This week in Washington, DC I attended DC's annual Capital Pride parade and festival. It was nothing short of amazing and incredibly fun. As the first pride I have ever attended, in a way, Capital Pride showed me a glimpse of what our world would look like without heteronormativity and homophobia. Needless to say, it was kind of cool; people probably couldn’t care less if you were “caught” holding hands with or smooching your same-sex significant other. So, in a way brief normalization of what has become so demonized in our society gave me some hope that perhaps a future like this could exist—if we, the people let it.
…which brings me to my second point of interest. I also met with my mentor this weekend while dining at Potbelly (Yum~ I encourage you to try the “A Whack.”). Sometime along the way into our conversation, we came upon the subject of [paraphrased] “As a representative/ legislator how does one reconcile his/her duty of representing their constituents’ views with setting forth one’s own wishes and path for change?” Throughout my adventures in D.C. I have been slowly refining and investigating my fanciful dream to become a congresswoman and in short, re-envision the political-social climate of the south through Georgia. (*Small laugh or snort in disbelief appropriate) This is a BIG dream I understand (for why else would they be called dreams?), but while I may not find exactly what I set out for, something else might also arise as being equally important. To that end, someone once told me that “to advocate for yourself is one thing, but advocating for others can often be equally necessary.” Therefore, I think that to be a member of congress or any kind of representative of others, a delicate balance must be achieved between ones personal beliefs and the voices of those he/she represents. Arguably, I think that only then can a representative of others convert belief into passion and conviction.
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