And today’s lesson is: People are nice. Like the metrobus driver who waived everyone’s fares because the smartrip scanner was broken. Like my professor who convinced the journalism school to not flunk me after I forgot to upload my article to the database as required. Like the man who called me less than an hour after I emailed him willing to comment on an issue despite the fact that I don’t really have credentials. I challenge anyone who thinks human nature is bad to find more ‘bad’ acts than ‘good’ acts per day. People have to exert real effort to be mean, but their kindness is inadvertent, unconscious. Because people, no matter how hard they try, are nice. I appreciate you all.

Over winter break, something wonderful happened. After 18 years, eight months and 19 days, I ceased to be a Chick-fil-A virgin.

Gasp. I know. Who hasn’t tried Chick-fil-A? In my defense, it’s usually overshadowed in Michigan by big names such as Taco Bell and McDonald’s. Plus, with a dietitian mother and a father whose hobby is gourmet cooking, fast food rarely gets accolades in my house.

But on Jan. 19, I was in Maryland with two of my best friends, absolutely starving with a total of $10 in my wallet. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

The food was surprisingly delicious and relatively healthy. I can’t ever refuse fries, but these surpassed my extremely low standards.

So, when I was invited to Chick-fil-A’s Free FryDay on Facebook a few weeks ago–part of a promotion to advertise their new Heinz Dip & Squeeze ketchup–I was somewhat excited. There’s a Chick-fil-A in our student union and, as far as I was concerned, if they hadn’t been participating before, they were now.

As the big day (March 4) approached, I decided to browse the posts on the event’s wall and see if anyone had anything interesting to say. One headline in particular caught my eye: Yes, Chick-fil-A Says, We Explicitly Do Not Like Same-Sex Couples | Change.org News.

Now I support diversity of opinion. Everyone has the right to freedom of speech. Pursuit of happiness and all that. But really, Chick-fil-A? What have gays and lesbians done to you to make you hate them? Are you biased because chicken is your featured product? If that’s the case, I fully understand. If roosters only had sex with other roosters, you’d be out of luck.

Yet in the article, the president of Chick-fil-A said he “wants gay people to share no hard feelings,” probably as a precaution to maintain revenue. Essentially, they’re authorizing the bashing of potential customers and the subsequent expectation that gays still cough up their cash in support of the company that just insulted them. Yeah, right.

With the same-sex marriage bill still stalled in the Maryland House of Delegates, this issue is more important than ever. I’m straight, but I believe that anyone should be able to officially declare their love for another person. I can’t imagine getting weird looks for holding my boyfriend’s hand in public or not having the option someday of standing at the front of a church or on the edge of a beach and vowing to be with someone ’til death do us part. That’s sad and unjust.

So skip the free fries at Chick-fil-A tomorrow. They’re not worth the inequality they symbolize.

I’ve never been much of a girl. Yes, I have all the required parts, and I care far more than I should. But I’ve always felt removed from certain feminine aspects of life. I’ve never had a manicure. I rarely do anything with my hair. I’d rather watch the Baltimore Ravens’ defense than Pretty Little Liars. And yet I still fall prey to the singular downfall of the female mind: our idea that we are worthless.

This concept was never so evident as in Communications 107 today. Comm is reputed to be a joke of a class. For mature humans, communication is unconscious and intuitive; why should we study a process we can already do so easily? At least, that’s the theory.

However, rumor has it that college freshmen have been wrong before, and that proved to be true today. We separated into groups by gender and created four lists: what we like and don’t like about our own sex, and what we like and don’t like for the opposite sex. These mostly summarized stereotypes; the men were labeled as laid-back but cocky and the women as compassionate but emotional. Yet then we were asked which list was the most difficult to generate. The boys predictably boasted of their problems coming up with things they didn’t like about themselves. We, in contrast, admitted that it was hard to reiterate what we liked about ourselves.

After decades of female recognition and achievement, it’s truly sad that women still feel inferior and even useless. But that’s just it. It’s only been decades. Less than 100 years have passed since the ratification of the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote. In the U.S., women are paid only 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man according to the National Committee on Pay Equity. Women whom men admire tend to be physically attractive rather than powerful or intelligent. It’s no wonder we feel ugly if we are not the size of supermodels or out of place in male-dominated careers such as engineering.

At this point of reflection, I felt a little depressed. I’d already been overwhelmed with class, work, articles, exercise, social shenanigans and attempting to become involved in other clubs and groups. Then I stumbled upon a Facebook event called “Tell Her She’s Beautiful.” It was created by a guy trying to make his best friend (a girl) feel more comfortable with herself. Spanning the whole month of February, the event encourages anyone and everyone to simply tell someone how beautiful you think they really are. Chances are, they need it.

Almost 150,000 people are “attending” on Facebook. By merely creating this event, “Josh,” whoever he is, has brightened countless days and caused endless smiles. He is solid proof that one small gesture can make a difference.

So take a moment. Turn to the person next to you and tell them why they are beautiful to you. Even if that person is a guy. You may get a few strange looks. But there’s enough hate and chaos in the world. It’s time to spread the love.

Tell her she’s beautiful. She’s worth it.