Trump's inauguration date is January 20th, 2017.
I've been grappling with this for a while because honestly, it doesn't seem real. It doesn't seem believable to me, that a man who won the second most votes is going to be president of the United States. It doesn't seem at all okay that this man is a known racist, homophobic, xenophobic and misogynist and the somehow people are still supporting him. It makes no sense to me how a man with no political experience is going to be running a nation with the potential power to disrupt the whole world.
But it's happening.
And honestly, I'm not going to be watching the inauguration. I will not stand by and normalize this man, who has normalized hate.
Because as it seems to me, if you support Donald, if you watch his speeches, if you cheer for him when he bullies and abuses public figures from his Twitter page -- well you're normalizing a hate culture, that's rapidly spread over the U.S. since the start of his presidential race.
I've mentioned this to people before, and they've said I'm biased.
I'm biased in what I think of Trump because he goes against everything I stand for? Everything I am as a human being?
I told one person that by calling me biased against Trump, they're endorsing his hate culture, endorsing the way he is stripping down and attacking values that the "Free World" is supposed to have.
They had the audacity to laugh in my face.
Because to people who are like Donald -- to people who have nothing to fear from his presidency, to people who don't know what it's like to be a minority of some sort, to people who don't sympathize with others just because of how they look, or act or simply exist -- this presidency will be the best thing that's happened since (conceivably) Andrew Jackson.
I know I'll make a lot of enemies by saying this, and I know the only reason I'm saying this is because I'm surrounded by people who think like me, who understand me, but if you normalize Trump, you're normalizing everything he stands for. For bad and for worse.
Because no matter what way you cut it, Donald Trump is not a good person. Not a decent person. Not a person who should be leading our country.
Unfortunately, that's the way the cookie crumbled.
So instead of normalizing the hate he spreads, instead of standing back and doing nothing, I'm determined to speak up and stand out.
If you've talked to me in person, you'll know my resolution for 2017 was to be blocked by Trump on Twitter. Since I started replying to his tweets I've gained 30 more followers.
If you've even read my tagline on here, you know that I stand for equal rights. Not rights that are "good enough", not treatments that are "O.K." but for equality. For the very precious good that America does to be upheld.
I wouldn't say I'm un-American, but if Trump becomes the new America, then I will gladly be un-American. Because that is not what this country is supposed to stand for. Hate is not what this country is supposed to be like.
So practice civil disobedience. Call your representatives and senators and tell them what you believe in. Go to peaceful protests. Create art and writing and anything that expresses how you feel about the new situation of our nation. Become active in expressing how you feel.
Because if enough of us do that, if enough of us dare to stand up to the Trump, dare to never normalize him, then hate in America will never fully be normalized.
And that's worth fighting for, isn't it?
