OUT ON THE HILL is the official blog of the Victory Congressional Interns. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of LGBTQ+ Victory Institute. Learn more about the internship at victoryinstitute.org/vci.
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We each have little things that bring us joy in moments of extreme stress and panic. Most of us can probably agree that the beginning of the new administration has not been the most joyous time for Queer people, so how do we find the joy, and push through?
That is the question I keep coming back to on our Friday Programming days at Victory. We all know what makes us want to continue the fight, but how do we protect our peace in the meantime?
For me it has been baking in my DC kitchen. While this started as a stress reliever I have turned to since I was a little girl in the kitchen with my mom, it has become so much more. Baking is how I find solitude and control when the world feels like it is on fire, but it is also how I have gained a community in this new city.
If you ask my roommates, my brown butter chocolate chip cookies are my signature recipe, and they are quite delicious if I do say so myself. In fact, I have slowly started baking a double batch of dough each week for my classmates. Everyone is always thankful for a sweet treat and it has been interesting to have this opportunity to learn more about each person (and their favorite cookie).
While having conversations with so many new and amazing people I came to a powerful realization: If we started seeing people like we see cookie ingredients, there would be a lot more room for love in this world.
We all have individual experiences that have shaped who we are, what we like, and what we dislike. If I told you my favorite cookie was chocolate chip, and you didn’t like chocolate, most likely you wouldn’t respond with, “That is the worst thing I’ve ever heard and never speak to me again.” I am not the biggest fan of oatmeal raisin, it is not my favorite cookie, and I would not choose it at a bakery. However, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t make it for my friends, or even eat one every once in a while. It’s just not my preference. I also didn’t grow up in a family where anyone liked oatmeal raisin, so it makes sense that it’s not what I am used to. In these simple conversations, I would have space to explain that I have a different opinion because of how I was raised or simply because I just like chocolate chip more. So why don’t we talk about important issues this way?
I believe in the government taking care of its citizens through public programming and my friend believes that individuals should utilize private resources. I have had an extensive list of calls in the last week on the Hill from individuals wanting Medicaid to be protected and received others from individuals who believe Medicaid is not a beneficial program. This is an example of chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin.
Now, this does not in any way mean that we should compromise our morals. If someone tells you that an individual does not belong because of who they love, what they look like. or where there from this is what I like to call the burnt cookie moment. The average person would be unwilling to eat a charred, dark, hard as a rock cookie. These are the moments we hold our ground, push for respect, and refuse to compromise.
However, I don’t think that has to happen for everything. We have to be willing to disagree and understand. We do not have to push our love of chocolate on someone deathly allergic, we also don’t have to find a deepdown appreciation for raisins. If we can maintain neutrality and respect for someone’s very simple likes and dislikes, why can’t we try to do the same in the more heated moments?
Moving forward, I am trying to focus on how long I bake my cookies and not what I put inside them. No matter the ingredients, if baked to perfection, there is always something to appreciate.
