SPECIAL EDITION: RALLY COVERAGE
Seven members of the Roanoke College Women’s Swim Team took to the stage with former President Donald Trump seemingly to support his anti-transgender policies. Donned with shirts which read “Keep (picture of a hot dog) out of women’s sports,” these women got on stage shortly after Trump referenced “the radical left’s gender insanity which arrived right here in Salem” last year. The Brackety-Ack never covered the swim team controversy last year due to the extremely high tensions which erupted on campus shortly after. Essentially, a swimmer which had previously swam for the men’s swim team took a year off, transitioned, and requested to swim on the women’s swim team. Some of the members of the women’s swim team took to the media to voice their dilemma, which thrust Roanoke College into the national debate surrounding transgender athletes. The transgender student in question allegedly withdrew the request to swim with the women’s team before the students brought the issue to the media. The responses to the swim teams actions appear to be far more worrisome this time around. This is likely because while many students are sympathetic to the argument that biological males will outcompete biological females, getting on stage with someone who is denouncing transgender rights, identity, and existence is not the same thing. This twists the argument into an anti-transgender argument versus a prowoman argument. If anything, this lessened the validity of the cause to many students on campus. The college, in a statement issued Sunday morning, acknowledged the students “right to free expression,” but noted that all students, “including those with diverse political perspectives and those with LGBTQ+ identities, are gifts to our community and deeply valued.” This attempt to quell tensions has unfortunately, at least in early stages, produced what appears to be the opposite result. Students on both sides feel unheard, unvalued, and scared to express their opinions for fear of repercussions. Social media platforms highlighted student responses from both sides, with a seemingly large gap in between. There is no unison on this issue for students. For now, this campus serves as an eerie representation of the rest of the country; unable to unite in the face of deep political divides. The rhetoric goes both ways, and while this writer may be biased, the Brackety-Ack is not. Alongside this article are two articles written about students who attended the Trump rally and the Democratic counter rally held on Saturday. Both of these articles have kept students names anonymous for student wellbeing.
Mikaela Gantz, Editor-in-Chief
