People don't always like to take politics onto a level where you're thinking with your mind and your heart. For me? I've never gone into something with half of my heart. So, that's why I changed political parties. I felt like I was lying just to please the people around me by 'believing' in their beliefs.

When your family is mostly swayed to one side, it can make it very difficult to decide which side you're on. For example, I wasn't very familiar with politics during the last election. All I knew was that my heart didn't feel good with Trump. A lot of my family members identified as Republican, so that's what I thought I should be. By calling myself a Republican, it put a stop on the dinner table debates and arguing soon halted.

Soon after, it felt like all of my morals were gone.

I saw how the "Right side" treated women, LGBTQ+, and people of color. All of it seemed based on hatred. There were a few things on that "Right side" that I agreed with, but I mistook that as a sign that I should be entirely Right.

While I started to lean further towards being Republican, it wasn't for good reasons. It wasn't because that was what I truly believed in, but I didn't want to be outcasted by family and friends when the unavoidable debates came up. Still, I tried to convince myself that I could be a "Right-sider" if I tried.

As a young woman in the LGBTQ+, I started to feel like my community was in danger. It didn't feel right to support the people who were trying to erase what the LGBTQ+ had built. It didn't feel right to go against what I truly believed in.

For about 3 weeks until voting began, I tried to keep myself on the Right. I felt that it was a way to impress the people who expected me to take their same stance. Every time someone asked me which presidential candidate's side I was on, I felt like I was lying. I felt disgusted with myself. Supporting a man for the wrong reasons when I should be standing up for the people he was trying to take down. It was guilt that was rotting in my chest.

The day Trump won the election, I felt horrible.

Even though I hadn't voted, I still felt guilty. I had been standing up for something that went against who I was as a person. Words had come out of my mouth that didn't represent what I wanted to stand for. I felt like I had been weak, letting people's beliefs change my own. That was the day that I remembered who I was and what I believed in.

I decided enough was enough. I was NOT a Republican in my heart. I was and always will be a liberal.

I couldn't sit back and watch these things happen while enabling it as a supporter. Instead, I dug deep inside of myself to find what I truly believed in. I believe that people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ people deserve the equality that they aren't getting. I believe that gun laws need to be updated for the safety of our children. I believe that refugees and immigrants deserve an equal shot at being citizens. I believe that black lives matter. Most importantly, I believe that the country needs to be a better place than it is right now.

I wasn't representing what I truly believed in.

We as Americans are given a platform, but coercion took ahold on mine. People closest to me were using my weakness to spread their views. They saw me as simpleminded enough to do what they could to change my stance. Once I took back my voice, I started to stand up for the things I truly believed in. I started to fight for the rights of people who needed another voice on their team... even if it was just a small voice.

How could I go against the people who were fighting for me also? Being a member of LGBTQ+ doesn't just mean being something other than straight. It requires responsibility to defend all of us as a group. I couldn't call myself LGBTQ+ if I wasn't out there fighting for the people who it possible for me to be who I am. If I was supporting a group of people who were trying to erase our identities, that would make me a traitor to the people who accepted me.

People like to say that it isn't that deep when it comes to politics. It is! Your political stance represents your morals and your beliefs. Whether you like it or not, it is a part of who you are! Changing that to please people isn't being true to yourself. There is one thing that nobody should be allowed to take from you and that is your voice. So many of our ancestors and forefathers have fought for us to own our voices. Letting someone else take that away from you isn't at all fair.

Ever since I was able to regain my stance, I've been standing up for what I believe in. If I see a problem, I'll discuss it and spread more knowledge about it. Although my voice is not big enough to reach where I want it too, we all start somewhere.

At heart, I was always a liberal. Nothing about me could've ever been Republican because my conscience wasn't going to stand for that. But, it's never too late to listen to your heart, mind, and logic.

So, go ahead and call me a snowflake. Tell me how much I hate America and how stupid I am. I promise it will not phase me.