How would you react if you heard someone talking negatively about your friend when she wasn’t around? Would you ignore it and not respond? Or would you stick up for your friend and call them out? Ignoring it would be more polite and you wouldn’t cause a scene – no one wants to cause a scene.
I know what I’d do – I’d defend my friend and, if necessary, cause a scene. She isn’t there and can’t stick up for herself.
What if the person wasn’t a friend? Would you act any differently? What if you heard a gay man being made fun of by strangers just out of his earshot? Would you stick up for him?
I’d like to think that I would. I’d like to think that I’d put aside social convention and go out of my way to speak up for people that don’t have a voice – whether they can’t be heard or aren’t present to respond.
We are all one. We are all friends and we are all family. We’ve got to stick up for each other.