The first time I read this article, I was baffled. How could someone think so parochially? How could someone be so...misinformed? So ignorant?
Of course, that's the liberal California girl in me talking. I had a lot to say and a lot to think.
As I was gathering my thoughts on this article, I realized that other people would have a lot to say about this as well.
So I sent this to about 100 people:
Respond to this article.
Your response may be completed in 2-3 sentences and if you'd like to…even more! Begin by finishing off either or both of the following phrases:
I'm (a) (Woman, Tanswoman, Muslim, Black Man etc.) _____ And Living In Trump's America Is _______ (terrifying, great etc.) because….
I will not sugarcoat it: I don't feel safe ….(on my own campus/ in my own country) because….
These are the 25 Anonymous Responses I received:
1. I'm a Bisexual Latina and living in trump's America is dehumanizing
He's validated the voices that hate girls like me, that hate people like me. He's validated the voices that tell me I don't belong in the only home I've ever known, that tell me THEY don't like who I am so, therefore, I must be the one who has to change. I don't feel safe because I don't feel like I'm seen as a person in Trump's America. And when other people see me and don't see a human being, it becomes so easy for them to be okay with hurting me. I don't feel safe on campus or at home or on the bus or anywhere in Trump's America because I am constantly thinking that this might be the day my family and I get separated for good because this country cannot stand the thought of people like me having a life here.
2. I am the child of undocumented immigrants
Living in Trump's America makes me hug my parents a little tighter every day. It means having nightmares of them being taken away. Living in Trump's America means that my family can never be at peace.
3. I'm a Gay Asian man and living in trump's America is fucked up and absolutely horrifying
The rise of hate crimes and white people thinking this shit is ok is absolutely flabbergasting (see the attack on Jussie Smollett). So many people on twitter and even IN FUCKING PUBLIC think that it's okay to say/act/hate WHOMEVER THEY WANT and that's just not ok. Trump has brought out the worst in people and now everyone out of the woodwork thinks that just being an asshole is ok. I will not sugarcoat it, I don't feel safe pretty much anywhere. if I go on a date with a guy I don't feel comfortable saying "OH YEAH WE R GAY AS SHITTT" because some random dude can beat me up or kill me. I don't even feel safe being Asian knowing that people out there will literally hate me because I'm Korean. Fuck that noise.Make America Great Again has now become a hate phrase.
4. I am an Asian woman living in Trump's America
It has made me really consider moving elsewhere as I no longer feel welcome as an immigrant. Moreover, as a woman, I fear for my safety as rape jokes and cases have become more evident and accepted in society today and I think that's pretty damn awful.
5.I'm a Muslim Woman living in Trump's America
Living in Trump's America is frustrating because someone who is so unqualified for their position should not be sitting in the presidential office. I don't feel safe on my campus for fear that I will be sexually assaulted.
6. I'm a Trans Man living in Trump's America and I have been sexually assaulted, beat up, and humiliated
Trump and Pence in office invalidate my identity and gives people permission to harm or harass another person. In Trump's America, I never feel safe. I walk outside only when there are many people. I limit my interaction to public places. All because I chose to be me.
7. I'm a school-shooting survivor
Misogyny, racism, homophobia, or the buying of assault weapons makes me feel unsafe on my campus. I will not sugar coat it: Just because people of color are finally being heard and are finally claiming their space does not make you a minority.
8. I am an undocumented Latinx living in Trump's America
I am not a rapist. I am not a drug dealer. I am not illegal. I am not taking your jobs. I am not invading your homes. I am a human. Living in Trump's America makes me fearful to step outside my home every single day. Living in Trump's America is wondering if I'll ever see my baby cousin living in Trump's child internment camps again. Living in Trump's America is living in a world of violence and hate. I will not sugar coat it: I don't feel safe in this country because of Trump.
9. I am a Black Man living in Trump's America
Although I have always been cautious because of my race before Trump, I always tense up in the car when I see a police car pass by. I don't wear black hoodies. I don't like to hang out with a lot of my Black friends late at night. Heck, I'm afraid to even walk out at night. I've been called the "N" word by your virtuous Conservatives even on a liberal campus. Tell me again, what group is making people feel unsafe in Trump's America?
10. I am a Native-American Woman living in Trump's America
I have fought alongside my family and friends to preserve indigenous land, but your President does not see people who live in this sacred land. He sees obstacles. I have been harassed and assaulted during peaceful protests by Trump supporters. I have been pepper sprayed and tear gassed and imprisoned for wanting to save my people. You feel like a minority? You feel unsafe? You feel scared? Welcome to the club.
11. I am Sikh, and although I felt different because of my faith before, living in Trump's America makes me feel like I'm always in danger
I have been called an ISIS supporter, a terrorist, or a bomber man. I have been blamed for 9/11. All of these comments were made by people who also felt unsafe because of my presence. People who are intoleran. People who want to make America Great Again by erasing those who don't fit the norm.
12. I am white, straight, conservative Man
Living in Trump's America and studying in a Liberal campus has made me realize the privilege I have. I have learned from my liberal peers that I can use my privilege to support those who are disempowered. I now know the basics of feminism, Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, and #MarchForOurLives. There is room for civil conversation about these topics. I want you to learn that being conservative or Republican does not mean you have to discriminate others and support people in power who aim to put people down.
