According to RAINN.org, there are almost 300,000 sexual assault victims a year. These statistics start at the age of 12. This is just the reported number. When Brock Turner received 6-months for sexually assaulting a woman and then promptly served three months of jail time, we should have known that something was going to go terribly wrong. The writing on this particular wall said: “As long as you’re a white male, you’re fine to do as you please in America.”
There are other problematic issues with our now President and Vice President duo. One being LGBTQ+ issues that will surely not be ignored. Donald Trump has said before that he believes the Trans bathroom issues should be handled in each state, which is fine, but his running mate Mike Pence has attempted to pass legislation in his home state of Indiana that would put LGBTQ+ people in prison for marrying their partners AFTER the Defense of Marriage Act was struck down and the Supreme Court decided that same-sex marriage should be legal. Not only did this go against the federal government, but it also went against his constituency. After the Pulse shooting in Orlando, more and more LGBTQ+ people fear for their rights and their lives.
It does not just stop at sexuality. Trump has enumerated many times that he plans to deport illegal immigrants. He has also stated that he wants to deport Muslims. On top of this, Trump has voiced that he wants to close our borders to refugees that would otherwise take homage on American soil. These thoughts go directly against the ideals that formed America in the first place. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" In Emma Lazarus’ poem that is carved into the foothold of the Statue of Liberty, the idea that America will accept all those persecuted is evident. The biggest issue is what happens when the leader of the United States decides that is not a good enough reason to let people into this country anymore? Furthermore, what happens when that person persecutes Americans at large?
Not many people slept the night of the election—some because they were staying up to see how different states were called, and others from anxiety. Half the country awoke from their slumber excited for four years with the man they elected. The other half awoke to nervous hearts and anxious minds. What happens to the young girl who is of color, who is gay and who sees how women get treated everyday? What happens to those Americans that are persecuted every single day by white men and white women?
Those that have stood up for the oppressed before will do so again with increased fervor. For those of us who understand that there is work to be done will put our noses to the grindstone and do what we can to come together and protect the mistreated. Love and kindness will find a way to trump hate. It has to.
