I guess some of you know what ACRO is and stands for, and it’s not creepy posters.
ACRO is the Advanced Civil Rights Organization, and we stand for the rights of all people. Not every civil rights cause has an established and well-founded organization behind it. The African-American and Womens movements, as well as the LGBT movement, as well as others, tend to be well organized. This is awesome. But there are other people who should have rights, who should be seen in a positive and truthful light, who either do not have enough members or enough organization to make an advocacy group for themselves. A good example is Asian Americans, who nationally do have an active movement, but this does not seem to be well represented at Stony Brook. We have taken up the mantle of spreading the word about discrimination against the Asian American community. We support the rights of all underrepresented groups. It’s our mission statement.
Of course, a lot of you are probably thinking to our posters, especially the “Perverts Unite”. That one requires some explanation, and, honestly, it was my idea, so I should probably take care of the explaining. Pervert is a loaded word. We do not support the actions of people who invade others privacy and person, that is clearly wrong. But that is nowhere near the only time the word pervert is flung around. Pervert is often used as an epithet for people with unusual, if harmless, sexual interests that personally disgust someone to whom it is none of their business. Pervert is a word that historically referred to many groups that are now, to some degree, socially accepted. Someone who invades others privacy and person without consent is a harasser. Pervert is a word that maybe we want to take back, to make positive, to make into something descriptive but not biting.
Oh yeah, furries. I’m sure that one gets a lot of notice too. Well, I don’t feel like I really have to back myself up on that one as much. Why not is a better question. Why should we get in the way of what some people like doing and find satisfying that has no negative effects on other people? Exactly. Because they are weird or different is a piss-poor reason for anything.
I hope that more people will be interested in the cause. We’re not just for furries and perverts and Asians (weird grouping there). We’re for everyone. If you feel maligned, if you feel people are judging you unfairly because of a group or category you belong to, come to us. If you want to support the rights of all people to exist and be free to be who they are (if not harming others), then come to us.
Unfortunately at present meetings are kinda in flux, should be a post about that soon. Join our SBULife or facebook club. Bring your ideas. Hopefully we can get some really cool events going this and next semester.
Barry Levin