[Sitting in the LNWA meeting, Matt waited until the floor was given to him and he gave a nod as he rose to his feet.]
Now, I noticed that there was quite the rumbling happening on the aethernet over the course of the week, and I stood by and remained silent, but only because I wanted the opportunity to express my opinion here in this club for everyone to hear.
The validity of the vote we took on our first day had been called into question, and while I do question the necessity of a vote in the first place, I do value and respect and understand what Elliott and Ryder were going for when they had assigned that. They wanted to ensure that this was a safe place for LN and witches alike, and that is admirable, given that most wouldn’t think to do so.
[Pausing, Matt turned to glance around at some of the various LN sitting around.]
But the vote was unnecessary. We, as LN... have been excluded from things simply for being what we are... And to exclude others? That makes us not much better than those that excluded us for many years... Yes, our comfort is important, but sometimes to do the right thing, you have to step out of one’s comfort zone and push boundaries.
[Taking a deep breath, Matt looked over at Ryder and Elliott.]
This group is about educating and bridging the gap between LN and witches, and I feel in order to do that, we should allow anyone into the group, regardless of what they may have done. After all, prejudice is just ignorance, and if we exclude someone, we are limiting the amount of people we can reach and educate into doing better than what they have done or what they’ve been taught previously.
The vote... while admirable, was unnecessary, in my honest opinion.
[With that, Matt moved to sit down, waiting to see if anyone else would comment on what he said.]