It’s Time to Speak Out. Where are You?

These are troubling times, friends, at least if you’re American and not glued to 45’s terrifyingly incompetent ass.

Yesterday, he announced a ban on transgender men and women serving in the military in any capacity. He followed that up later with an all-caps statement that in this country, “We worship God!” (Wake up, non-Christians! He’s not your President either.) Also yesterday, the DOJ filed a brief stating that it doesn’t believe that sexual orientation is a protected category under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

As a cisgender, heterosexual person, I was not directly targeted by anything except (possibly) Trump’s pro-Christian remarks, and I can tell you that even that made me afraid. If our so-called President doesn’t even believe in the First Amendment (particularly the Establishment Clause), what’s to stop him from further pushing the nation toward a theocratic dictatorship?

I can only imagine the anger and fear transgender troops and LGBT folks in general must be feeling right now, knowing their government is actively fighting to take their rights away and make their lives worse. I thought government was by the people and for the people — ALL of its people. 45 has repeatedly proven me overly idealistic there.

(Why are we letting this treasonous, unpatriotic sonofab*tch put his tiny orange hands all over national policy right now when he’s under investigation for his ties to Russia?? None of his federal appointments or executive orders should be allowed to stand once he’s impeached. Roll it all back, folks! He’s demented, and I don’t use that word lightly.)

I admit I hit a wall of fear and frustration last night. Today, I am back fighting the good fight. I believe the worst thing I can do right now is to roll over and stay silent while these slimy, sleazy, bigoted scumbags in power try to unravel the threads that make America so strong and beautiful. Diversity — of all kinds — is our greatest freedom and strength! So, here’s what I believe, and I will not be silenced:

I believe that if you’re willing to lay down your life for your country (I’m not!), taxpayers can thank you for your service by picking up the tab on whatever medical care you deem necessary for you to be your best and happiest self. Whether that involves treatment for erectile dysfunction, braces, gender reassignment surgery, hormone therapy for any of a thousand different conditions, or something not even on my radar, I won’t complain because I support ALL of our troops (if not all of the reasons we ask them to risk themselves).

I believe that 45 and many in his circle should be imprisoned for treason, and that all policies enacted should be immediately put under bipartisan review once they’re jailed, because American policy/government should not be influenced by Russian sources.

I believe that this nation has to come together at a grassroots level to stamp out rampant hatred of the “Other.” (Y’all have heard me rant about Otherness before. Our two-party system is deeply flawed and allows for a simple Us vs. Them narrative that has been detrimental for a long time, but which has been seized upon and weaponized by the current administration. I believe voter turnout alone cannot overcome this rift.

I believe that every human has the right to worship or not worship as they see fit, and that their worship of whatever God/god(s) and/or Goddess(es) is their business, theirs alone. Government should never dictate religion and cannot control individual spirituality/belief. Each person gets to evaluate and decide upon their own core beliefs, and these beliefs-or-not are not subject to anyone else’s interpretation/value system.

I believe that every human deserves health care — both preventative care and as-needed for any issues that arise. I believe people who don’t want that for everyone are selfish and deluded or deliberately blind about where the true costs in the healthcare system lie.

I am only going to get louder if the rampant injustices of late continue unabated. I believe they will abate, because evil (and denying universal equality/humanity, in whatever form that harm takes, is evil) cannot win as long as we stand in the breach, seeding compassion and making our voices heard…as long as we unrelentingly live our lives as beacons of “Yes, we can” and “Yes, we will.”

Hope in action is a feisty, powerful force. Join me.