13. I'm an Asian American Woman and living in Trump's America is terrifying
I am uncertain about what my future rights will be as a woman trying to break into the corporate world. I will not sugarcoat it: I don't feel safe in my own country because I know that I am constantly being scrutinized under a microscope for everything that I do. I know that if Trump continues as president, I will have to work even harder only to receive a fraction of the respect and financial stability that men get.
14. I am a Lesbian Filipinx Woman living in Trump's America and seeing my own immigrant family turn their heads and praise a bigot has been heartbreaking.
They saw something in Trump, wishing that maybe if they support him, they won't be included in the discrimination. Little do they know they are among the center of discrimination and their daughter is in the forefront of discrimination .
15. I am a Black Woman and a Feminist and living in Trump's America will not bring me down.
Making others feel uncomfortable because of my advocacy will not bring me down. I'm sorry you feel unsafe. I'm sorry you feel discriminated against. I'm sorry that the feminist movement is not just for white women anymore.
16. I am a Muslim Woman living in Trump's America
I am sick and tired of walking in my conservative town and having people stare at me like I'm about to rob them. or people telling me that my hijab is a sign of oppression. I am always forcing myself to feel more American just so people will accept me.
17. I am a single mother and living in Trump's America means
Praying every night that my children will get to see the Earth flourish, see a world without war, teach others the importance of compassion, and become better leaders than the ones we have now. Living in Trump's America makes me anxious of the now, but I am confident that future generations can change this archaic system and reform it to become equitable.
18. I am a disabled person living in Trump's America and his unapologetic mockery of disabled people allows for more discrimination and oppression against people like me
People say to not take this lightly. To see this only as a joke. But one must remember his position. He can influence millions of people, and he has proved that. Living in Trump's America is degrading.
19. I am a Latino-African Man living in Trump's America and I feel like I am always being watched to make a wrong move
One wrong look at someone, a speeding ticket or parking violation from the wrong cop or one wrong attitude. All of these things can cause the end of my college career. It may be the end of my life in the U.S.
20. I am an Educator and living in Trump's America causes me to fear for my students' lives
I am heartbroken when we have to do "school-shooter lockdown drills." My kids ask me, "Do you think a shooting will actually happen?" And I have to lie and say "no" when I know the answer is "yes." Trump's misguided support of guns is harming the lifestyle of our future generations. Additionally, I am fearful that my kids will wake up to a tattered and torn Earth because this adminstration doesn't believe in science.
21. I am a white woman and living in Trump's America has been embarrassing
The fact that a great majority of my demographic has supported him makes me feel ashamed. My demographic has the audacity to leave out women of color, trans women, and the LGBTQ+ community is humiliating. I know the kind of privilege I have in this society. I do not want to use it by supporting someone who constantly degrades others.
22. I am a Jewish Trans Man and living in Trump's period is like taking 50000 steps backward
I am fearful because of my gender/sexuality and my religion. In a world filled with anti-semitism and trans violence, I have to be cautious of where I go, where I am, and who I talk to. I will not sugar-coat it: Trump allows for hate to happen.
23. I am a baby-boomer and I used to think that living in Trump's America would make America Great Again
I was manipulated by narrow and biased media reports. Last month, my lovely neighbor who is an African-American Marine was hospitalized because he was beaten up by white supremacists. Four months ago, my kind landscaper stopped coming to trim my trees. When I asked his brother, he said that he was deported along with his wife and kids. Six months ago my grandchild was protesting at a Trump rally and was groped and spat at by the Trump supporters I so righteously stood by. I spent years believing that the threat to America were undocumented immigrants. The real threat is intolerance.
24. I am in 7th grade and I am Hindu.
Living in Trump's America is scary. I hear my parents and uncles and aunts talk about the racist stuff people say to them at work. Yesterday, we were at the grocery and an old white man with the Trump hat told us to speak English or to go back to our country and threw a can at our car. I am scared because I am a DACA recipient, and just recently I did not know whether I can still go to college or not. I know I am too young to think about this. But my parents came here to give me a better life. I want to go to MIT or UC Berkeley to become an engineer. That is how I want to thank the USA for the opportunities it has given me. But it seems like they are not even willing to accept me, my family, my religion or my culture.
25. I am a 77-year-old activist who marched from Selma to Montgomery
and living in Trump's America makes me feel like my work and the work of activists like Dr. King, Angela Davis, and so much more has taught America nothing. The greatest evil, the greatest danger, and the thing that you should fear most in this country are not the families who are seeking a better life in America, are not the Feminists that have paved the path for you to have a platform to speak and study, are not the "evil" Liberals who try to fight against bigotry, but the ones in power who are abusing their control, who are injecting the American people with false information, who are instigating violence and are supporting discrimination. Your safety, as far as I am concerned, is not threatened by anybody. In fact, it is protected by those in power. I hope you can be made aware of who the real threat is and who actually isn't safe in this country right now.
To The College Girl Who Likes Trump And Hates Feminism:
I hope you read these responses and find it in your heart to empathize with those who are marginalized by this administration. I am not asking you to change your opinion or silence you in any way. I just hope that you can become more aware of the atrocities that this administration has wreaked upon minority populations.
All I can say is... listen. Be more aware. Be respectful of all humans whether they be gay, undocumented (notice I didn't use illegal?), a person of color or a feminist. Besides, we all do have one thing in common: the desire for a better country.
Sincerely,
The College Girl Who Believes In Equality, Human Rights, and Justice.
