I try not to get overly political but, admittedly, it’s difficult to avoid lately – especially in the last three weeks. We are in unprecedented times and a lot is changing rapidly. While some see each proclamation and executive order as one more step towards cleansing the country from its blighted burdens, many are alarmed and outright scared to death, as those very orders impact us directly. Those who are throwing up a cheer of approval are not impacted, have likely never been impacted, and have no real understanding of the far-reaching impact of these orders as they were never truly infringed upon. Those applauding the loudest each time one of them passes has never lost a job to an immigrant worker, fought the terrible internal struggle to decide to keep a baby or not, needed affordable healthcare, and so forth. They cheer so boisterously because they have nothing to fear and nothing to lose.
“We do – we have a lot to lose.”
We do – we have a lot to lose. While the protections that have only recently been put into place hang precariously in the balance, many of us are waiting with bated breath to see them get demolished and then it will only be a matter of time before it becomes open hunting season. With 2016 being the deadliest year for trans people, especially trans people of color (TPOC), 2017 is shaping up to be far worse when you consider comments from people ranging from heads of political offices to your average citizen saying things like “Trump’s in office, I don’t have to be politically correct,” or “Trump’s in office now, we can take back America.” It’s almost as though the moment he laid claim to the office, every bigot in America received a special bigotry permit that allowed their inner monsters to surface without reproach.
We’ve only just begun to step out into the light and taste the fresh freedom that so many fought so hard for and now a shroud of darkness has thrust itself across the nation. The obvious response would be to cower, seek shelter, as one would do from a storm to protect oneself from the expectation of an onslaught. While I do not want anyone to be putting themselves in harm’s way, we do have to make sure we don’t fall into these trappings. This is exactly what THEY want and we’ve come too far to let them win so easily. We’ve seen the might of the people as rallies are springing up, not just nationally, but around the globe and even into the farthest reaches of Antarctica.
“We are people of this nation, we are mighty, we are strong, and we will fight for ourselves and for those who cannot fight.”
We are too often plagued with our own infighting. Now is the time to band together and claim our freedoms to not be added or removed depending on political whims, but as unquestionable rights etched into American history through our Constitution. We are people of this nation, we are mighty, we are strong, and we will fight for ourselves and for those who cannot fight. We will fight for today and for our tomorrow and for the future of our nation, which was born on the very premise of equality. We are afraid, and that’s okay, but do not let that fear push you back into the closet – let it give you the strength and fire needed to step out and walk tall.
