The Importance of Community
Today we interviewed Charlotte Clymer. She is a very cool person, and she really illustrates the importance and power of community.
She talked about how a sense of community has made her realize that having solid values is important. I think this is an interesting concept, and it inspires me to participate more in my community and in activities around me. Another thing she said that I find interesting and that has changed how I think is that when I have arguments or conversations with others I should “take a step back and ask if I’m wrong, even if I think I’m completely right.” It’s important to consider if I’m wrong because I expect others to do the same, and if I’m not willing to do so then I can’t expect others to do so either. This is a powerful idea that I had never thought about before, and it makes me want to be more mindful of what I’m saying and recognize that the other party in an argument might be right, and even if they aren’t they still deserve that respect.
Near the end of the interview, I asked her a question about a drink, the French 75, which I found out from an interview online is her favorite drink. The name sounds like it might have some military history, and I learned that it does, as the drink is named after the French 75mm gun. I asked her if she had looked up the history of the drink, and she said she would look more into it. It was one of my favorite moments of the interview because the way she reacted to the question was so funny.
All in all, the interview was amazing, and she said many extremely interesting and important things, and I hope to talk to her again one day.
-Mateo Borrego
Who Am I to Decide That I’m Going to Quit?
Today we spoke with activist Charlotte Clymer. This was the last of our eight interviews, and it felt like the perfect culmination to this incredible week and brought us back to many themes that have been consistent throughout our interviews. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with Charlotte. She is very educated on the history of social movements. She was also incredibly interested in what we had to say and gave us really thought provoking answers. Just as important, she was hilarious.
Charlotte served in the army for six years, and has since become an activist for LGBTQ+ and feminist rights. As a trans woman and activist in DC who also is religious and grew up in a conservative part of Texas, she has always had a very complex relationship with her identity. I wanted to ask Charlotte about patriotism, because I was curious about what it looks like to perform a deeply patriotic act for your country while also protesting that country’s prejudice towards a marginalized group of which you are a part. Charlotte made it clear that it is possible to do both, and she gave us examples from history. She said that the greatest act of patriotism is being there when your country needs you, and prioritizing your country and Constitution over the prejudice you’ve experienced in times of need. She explained that you are serving a higher purpose that this country is worth defending despite its imperfections.
A theme that we’d brought up in our interview with Linda Ryden is the dangerous idea of cancel culture, and our society’s inability to give someone a second chance when they make a mistake. Charlotte brought this up on her own, telling us she doesn’t believe in cancel culture. She explained that there’s a difference between making mistakes in good faith and bad faith, and that sometimes people just don’t know that they are doing the wrong thing. Additionally, it is crucial that we be able to step back and consider for a second that we could be wrong, because it is what we are expecting the other person to do when we disagree, so we need to give them that same grace. Another theme that came up is the power of difference. Charlotte said, “The way we get better as a country is by noticing nuance and complexity in each other.” Learning to work with people different from us or who we don’t agree with is a crucial ability. The first step is actually recognizing that there are differences so that we can see what everyone can bring to the table. This is crucial, even if we don’t always agree, so that we don’t have blind spots as a society. She explained that it is unhealthy to say things like “race is just made up,” or “gender doesn’t matter,” because it minimizes the importance of our fundamentally unique perspectives. In doing so we are ignoring the truth that we are all different, and we need to use those differences to form a good society.
A theme that had come up talking with another activist this week is that change is slow. Charlotte had a lot to say about this, and I found her views to be inspirational. Referencing the famous quote, “plant the seeds for the trees whose shade we will never enjoy,” she made it clear that you must keep fighting for a future you may not be around to see. Her view is that we have a responsibility to the generation that comes after us because the generation that came before us felt they had a responsibility towards us. Especially as a woman, it’s important for me to remember that many people fought their whole lives to give me the rights I now take for granted. I owe them a lot, and so I owe it to the next generation to do the same thing they did. In other words, it’s about something much bigger than me. As Charlotte said, “Who am I to decide that I’m going to quit?”
-Rosemary Konviser
The Importance of Intention
Charlotte Clymer was the last interview we had in DC, and let me just say it was a great way to end our interview experience. She is very unique. She is from Texas, she is religious, and she has been in the military, but she is also a transgender woman who works as an activist in DC.
Charlotte’s main theme that she kept going back to is intent. She talked a lot about how intent can change the meaning of a mistake. For example, while talking to us she made the mistake of using someone else’s catch phrase without knowing its origins. Although this was a mistake that she could be criticized for, she simply apologized and realized that she had done wrong. Her point is that this was a well-intended mistake: it was not made in order to harm somebody else. This is different than if she wanted to use the catch phrase in order to gain success, especially if she had already known its origins.
I was struck by how she thinks about how other people think. I asked her, “Do you think the rapid progress in LGBTQ+ communities and awareness in the last twenty years has led to the mass hate and criticism it’s facing today in political spaces?” She said yes, that a lot of people who disagree with LGBTQ+ are usually well-intended people, but they have become ashamed at not understanding LGBTQ+ people. Of course, this isn’t always the case, but it’s important to remember that some people are confused and ashamed of their lack of understanding, and they are not fully able to sit with the uncomfortableness of seeing someone different from themselves.
It’s obvious to me that Charlotte has lived through different variations of identities, since she is both understanding and compassionate to those who are different from her. It was great to hear from someone so educated and full of understanding.
-Cora Kayne
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