If I were to say I’m shocked I would be lying. I’m not surprised, but I am scared. I will start by saying this. I am white and I experience privilege. However, the privilege I experience is unique because I also live with disabilities and am a gay woman. I experience white privilege, but I lack many other privileges so it’s sort of like living on the fence of a society that’s not sure whether or not it wants to embrace me. America sees my whiteness and says, “Yes this is good” but they see everything else, my outspokenness, my womanhood, my queerness, my disabilities, and it’s as if the whiteness is just enough to keep my head above water but not enough that they won’t let me drown if it hits the fan. I can only imagine what the families of immigrants and people of color are going through especially if they’re part of other marginalized communities.
I see so many people calling protestors whiners and babies and part of a hyper privileged generation but that’s just not true. We are a vocal generation, that may be so, but we are no more anything than any other generation. Every single protest is met with contempt, not just now, but all throughout history. Every time the people rise up, they are told to shut up and are labeled rowdy rioters who want to hurt this country. They are labeled as unpatriotic but I will say the greatest symbol of patriotism is a protest. A protest means you love this country enough to see it become the best country it can be. On the contrary, if everyone truly hated America, they would do nothing at all. They would sit back and let time runs its course because they could care less about the fate of this country and the people in it. True Americans love immigrants because that’s what we are - a nation of immigrants. True Americans celebrate our differences and diversities as we are the undisputed most diverse country in the world. Protesting to draw attention to or fix the problems our fellow Americans face is just a sign of our passion for this country. America was never great. But it can be. It’s our learned ignorance, our ignorance that we are taught by our prejudicial society that tells us otherwise. Our learned ignorance tells us that protests are bad and that protesters are babies and are a result of giving everyone an award. No we’re not upset because Hillary didn’t win. We’re upset because our rights are being threatened.
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Take 5 minutes out of your day to really look at what Trump wants to do to this country and then come back and we’ll have an intelligent conversation about the fate of our nation. His vice president wants to send me to have the gay electrocuted out of me and doesn’t care if my brothers and sisters die of AIDS because apparently praying the gay away is more important. Trump wants to overthrow Roe vs. Wade and leave my reproductive rights up to the states, forcing women to travel across the country just to get birth control, something most Americans cannot afford to do. Trump wants to deport innocent people who have nowhere else to go as if they’re a bunch of animals he can just ship away and ignore. Trump wants to build a literal wall separating our nations as if that’s ever worked before. As if that’s ever fixed anything in the past. It’s a metaphor for how he feels about Mexicans and it’s disgusting. Trump thinks women are pigs and that we bleed from our eyes when we’re angry. Over 200 hate crimes have been committed in the week following his victory. And he doesn’t even care. His supporters don’t even care. I am angry and rightfully so and how dare any of you try to push me down or silence me in a time of genuine fear. I am afraid for my life as are many more like me. Donald Trump cannot even handle a twitter account and even admitted he didn’t know what he was getting into as president. When we tear down Trump, all we have to do is quote him. Think about that. Stay mad. Stay strong. Stay united against this new evil we must face as marginalized people. But above all, stay safe. America is a beautiful country full of potential. I just hope I live to see the day.
