GatorGSA had a very strong presence at the Rally Against Hate on Friday 6 April 2001. Joining Latina/o and Black student groups, and a wide variety of others, we had a common message: that Gators don't discriminate, and that it is time for a multilateral coalition against hate, including hate speech, at UF.

GatorGSA co-founder and co-chairman Michael Malecki also had the opportunity to speak at the event. His speech, below, calls students to fight homophobia, racism, and sexism as the evils that they are.

The time has come

What made each and every one of us come here today? What made all of us, together, come here today to this rally against hate? Some of us might have seen a racist slur against Hispanics and just then realized that we did not live in an island of harmony, a progressive university community insulated from that kind of message.

Some of us might have been offended at how blacks, gays, jews, Hispanics, lesbians, and everyone else gets tossed into a subcultural group and stereotyped beyond recognition. We're all here because we will no longer tolerate the hate that comes from people's words, actions, and speech that enforces stereotypes, that builds walls between our communities, that prevents us from seeing each other for who we are.

What made me come here today? I am here because I am a co-founder of the Gator Gay-Straight Alliance. Our vision is to create a world where all people, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, sex, or sexual orientation, are truly equal. We formed the Alliance for one purpose: to end homophobia and discrimination based on sexual orientation. We wanted to end discrimination based on ignorance. We wanted to end oppression based on fear.

And while I strive every day to educate as many as possible about what gay identity is to me, I realize I cannot do it alone. The Gator Gay-Straight Alliance needs both components, gay and straight. We need an alliance between gays and Hispanics, between gays and blacks, gays and Asians, gays and Jews. We need an alliance between all human beings. The gay-straight alliance, like this rally, is about working together to end hatred. It is an alliance whose time has come. Now it is time for all of us to stand together against the oppression that would keep us confined to rigid cultural boxes isolated from each other. Too often we get so caught up in our differences, in the cultures that make up our identities, that we overlook what we all have in common. It is time to go beyond celebration of our diversity, difference and uniqueness to demand change together.
All of us here today have faced some form of oppression. Words like spick, nigger, dyke, and faggot strip us of our pride, our dignity, and our humanity.

This rally unites us against that to help each other. It is time for gays to attend events during Black History Month. It is time for Asians to attend events during Jewish Awareness Month. It is time for straight people to go to speakers for Pride Awareness Month. It is time for us to stretch our limits and stretch our minds. We must educate ourselves about each other. Together, armed with the knowledge of what makes us all different, and more importantly what unites us as humans, we will fight all forms of discrimination, oppression and hatred.

Reaction

I believe people should be recognized for the good deeds, and for this reason I would like to congratulate you on the speech that you delivered on Friday at La Casita. You really set the example for the many of us that hide behind a curtain of anonymosity. However your determination, courage and confidence is proof that we all should be who we are, even if we are twice hated for it.

I signed up at GSA so I get all the informative emails, although I have not contributed to any of the organization's activities I will start shortly.
(name withheld)