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LGBT Advocate Dan Savage: Don’t Be a Scrotum

That’s right everyone, don’t be a scrotum because scrotums are weak! Be a pussy, they’re strong and can take a lot of pain. They “chew up semen and spit out people,” according to Dan Savage, and you have to be a pussy to stand up for LGBT rights.

Savage, a world-renowned advocate for LGBT rights and author of the syndicated sex-advice column “Savage Love,” spoke to a full auditorium Wednesday night in the Lewis Katz Building. Actually, it was a unique Q&A session. Before the event began at 7:30, students wrote questions down on notecards and placed them into drop boxes. Audience members were also encouraged to text questions to Savage at anytime during the presentation or simply raise their hand and ask.

Not only did the auditorium fill up, but an additional room was opened for “overflow seating” and connected to the conversation via video feed. Savage could see the overflow audience on screens set up in the front row for him.

After a brief introduction followed by loud, enthusiastic applause from the audience, Savage began by expressing displeasure that the overflow room wasn’t overflowing. He also invited them to moon him, since the auditorium audience would have no way of knowing. He then went straight into answering the questions he had received.

The first question asked his thoughts on straight couples who refuse to marry until equal marriage rights legislation is passed, showing their support for gay marriage. Savage humorously explained why he is not a fan of this.

“Don’t pin your intimacy or commitment issues on us,” he said, meeting a bout of laughter.

Other topics ranged from polyamory and politics to things as seemingly off-topic as the royal family, in a haphazard style all-too-familiar to anyone who has heard him speak before.

Not everything was a joke, though, and the evening took a serious tone at several points, like when he spoke about his campaign, the It Gets Better Project. He explained that while he is “heartened” by the multitude of LGBT support vids he has gotten as responses, he is not “thrilled” by them. He would be thrilled if they were not needed.

Answering one question he said “Well, of course I’d love to live in a society where no civil rights legislation was needed because there were no assholes.” He said he’d also love to live in a world where chocolate was just as healthy as broccoli and everyone could have sex whenever they wanted.

He said that he believes it is more difficult to be a gay teen in small towns today than it was when he was in high school, but he also sees more support for these kids from their families, which is very important for them.

To say Savage is a good speaker would be a gross understatement. He is a highly energized person who will speak his mind without censor, telling it the way it is to his audience. As evidenced last night, he gets his clear, meaningful message across, punctuated with humor and the occasional rant while sprinkling in the seriousness of the situation. And, most importantly, he’s genuine, using examples from his own life with the man he refers to as his “husband in Canada/boyfriend in America.”

If you haven’t heard Dan Savage speak, you should. It’s a very worthwhile experience.

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About the Author

Matthew D'Ippolito

I'm a senior majoring in print journalism with minors in political science and music technology. I'm from the small town of Pennsburg, about an hour north of Philly. I hope to one day work as a music reporter for Rolling Stone. I am single and looking to mingle.

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