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And they went on and on,
他們滔滔不絕地說著，
and the soldier watched,
而那名士兵看著他們，
and then he sat there for a full minute
知道他們說完了之后，
after they were finished
他坐在那里待了整整一分鐘，
and looked at us so bedraggled in the rain,
看著我們這群落湯雞，
and said, "What you have said is true,
然后說，“你們說的是事實，
and we must bow to the will of the people.
而我們必須聽從民意。
If you'll clear enough space for us to turn around,
如果你們讓出足夠的位置讓我們掉頭，
we'll go back the way we came."
我們會原路返回。”
And that's what they did.
而他們果真這樣做了。
Sometimes, forging meaning
有時，鑄造意義
can give you the vocabulary you need
能給你所需要的辭藻
to fight for your ultimate freedom.
來爭取你最終的自由。
Russia awakened me to the lemonade notion
俄羅斯讓我意識到逆境求生的概念：
that oppression breeds the power to oppose it,
剝削會繁衍抵抗剝削的力量，
and I gradually understood that as the cornerstone
而我逐漸明白了這是
of identity.
身份的基石。
It took identity to rescue me from sadness.
身份從傷痛中拯救了我。
The gay rights movement posits a world
同性戀權利運動憧憬一個
in which my aberrances are a victory.
我的畸形是一種勝利。
Identity politics always works on two fronts:
身份的政治總是從兩方面出發：
to give pride to people who have a given condition
給有特殊情況或特征的人
or characteristic, and to cause the outside world
應有的自豪；和讓外在的世界
to treat such people more gently and more kindly.
溫柔地善待這些人。
Those are two totally separate enterprises,
這是兩種不同的途徑，
but progress in each sphere
但不管哪個方面的進展
reverberates in the other.
都會在另一方面造成回響。
Identity politics can be narcissistic.
身份的政治可以變成自戀的。
People extol a difference only because it's theirs.
人們稱贊不同只是應為那是他們自身的。
People narrow the world and function
人們把世界窄化，
in discrete groups without empathy for one another.
形成個體，對他人毫無同情。
But properly understood
但如果它得以正確的理解
and wisely practiced,
和理智的運用，
identity politics should expand
身份的政治應該
our idea of what it is to be human.
擴充我們對人性的概念。
Identity itself
身份自身
should be not a smug label
不應是讓人自滿的標簽
or a gold medal
或是一枚金牌
but a revolution.
但應是一個革命。
I would have had an easier life if I were straight,
如果我是異性戀，我的生活會輕松很多，
but I would not be me,
但我不會是我，
and I now like being myself better
我現在比較喜歡做我自己
than the idea of being someone else,
而不想成為另一個人，
someone who, to be honest,
說實話，
I have neither the option of being
我無法成為,
nor the ability fully to imagine.
也無法想象其他人。
