Dear you (yes, you),

In all of social media I have seen the hashtag “#Leaveitin2015” which references things that are frowned upon by most people. Many posts include Donald Trump, Steve Harvey, and cargo shorts. However, a popular picture keeps showing up, the infamous Caitlyn Jenner.

As I’m sure we all know, Caitlyn had a sex reassignment surgery to make her feel comfortable in her own body. Some of us seem to have a problem with this. Some of us feel as though it is an abomination and are voicing our opinions quite loudly, about how you hate her, and that she is going to hell, and that she isn’t a true woman.

However, I ask my friends in a hypothetical situation, what if I were to come out as transgender? All of the people who are my “second moms”, the people who I have been friends with for 15+ years, the people who have come to me for advice, the people who have always loved me for me, what would you say? Would you call me an abomination? Would you tell me to go to hell? Would you never speak to me again?

I think the answer to all of those questions is, no. So why is it okay to say these hurtful things on social media when you wouldn’t say it in person? Caitlyn Jenner is just an example of how we treat social media as a shield. We think that because the words come from our fingers and not our mouths, that they can't hurt as much. But we all know they do.

So please, to anyone who has ever typed, shared, or liked something that you wouldn't say in person, try to make an honest effort in 2016 to treat people like humans and not a piece of trash.