With a huge sigh of relief, we can safely say that Joe Biden has won the election.
To win an election in these uncertain times is no small feat. Joe Biden was up against a person who used fear and bigotry to win voters over, claiming that Joe's America would be unsafe, horrific, and the worst of all: inclusive. Joe now has the responsibility of repairing a shattered nation, a nation that was torn between gentility and hostility. He and Kamala now must be the leaders in a new age of America. But that doesn't mean things will change overnight.
Joe Biden winning doesn't just magically make racism, homophobia, sexism, and xenophobia disappear.
Perhaps, because of his win, those who wish to cause harm will be emboldened to cause harm to others. We still need to pool our resources together to fight back against people like this. We owe it to people like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor to keep fighting for people who have been killed by systemic racism, by transphobic violence, police brutality, and sexual violence. Joe Biden is a step in the right direction, but his win means nothing if we refuse to continue to mobilize and cause a ruckus when we need to. We need to make the people Trump emboldened afraid again, we need to remind them that they no longer have the power.
Take this time between now and Inauguration Day to celebrate this historic win.
We've taken America back and put her on a path that will hopefully make the saying "All men are create equal" a truth for all and not just a select few. We've made the disenfranchised and oppressed voices in America heard for once. We've made a promise to protect the rights of women and of LGBTQ folks. As a gay man, it makes my heart full to realize that I am a part of a community that protects and loves me. I want to extend that protection to all those who have ever felt threatened by the powers that be.
After Joe is put into office, we must hold him to the standards which he promised he would try to achieve.
Yes, we must bully him a little and force his hand when needed. Joe, to me, is a man of integrity and character which I believe will at least give us an audience with him when warranted.
Joe and Kamala are by no means perfect, but they are a beacon of hope in a dark and scary time.
And the work is only just beginning.
