No Forgiveness
TL;DR: If your politics support the erasure or dehumanization of another human being, whether they are brown, black, trans, queer, or whomever… you are on the wrong side of history, morality, and decency.
There are millions of immigrants in this country who work hard, pay taxes, do the jobs no one else wants to do… they want to be here, to be a part of the American experiment, because there is opportunity and safety here (well, there was) that they can’t find elsewhere…
There are also masked, unmarked agents kidnapping workers, kids literally walking across their graduation stage, kids getting treated for CANCER, parents with small children at home… folks following the law at their immigration hearing? Building concentration camps full of cages surrounded by alligators? How the fuck can these people sleep at night? How is any of this real.
And you might sleep OK now because it's not you, but you can trust that you or someone you know is next. We are just starting to get word of MAGA supporters being detained and jailed. They didn't think they were ever at risk because of who they openly support, but in the end fascism comes for everyone who isn't "pure" in the eyes of those in power. Or connected or corrupt enough. Which most likely means you are not in the safe group.
I honestly don't understand why these people have no love or empathy in their hearts. They call themselves Christians, but I guess it's easy to be brainwashed into hate, if you think everything is a zero sum game. Or maybe they just didn't get enough hugs when they were a child.
I am getting to a point where I don’t think I can ever forgive those that voted for Trump. If you did and you follow me anywhere, just unfollow me now. Please. If you are someone I enjoy, care about, or a loved one… well, I just don’t know what to say. I hope you read this, check your privilege, and join the resistance. It’s never too late.
One cannot deny the humanity of another without diminishing one's own.
- James Baldwin
There is plenty to hate about Trump, but for me it boils down to one simple thing above all: HE’S COMING AFTER MY FAMILY. I’ve written about my son a few times on this blog, usually with hopefulness and resolve, but it’s getting to a point where I am getting nervous and really fucking pissed. The amount of hatred and focus on such a small group of people is absurd. To the point where it’s very clear they do not want trans people to exist, much less live a normal life. No rights, no healthcare, no freedom of speech or expression, nothing.
How can you hate such a group like this? One you most likely know nothing about… the individual stories, the therapy sessions, the doctor appointments, the tests, the suicide thoughts and threats (or worse), the depression, the anxiety and feeling uncomfortable in your own body, the stares, the rude ignorant comments…?
Hate, but for what reason?
It can’t be Jesus. If you feel it’s a sin, the bible stories say Jesus loves all, sinners especially. So should you, then.
SO what is it? Is it because you are a big, tough "alpha male" who’s scared they are going to be attracted to a trans woman and that makes you feel weird inside? (You’ll notice they only talk about trans women.) Damn, man, get a fucking grip.
Is it because trans people are a perfect example of living your life freely, exactly as they feel in their body through the tough choices needed to simply exist as they are... and that fucking SCARES you because you don’t feel really free at all? Or have any control over your life and choices at all? That they have the GUTS to be truly FREE... and you don’t.
Is it because sex, gender, sexuality, attraction, and most everything involved with humanity exists on a wide scale that we all operate on and regardless of how many websites you take down, or scientific studies you delete or censor, it won’t change the reality of life… and that makes you uncomfortable, because humans don’t and will never fit neatly into two boxes?
Well, welcome to the club! Most of us feel uncomfortable with some aspect of our humanity and the uncertainty of life. It’s a fact of life, so just enjoy yours. (And, remember, not everything is for you.)
SO WHAT THE FUCK IS IT?
I’d guess it’s a little bit of all of the above. But none of it is any reason to deny someone else’s EXISTENCE, their HUMANITY. Those are all you problems. And some of them require some therapy and self reflection, so start with that first, please.
I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.
- James Baldwin
And please, please don’t give me the “I didn’t know this would happen” bullshit. He campaigned on it and Project 2025 was chock full of this shit. You know, the thing he didn’t know anything about, but turns out something like 2/3 of the executive orders have come straight from Project 2025? (Some of the orders were even written by the dudes who wrote the playbook!)
You voted him because you didn’t care. About any of it. You didn’t care about all the lies, the felony convictions, the non-stop grifting, the impeachments, the bungled first term, the racism, the shitty ideas and rambling, any of it. You probably don’t care about any of the shit going on now, either. Your privilege helps you make those decisions. Sell out all of your so called morals, convictions, and "Christianity" for a fucking tax break — one that is going to be more than offset by all of his other decisions. GREAT.
So, what are you going to do now? What are you going to do when someone YOU love is part of the NEXT group targeted? You may not have my back now and we may not agree on all ideas, but I sure as hell don't want you to NOT EXIST because of who you or any of your loved one are…
Remember, no one is free, until we all are free.
To wrap this rant up... here’s a simple test to ask yourself regularly, during all of this: replace Trump/the Trump administration or whomever you support with the name of the leader of the opposition party… and if they were doing any of the stuff going on today, would you be angry? If so, that thing they are doing is wrong. Plain and simple.
Here are a few examples:
- would you be OK with Obama creating an untraceable crypto coin that allows unlimited money (foreign and otherwise) to be sent to his bank account while he was President? (I'm guessing that's a No.)
- we (liberals, progressives) were angry with Obama/Biden when they deported and caged migrants as well. In fact they deported way more migrants than Trump did in his first term. And Biden doubled Trump in removals. (Source) Wrong is wrong, though Obama and Biden at least attempted (and were largely rebuked by Republicans in Congress) to enhance the legal pathways for these folks to become legal US residents. Still no excuse to put people in fucking cages.
There’s still time to save this country. Let’s act, together.