I Was Scared. Now I’m Motivated. | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

I Was Scared. Now I’m Motivated.

Now it's crucial that we fight for who we are.

35
I Was Scared. Now I’m Motivated.
Pixabay

I can easily say that last week definitely wasn’t a good one for me. It wasn’t good for a lot of people all over the country. On Wednesday, I woke up sad and embarrassed with what our country had done. But above all else, I was scared, and that fear didn't subside in the coming days.

As a member of the LGBTQ community, a Trump-Pence Administration is something straight out a horror film (or the 1950s, both are equally scary for the LGBTQ community). In January, Trump said that he would “strongly consider” appointing judges to the Supreme Court with the intention of overturning marriage equality. Sunday on 60 Minutes, Trump evolved his stance, saying he was "fine" with same-sex marriage, but his views still seem less than accepting. His running mate, Mike Pence, is ten times worse, though. Pence opposes legal protection from discrimination for LGBTQ people, is strongly against marriage equality, and worst of all believes in conversion therapy as a “cure” to homosexuality. Pence even sought to reroute money from HIV and AIDS research to instead be used to support conversion therapy.

So, naturally, my first reaction was to take the election of Trump and Pence as a personal attack against me and my community as a whole. Those feelings were only exasperated by the wave of hate crimes that plagued the United States in the following days and still continue now. I have friends who have received death threats because they’re gay and out. A sister of one of my high school classmates was told to, “Go back to Africa.” Bigoted pamphlets were placed into one of my school’s newspaper receptacles. A North Carolina branch of the KKK has planned and publicized a celebration rally in early December. It was, and still is, terrifying for the LGBTQ community, minorities, and women everywhere. I grew extremely angry at the situation we were in, and the people who let it happen

But after a few days of thinking and reflecting and trying to rationalize what I was feeling, I decided on a few things. The first is that I’m not mad at everyone who supported Trump. Some of my very best friends did. They have a right to cast their vote for the candidate of their choosing, and I can’t fault them for that. Not many people voted for Trump based on his bigotry and hate speech. Now, that being said, in order to vote for Trump they had to, at some point consciously or unconsciously decide that they were going to prioritize other issues above the rights and lifestyles of the LGBTQ community and minorities who have been on the receiving end of Trump’s hate-filled platform. Being part of the LGBTQ community, I wish that they hadn’t. I wish that everyone would want me to have equality and rights above all, but some people thought it was worth the risk - I mean, hey, they didn’t have to risk any of their own rights, so I can see why they wouldn’t mind risking mine in the hopes of a better deal for themselves.

I also realized that anger can be destructive. It was hard not taking my anger out on people I knew who voted for Trump. People all over my Facebook page were asking to be unfriended by anyone who voted opposite them. While I didn’t get to that point, I saw the danger of being ridiculously angry and directing it in the wrong places.

The last thing I learned was that my anger, and sadness, and concern could be fuel instead of destruction. I can’t let my life be ruled by fear or controlled by anger. Am I happy with where we are as a country right now? Hell no. But I can’t just sit around all day and complain or cry. And I don’t plan on it. I was sad and scared. Now I’m motivated.

I’m motivated to keep all of the progressive change that we’ve seen in the past few years for my community, and other communities in this country who have been treated like second class citizens in the past. I’m motivated to fight for my rights, my way of life, and my ideals. If that means protesting, I’m all for it. If that means working campaigns in two years to elect new officials, I’m there. No matter what it takes, I will do it.

I’m not happy that Donald Trump is going to be our next President. But I’m not going to be defeated by it. I’m not going to be complacent. I’m going to make the best out of it, and work as hard as I possibly can to make sure America doesn't take another big step backward in the future.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Lifestyle

13 Ways To Become More Festive

How to make the holidays more merry and bright!

899
winter
Pinterest

Why hello there December! It seems like we just had a holiday season, but here we are a year later starting a new one with our stomachs full and hearts overflowing with thankfulness. If you're anything like me and didn't realize just how close the holiday season was approaching, we need to perk our spirits up for the most wonderful time of the year! Fortunately you have someone on the nice list like myself who can help you out with tips and tricks to become more bright eyed and bushy tailed about this holiday season.

Keep Reading...Show less
dumbbell
Twist Photography

Going to the gym and working out on a daily basis (with breaks once in awhile) has been a great way for me to feel good about myself. It is 100% more than just looking good. Especially after starting college and having the stress and anxiety of tests, assignments, and just figuring out my future, the gym at my school has definitely been a place of relief for me and I have numerous reasons of why everyone should push themselves to get to the gym when they can.

Keep Reading...Show less
shameless
Tube Filter

Sometimes you need a break. A break from school, studying, work, anything that life throws at you. We are all guilty of binge watching a show that we just cannot get enough of. I know that I've gotten so fixated on a show that there have been entire days that I have day-dreamed about getting home and watching a particular show. Next time you find yourself having an urge to binge watch a series be sure, to check out the following.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

5 GIFs That All College Students Can Relate To

Trust me: If you're a college student, you would want to read this...

695
college calculator
Flickr Creative Commons

Oh college, lovely, lovely college. A four-year time span that is filled with many highs and many lows. Between procrastinating on an essay that is due at midnight to getting your first library card (if you know what I mean), college is a time that you should not take for granted, yet it is also a time where you feel like your entire world is falling apart. It is a time where one day you can feel like you are on top of the world and then the next day you are 500 feet below the ground surface.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

12 Festive Ways To Decompress After Finals

When you need to get rid of your leftover stress but also be in the Christmas spirit.

469
dog
Pexels

So you're finally finished with your semester and you really need to decompress from it, but you're also feeling the time crunch because Christmas is like ten days away and you haven't even gotten to do anything fun and festive yet. No worries! Fortunately, there are several festive things you can do to help put the stress far behind you. You can also make some of your usual favorite things to do Christmasy. Basically, you're winning.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments