This is a tough topic for many, but we are going to continue speaking up. Before we get into any specifics, it must be understood that our identities are different than your perspective. Our queerness makes up the fabric of who we are, and undermining that is not a disagreement; it is discrimination. If this article makes you uncomfortable, it should.

N.T. Wright denigrates the entirety of the queer community by saying that marriage equality is “nonsense,” that the ordination of queer clergy permits “the right to give active expression to any and every sexual desire,” and that Paul — and thus himself through his personal interpretation of his faith as New-Testament driven — “certainly regards same-sex genital behaviour as dehumanized and dehumanizing.”

These statements are not just controversial, they are deeply harmful and dangerous. Wright’s academic work is preeminent in the field of New Testament study. However, his personal views on queer identities show a lack of understanding of the realities of our marginalization.

With N.T. Wright’s visit imminent, light has been shed on the structures and culture within EMU that continue to oppress individuals with queer identities. As evidenced in the previous articles in this newspaper written by heteronormative people with no stake in the matter, the climate we have experienced is still, to put it simply, offensive and silencing. Our Academic Freedom policy allows space for controversial matters. However, the policy was never intended to be applied to speakers on campus and needs to be seriously examined and revised to promote the inclusion of all students.

Making sure our voices are heard matters. Activism matters, and thankfully, we attend a school that believes those things. Conversation was the first step suggested after people came forward expressing concern, and much conversation has happened since then. We have participated in those conversations, both healthy and unhealthy, both wanted and forced upon us. Sadly, most of the response had to be organized and led by the students most oppressed, and we are exhausted.

We do not want to silence others; we want to fight back when people attempt to silence us. Do not tell us to stop fighting for our rights or trying to be heard — we are not overreacting. Just because you are not being harmed by what N.T. Wright has said does not mean that no one is harmed. Those feelings of exclusion and judgment are valid and built from lifetimes of hearing silencing, damaging rhetoric just like his. This is a matter of nonstakeholder perspective versus our God-given identities.

We are a part of the LGBTQ+ community — this is who we are. Views on queerness are just that — people’s views. We are told to be respectful and dialogue on the matter of opinion, when it is not and never will be just a matter of opinion to us. This is one person’s perspective harming another person’s core identity, their sense of self.

We understand that alienating people goes against EMU’s values. However, when it comes to the safety of students, shouldn’t that be the priority? We believe listening to other sides has its place, but if it is a question of basic human rights, then we are going to protect ourselves from people who think there are any exceptions.

To be a good person from the Christian perspective means to love your enemies, but loving people also requires justice, which, as Martin Luther King Jr. states, is “at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.” Explicitly welcoming us does not unwelcome others.

N.T. Wright is not speaking about his views on queerness during his time at EMU. Yet he has made them public, and a quick Google search can confirm his homophobia. We have expressed our discomfort and asked that he engage with students on this topic. We have asked to approach conversation with love, and we have been summarily denied. He is silencing the queer experience, and that will not stand with us nor with the many students at EMU who have allied with us against the misogynistic, heteronormative privilege he represents.

We are going to protest N.T. Wright’s worship service. We are going to offer spaces as alternatives to his hateful views. We are taking our safety into our own hands despite our identities being belittled and questioned. We are taking a stand as a community, and we welcome you to join us.