Friday, Loyola students took part in the National Day of Silence, a day dedicated to supporting and bringing attention to the hatred and prejudice endured by LGBT’s everyday. On this day people from across the country abstain from speaking to show their solace towards those whose voices are silenced. This year’s Day of Silence was in memory of Lawrence King, an 8th-grader shot by a classmate because he was gay.

The fight for gay rights is particularly close to my heart. I firmly believe love is what makes a family and guides relationships. Slowly with the support of events such as Day of Silence, gay rights are beginning to gain recognition in the courts and laws.

If you are a IL resident there is current legislation Senate Bill 2436/House Bill 1826 pending to grant same-sex couples “the security and certainty of knowing that their rights will be respected during a moment of crisis or grief.” The law will ensure all couples: emergency medical decision making power, access to state spousal benefits, access to domestic relations laws & procedures, access to civil actions dependent on spousal status, Will trusts & estates, tax relief at state and municipal level, domestic violence protection, spousal testimony privileges, and right to control dispositions of remains.

To show your support for this legislation and grant love and protection to all people tell the your IL congressmen.

I’m from Detroit, and among my city’s disappointing claims to fame like ‘Murder Capitol of the World’, and ‘Nation’s Most Dangerous City’, we can now proudly add to the list ‘Mayoral Sex Scandal.’ Making national news Kwame Kilpatrick, mayor of Detroit has recently been indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice after lying about his affair with Chief of Staff Christine Beatty during a court hearing.

In text messages acquired by the Detroit Free Press Kwame wrote to Beatty:

“I’m madly in love with you,” Kilpatrick wrote on Oct. 3, 2002.

“I hope you feel that way for a long time,” Beatty replied to the mayor. “In case you haven’t noticed, I am madly in love with you, too!”

In the past Kwame, has characterized himself as a “strong family man dedicated to his wife and three young sons.”  However, his actions speak otherwise, but like we have seen in many public sex scandals his wife stood by his side. As I try to push my anger towards Kwame aside I attempt to look at his story from a perspective of love.

Here are the questions that come to mind:

• Why did he cheat?
• Is cheating an desire for more power over love?
• Why did his wives stand by his side?
• What message do his actions send to others, like his children?

These questions are difficult to answer because love and relationships are deeply personal. I think the best way to address them is to distinguish between sex and love. They are not the same thing! There is also a difference between infatuation and love. The most important thing about this scandal, besides the effects on the family, is how they influence a general understanding of love that is becoming increasingly publicized by the media: love is fluid, easy transferred and hopeless. Is this the message we want?

Whether we realize it or not, many of today’s soft and hard news stories have an underlying connection to love, relationships, and heartbreak. Part of this may be because ‘love’ and ’scandal’ often go hand in hand, creating notorious and popular entertainment that bolster network, and print viewership. People enjoy and can easily relate to media that takes this approach. The idea that there is a “love angle” may seem like a strange concept, but I think that if we look at our media from this perspective we would be better equipped to understand people’s preferences, and actions related towards love. Some of my posts will explore this ‘love angle,’ by looking at top stories in the news and criticizing them from a viewpoint of love.