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Makings of a queen

To the editor:

I would like to thank Zach Metiva, MTU’s Winter Carnival “Queen for a Day,” for his words of diplomacy, tact, grace and dignity. How does one respond when, after receiving a big and fairly important award, it is suddenly (for right or for wrong) taken away from you? Many people would respond with anger and blaming. Zach did not. He said, “I am disappointed that the Blue Key executive board took the action to rescind my title, but my understanding is that it is the view of the University and Blue Key that consuming alcohol is not encouraged during Winter Carnival. I ran for Queen in order to challenge the view that the queen has to be female and I wanted to make certain that anyone, regardless of gender expression, could feel like royalty during Winter Carnival. I hope that this turn of events does not discourage anyone from running for the position in the future.”

With this statement, Zach did not back down from the issue he felt most important. He acknowledged the reasoning of the other side, but did not admit any wrongdoing. He expressed how he felt, and did not show a shred of hostility. Regardless of how you feel about a male running for Queen, or how you feel about the way the Carnival rules were interpreted and applied, this young person offers us a display of true maturity. He offers an example of a way of being in the world that is both honest and non-divisive. He gives me hope for our future.

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