addressing and discussing..