I am a firm believer in love. I am a believer in hoping and praying and working for the things you want. I am a firm believer in the constitutional rights being reserved for all people. I am a firm believer in the promise of an American that is accepting. An America that I can feel safe, respected and valued in. I am a firm believer in the idea that all men, AND WOMEN, are created equal.
And today, America, I have seen every belief I have ripped away from me in an instant. I have seen something I was always too hopeful to think I would see. I have seen hate win. And in 20 years when my daughter asks me about this election I will proudly raise my head up and exclaim that I am still with her. That I will never give in to the kind of fear and hate-driven campaign that Donald Trump has run. I have said it before and I will say it again. Hate will never win. There will be lapses, and there will be times that we fall astray, but today I stand proudly against Donald Trump in saying that I will never let him scare me. Or shake me. Or bully me into submission.
I am writing this not to belittle my family and friends that believe he truly will "make America great again". I am writing this to apologize. I am sorry to my black friends. My gay and lesbian and bi friends. My female friends. My Hispanic friends. I am writing this to apologize to the minorities. To the lower class. To the people that will lose every right they have worked so hard for.
This man is not who he says he is. This man is not America’s saving grace. He is not the big “fuck you” to Democrats that you all seem to think he is. We have seen this before. We have seen rich old white men come into nations and promise things they cannot deliver. Promise to remove an entire race, and entire ethnicity, build a wall. He is not the first man to prey off of the fear of a nation. The understandable fear of ISIS, of losing jobs, of falling into a deeper recession. These fears are reasonable, but these reactions are not.
I am a firm believer in a lot of things. And I will always believe that America has made a near un-fixable mistake this time. I am a firm believer in my own strength, and the strength of the women and minorities I know and love. And we will not be brushed aside, and I promise we will not be silent.
Hate will never win. And I promise that I will never remain silent in the face of injustice. Silence is compliance. So raise your voice, hug your friends, and show your support to the people who need it most.
