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I know, I know… I’m the purveyor of a hopefully artful sex blog. I don’t exactly keep things consistent with regular posts. And when I do I doubt that people really want to hear my opinions on social issues that don’t directly pertain to the politics of visual representation.

However, I would be grossly remiss in this endeavor if I neglected the fact that a substantial degree of privilege allows this project to exist.

Although I DO NOT identify as white or straight and am extremely uncomfortable with my gender assigned at birth, I pass as Caucasian, cis-gender and heterosexual.

This translates to an appreciable decrease in the frequency with which I face experiences such as racial profiling and street harassment among a myriad of other flavors of traumatizing as fuck oppression.

The decision by a grand jury–consisting of 9 white folks, 2 MoC and 1 WoC despite the fact that the demographics of Ferguson, MO are at least 2/3 black–not to indict racist shit heel, police officer Darren Wilson for the murder of an unarmed 18 year-old named Michael Brown is an appalling miscarriage of justice.  Full stop.

Over the last 36 hours, this reality has never strayed far from my mind. I have a mess of impressions, thoughts and feelings on the matter. But I don’t want to make this horrifying manifestation of institutionalized racism about myself.

Instead, I would like to listen to and in listening validate the experiences of those without the same privilege from which I benefit every day.

I saw portions of this segment air on Atlanta’s NBC affiliate Channel 11 last night. In it, MoC in the same rough age range as Michael Brown articulate with devastatingly clarity what this verdict means to them and their experience of being black in America.

Many SJA types–myself included–have an academnifying understanding of racism but that’s head-based. Until you’ve lived it day in and day out, the knowing down to the bones will be missing. As the quote that’s gone viral states to feel anger and outrage instead of abject terror in the wake of the non-indictment is a huge fucking privilege.

It’s time for me to shut up and listen.