I have so many friends that share my beliefs that I often
forget that I have friends who have radically different views from me.
Sometimes it makes me angry. Sometimes it makes me sad. But more often than not
it breaks my heart. Because aside from the larger consequences that will come
from this election, there are smaller, more immediate consequences that I feel like
people—people who say they care about me—forget.
We have fought so hard in this country for centuries. We
have fought for equality. That is number one. The first thing we as an American
people ever wanted. To be treated equally. Unfortunately, we aren’t there yet.
There are still thousands of people in this country who are treated like second
class citizens in one way or another. And all the fear and hate I have seen
spouted throughout this election process has only propagated this insane idea
that some people are inherently “better” than others. That I am inherently less
than someone else because I am a woman. Because I am gay. Because I am a survivor
of sexual abuse. Because, somehow, someone decided that those labels make me
less of a human being. I am not considered
equal. And as a result of that inequality placed on me suddenly I don’t deserve
access to affordable health care, my marriage is not as “real” as someone else’s
and may be dissolved altogether, I no longer have the right to decide what
happens to my body, I don’t have the right to get a degree without putting
myself into crippling debt, debt which I may never fully get out of because I
am unable to get paid the same as everyone else. That is what will happen to
me. Not to someone else. Not to a mystery human that you have never met. Me.
This is real. It is personal. And by standing by, or worse, supporting it then
you are a part of the problem. You are hurting me and my family. You. Not
someone else I’ve never met. You. My friend.
We can no longer stand around and say, “Well, I didn’t want this” or “It won’t happen to me” or “I’m
not a part of the problem.” We are all a part of the problem if we continue to
support hate. If we continue to let our deeply rooted party alliances govern
our actions. If we continue to ignore the cries of justice and equality from
those citizens who so desperately need it.
I look around and I know that there is so much good in the
world. There is such an incredible capacity for love and acceptance and we have
the opportunity to pick that. To pick love and acceptance and equality and
compassion rather than hate and fear and discrimination and disregard. This is
not about parties anymore. It is not about religion or sexual orientation or
race or class or any other label. It is about being a decent human being. It is
time we stopped thinking about our own selfish prejudices and started thinking
about what our actions mean to everyone else around us.
This is not an invitation for debate or fighting. This is
simply meant as a plea, a cry, for a return to human decency. I don’t want to
argue. I don’t want to fight. I want to say I love you and I respect your right
to choose, but please consider love first. Choose love first. Fight for love
first. Let love be what shines through in this election, not hate. #lovetrumpshate
