— Adel Alaiev
Death By Homophobia
Unfortunately, the United States has a dark history. From slavery, to oppression of minorities, to nationwide homophobia, etc., The Great Nation has a track record of cherry picking who has the right to “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” I have to begin by noting that this essay, “3725,” has such an interesting introductory paragraph, definitely a strong start. Right from the beginning, Monette writes in a hauntingly beautiful way. Talking about such a sad topic with the utmost eloquence.
The title is itself enough of a statement to prove the strength of Monette’s words; 4 simple numbers with so much pain, anger, and injustice behind them. Some of the most chilling words written were after Monette tells us that he buried one of his lovers, Roger: “my permanent side of the bed now,” “looking up at the trees and trying to adjust to my last address,” and later, “I dropped to my knees at 3725, announcing that I was home again,” all referring to the grave space which came as a two plot deal.
This essay is integral for everyone to read, either in university or beyond. I believe it is imperative for all members of our nation to understand the history, including the darkness. We cannot progress as a people if we do not accept what happened and ensure it never happens again. The gay community was completely abandoned during the HIV/AIDS epidemic. “Died Of Homophobia.” This is an extremely bold statement that Monette was beyond justified in making. The government and society as a whole were so homophobic that they exercised the least amount of haste possible in finding treatment and helping those affected by HIV/AIDS. This is purely based on prejudiced views and beyond unacceptable. This is another terrible time in this country’s history that cannot be forgotten or buried.
needs to be aware of these injustices so that we can fight for all and avoid such atrocities.
The last paragraph of the essay is a perfectly blunt call to action in order to inspire. Essentially, Monette is saying the emotions of the readers are useless if they are not going to do something about the situation. In other words, an activist cannot be a “crier” but rather must be a “doer”. He is absolutely correct in the way he conveys this and his anger is very purposeful. People need to know the harsh truth- no sugar coating. Monette did that perfectly, and anger, in this case, is an important tool in the writing. As readers of this time period, we can take that same energy that Monette evoked, and apply it to our battles.
