By Aleksey Bashtavenko

Academic Composition

Herman’s life took another profound turn when he delved into the writings of Leslie Feinberg, guided by his transgender English professor. Immersed in Feinberg’s words, he gained a deep understanding of the struggles faced by gender-fluid individuals, and this knowledge opened his eyes to his own existence as a source of offense to his exotically colored and gender-fluid colleagues.

In his exploration of this perspective, Herman stumbled upon Marge Piercy’s collection of short stories. Among them, “Unlearning to Speak” resonated with him on a profound level. It became a catalyst for his realization that the principles he had grown up with—such as the American First Amendment and John Stuart Mill’s advocacy for freedom of expression—were tools used to perpetuate the injustices of racism, sexism, and transphobia. This revelation led him to encounter the concept of “Repressive Tolerance” through the writings of Herbert Marcuse.

As he delved deeper into Marcuse’s teachings, Herman came to believe that all White men, himself included, were inherently complicit in perpetuating these oppressive systems. He internalized the notion that true tolerance could only be achieved if the world collectively rejected the concept of free expression. In his mind, this was the path to granting oppressed individuals, especially transgender people, the freedom to exist authentically.

Driven by these convictions, Herman made a momentous decision: to devote his life to a vow of silence. He believed that by renouncing his own voice, he could contribute to the noble cause of dismantling the structures that perpetuated racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia. Inspired by Marcuse’s teachings, he saw this radical act of self-silencing as a means to foster a world where the oppressed could truly thrive.

 

With his vow of silence, Herman aimed to challenge the very foundations of societal norms and champion the voices that had been silenced for far too long.