Interview with Carolyn in Arkansas
By Jamilah Hoffman
Q. When you hear the
statement: The World Can’t Wait – Drive Out the Bush Regime, what do you think?
A. I think it’s
wondrous! It will take 25-30 years to
undo the damage [made by Bush].
Q. Can you tell me
about the political climate in Arkansas?
A. We are a red
state. We are a rural state. Our largest city has 130,000 people, which is
considered small in other states. Many
people are fundamentally religious. They
are good people but not informed. They
think Fox news is god’s answer to the mainstream media. And that’s if they listen to the news at
all. They are not informed and that
creates problems.
For instance, there are more colleges per capita than any
other state, but the education, which goes up to the higher levels, is
substantial because funds are stretched.
Children are not prepared. [And how far you get] depends on
who’s your family, what part of town you live in, what you wear, how you
talk…racism, sexual orientation, gender identification, religion play a
part. There’s no Jewish temple in Arkansas, one Islamic
mosque and one Buddhist temple.
Q. Can you tell me
about your own activism, and the physical assault on you because of it?
A. I can’t talk
about that because it’s still under investigation. But I was involved with civil rights.
Q. What do you
think about the bus tour traveling through red states?
A. I think it’s
wonderful. A lot of people think like
us. We’re living here saying,
“Thank God somebody is doing something!” I’m very proud of you guys, I’m very
impressed. A lot of people have fear and
that’s why they aren’t doing anything but once you let go of that fear, it’s
like a gay person coming out of the closet and you feel so free.
Interview with Willie Wagner – Fayetteville, AK
By Jamilah Hoffman and CC
Q. The World Can’t
Wait – Drive Out the Bush Regime is a pretty bold statement. What comes to mind when you hear these words?
A. If we wait an
extra two years, there will be a much larger crisis for this administration and
future administrations to deal with. The
problem will grow exponentially. In two
or three generations, this will look like another Nixon administration and kids
are going to be asking their parents tough questions.
Q. Can you tell me about the political climate in Arkansas? In Fayetteville?
A. Well, it’s
pretty much controlled by two corporations, Tyson Chicken and Wal-Mart. It’s pretty much pro-capitalist. For instance, the Northwest Arkansas
Airport is not located in
the actual Northwest, or near the people who would actually use it, but it’s
centered strategically near both industries.
The people themselves are politically uninformed. Your average liberal feels chocked by
conservatives. They’d vote democratic if
they thought they would stand a chance.
There are highly militant faux patriots, nutcases that
fundamentally believe the lies. This
administration, this regime is known for silencing voices.
Q. Can you tell me
about the lawsuit you filed against the Fayetteville School District? What was the cause and the outcome?
A. In eighth grade
there was gossip and people eavesdropping about me being gay. I actually didn’t want to come out. I didn’t wake up one morning and say, “I’m
gonna change the world.” It just
happened. Through all the constant harassment,
the school officials did nothing. In
fact they made a statement that says, “There are no gay children in Fayetteville.”
By the time I got to tenth grade, I had learned to defend
myself against the verbal attacks. One
guy who was constantly harassing me got embarrassed when I was able to defend
myself against him. He was about as
witty as a rotten tomato. One day,
during school hours I was walking and the group of them drove up slowly and I
knew that there was nothing good that was going to come out of it. The same guy that had been harassing me for
two years jumped out and yelled, “You faggot motherfucker!” I fought as hard as I could and the next thing
I remembered, my friend was calling the cops.
They didn’t show up for an hour.
We weren’t far from the station, either.
We went to school officials and they refused to participate. They wanted more eye-witnesses.
In fact, a few weeks after the assault, a female friend of
mine stood up for me after some people were talking about me and the teacher
held her down as she was beaten up by three students. Then she got suspended. Teachers were looking for reasons to pick on
me. The school made it difficult to
attend so I dropped out.
We wanted to get their attention so we filed a lawsuit
against the school district that made its way to the federal level. We were given the option to continue with the
case or to drop it and have them extend Title IX rights to include sexual
orientation. We decided to drop the case
and take the win.
Q. What do you think
it means to have a bus tour traveling through so-called red states, riding
around and sharing with people the message of driving out the Bush regime?
A. I worry about you
guys because it’s dangerous. But it
needs to be said and it has to be done.
People never think they have a voice.
People are scared of their government, of the world around them. There is an atmosphere of fear being fed by this
administration.
Q. October 5th is a
day of mass resistance and mobilization against the Bush regime. What do you think about such a day and the
possibility to drive out the Bush regime?
A. Well, it’s a fine
line. A lot of people would risk their
jobs and school. But if properly
organized, this could change the country.
People could care again, but it’s about capturing their attention.