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October 28th, 2021 — Vol. 100, Issue 3
Inside the struggles of Afghani refugees With the Taliban’s overthrow of the Afghani government, thousands of refugees have been displaced to Fort McCoy in Wisconsin left because they felt forced to flee from the Taliban. Some people were forced to leave their families if they wanted to get to safety in America. Although we pride ourselves on Ever since the militant and fundamentalist Taliban being The Greatest Country in the World, for most people took over the country, there have been a surge of people that title belongs to their home and the country where their desperately fleeing Afghanistan. Roughly thirteen thousand families are, where their lives are. It is always a tragedy when of them, nearly half of whom are children, are currently at people are forced to flee their homes. the Wisconsin U.S. Army base called Fort Currently, the refugees at Fort McCoy are McCoy. At first glance, life at Fort McCoy learning English; they will soon resettle into is surprisingly good, considering that the community. This is later than was initially families with children are living on a foreign planned, because of a measles outbreak in military base. There are two mayors, police, mid-September. When resettling, many community meetings, mosques, classrooms, prefer to live by family, if they have any in the laundry buildings, and a cafeteria. country, or otherwise in established Afghan According to Loras College’s Professor communities. However, it’s unlikely that all Fett, the LaCrosse Catholic Charities have of them will get their wishes granted. Loras set up six activity centers, which include students are ethical and responsible young two sewing centers for women, two adults, and many reading this will surely “mommy and me”-type centers, and two want to do what they can to help our new English language learning centers. There is neighbors. The Catholic Charities are helping even a much lower crime rate than would the refugees, and their website has a list of be expected for a community of that size. donations it is accepting at https://cclse. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes org/afghanistan-refugee-assistance/ and apparent just how difficult civilian life on a they are also accepting monetary donations. military base truly is. Everyone down to Students who want to get more involved the littlest child is living in barracks, sixty are encouraged to sign up for Professor refugees to a house. The refugees initially Fett’s J-term class, Global Social Work with had to wait in lines for hours for meager Refugees, which will include volunteering at amounts of food, and many didn’t receive photo by BARBARA DAVIDSON/POOL PHOTO VIA AP Fort McCoy. The class will pair a weeklong new clothes for more than ten days after U.S. Military Police walk past Afghan refugees at the Village at the Ft. McCoy seminar working with experts in the field arriving. There have been vicious and U.S. Army base on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021 in Ft. McCoy, Wis. of working with refugees, as well as Afghan untrue rumors about the refugees that culture and religion, with two weeks of work spread throughout the local town, Sparta, which actually devastating. Many never wanted to leave Afghanistan; they with the refugees in Fort McCoy. has fewer residents than Fort McCoy. This is not to say that everything is terrible, of course; love their country, with all their hearts and souls, and only by KATHERINE WALSH guest writer
many refugees are grateful to have been able to come to the US, and some are looking forward to the opportunities their new country will provide them. By immigrating to America, some are fulfilling a lifelong dream of moving to the States. However, even if the conditions at Fort McCoy were luxurious, for many people the situation would still be
Not seeking attention, but recognition
In part one of the series, you met Jordan Doe (a pseudonym), a transgender Loras College student who has chosen to remain in the closet. In this part, you will meet an open and out student whose sexual identity is not quite as controversial, but every bit as misunderstood. For those who are under the impression that a lack of sex or romance would make a person very grumpy, they haven’t met Lillian Feltes. A Loras College junior, majoring in history, Feltes identifies herself as asexual. Whatever you see as the opposite of grumpy – that’s what you will see in Feltes. “Asexual is the lack of sexual attraction to others, or a low interest in sexual activity,” according to the website Web MD. “Some people consider asexuality to be their sexual orientation, and others describe it as an absence of sexual orientation.” Feltes also identifies as aromantic. Web MD defines aromantic as, “… people [who] have little or no romantic attraction to others.” As noted above, while asexuality may not be as much of a hot button issue as many others in the LGBTQ+ identity range, that does not mean it is any less misunderstood. “A lot of people are boggled by the idea of not being sexually attracted to someone,” Feltes said. “It’s kind of like it’s hard for me to understand sexual attraction … it’s hard
for them to understand how I don’t have that.” Aromantic is another identity that Feltes said is confusing to a lot of people. She said that, although both (asexual and aromantic) can be present in the same person, they are not the same thing. While Feltes said she has not seen any of what she believes is overt discrimination over her identity, she said that a lot of people question the validity of those who identify as aromantic. She said this is difficult because it is, in essence, people telling her that she is simply not the person who she knows that she is. “For me, when someone discounts what I say, it feels like – because it’s a part of me – someone is rejecting who I am as a person,” Feltes said. “Someone is rejecting a conclusion that I have come to about myself – it’s almost as if [they are] telling me they know more about me than I do.” Someone is The rejection from others rejecting a often manifests itself in conclusion that disappointment, Feltes I have come to explained. That is, she is often about myselftold that she will be wasting it’s almost as if her life if she doesn’t find the traditional partner with kids they are telling and the “white-picket-fence” me they know type of lifestyle. more about “A lot of people see life as me than I do incomplete without love … Lillian Feltes this idea that romantic love Student at Loras College is the end all be all of love,” Feltes said. “We still love
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people, we just love them very differently. Just like you love your mom and you love your best friend very differently.” Those are some of the downsides that come with identifying as asexual and aromantic. But, Feltes notes, there are plenty of upsides. “I never have to get involved in boy drama – I don’t care,” Feltes said. “For me it’s empowering to know that this is who I am. Nobody else has to like me [because] as long as I can live with myself that’s all that matters.”
Like most people, Feltes feels the strong human desire for touch and affection, she just satisfies that need a little differently than most. “I am someone that is really affectionate with [my] friends … and my family,” Feltes said. “I’m a hugger … people ask me for a hug all the time because my friends know that’s who I am.” Feltes, who realized her identity at age 16, said there definitely was a time she felt alone. But not because she lacked a romantic or sexual partner. “There are lots of representations [of sexuality] in the media,” Feltes said. “If I would have seen someone like me when I was younger then I think it would have clicked. It would have made me feel less alone.”