I don’t assume anything about your background, your race, anything about you. However I doubt you would be happy if someone in charge of you ordered you fired based on how you present yourself - maybe you’re not the gender they prefer you be, or you’re wearing something not matching their vision of your gender, or maybe you have a unique feature they claim isn’t real.
Since when was it not okay to be referred to how you want? Maybe using a nickname you prefer over your full name is now banned. Maybe they don’t want you using he/him despite being a man. Since when was fashion restricted to genders? Most modern fashion pieces “exclusively” for women have currently started out as either men’s and women’s or just men’s: high heels for horse riding gentlemen to stay secure in their stirrups during the 10th century; makeup, initially for both genders, facial oils invented in ancient Egypt to protect from the sun, and kohl (check: eyeliner) invented to protect their eyes from flies and diseases, eventually evolving to make one more attractive; as for skirts and dress-like garments, pretty much most people in ancient times wore one, starting as far back as 3000 B.C.E., being easy to make and replicate, as well as keeping the legs cool during the summer. But that's beside the point, right? Clothing is clothing. A practical solution to a simple problem. A way to express your individuality. Until someone makes it political.
Simply put, we live in a country where it’s illegal to openly and proudly express your opinion, the government cares little about its people - much less legal visitors, and our democratic republic is slowly becoming a corrupt monarchy. If you ask someone well-read from two, maybe three years ago, they might compare it to a fictional story setting - “1984” by George Orwell as a good comparison, with its totalitarian government, constant surveillance on its citizens, and Thought control.
I don’t plan on having children, but if I did, I wouldn’t want them to be afraid of speaking their mind and asking questions. I wouldn’t want them thinking it’s not okay to love someone solely based on gender. I don’t want a country where the Lorax, a classic children’s storybook, is banned for depicting the consequences of consumerism and overwhelming greed. I want a future where children can go to school without fear of being shot. I want a future where disabled people can access the help they need. I want a future where there is no ‘inferior’ or ‘superior’ person. I want a future where education isn’t behind a paywall. I want a country with a future.
Wealthy adults and cisgender straight white men may thrive in the current setting, but for the rest of the American population, it’s not sustainable. It starts small, with idealistic thinking under a fascist regime - the current leader will fix everything, right? Then your immigrant spouse is deported despite being a legal citizen. You’re unable to vote due to changing your name after marriage. Your sibling is arrested without due process for being remotely close to a protest. Your child with a life-threatening pregnancy forced to die because the government prioritizes a fetus over your child, resulting in both dying. Your mother’s unfortunate miscarriage turned into her death penalty. Every action we let happen will snowball into something much bigger. What’s considered “unconstitutional” now is the very document that shaped the country, as well as the word itself.
I consider myself a patriot, but I cannot support a country that destroys its own citizens, and by extension itself, for the sake of money. I believe everyone should have rights. Simple, basic, human rights - The right to life: Access to basic needs like food, water, shelter, and clothing; The right to liberty: Freedom from fear for who you are, how you identify, lifestyle, and opinions; The right to the pursuit of happiness: Chasing satisfaction or fleeting joy in an otherwise chaotic world. If these sound familiar, they should. The Declaration of Independence’s preamble, though having a limited scope at the time in its definition of citizens, provides a good outline to what should be “certain, unalienable rights”. There should be one more, one that should not even need to be stated: the right to safety. People shouldn’t need to hurt others, nor be hurt. It isn’t difficult to be kind, to help others. Money, guns, or bombs don’t define ‘strength’. Military power, sure. But this kind of power doesn’t make anyone happy - it makes the poor desperate and rich tyrannical. It breaks people apart and tears down rights. True strength is lifting up others so you both can reach greater heights together. It shouldn’t be a luxury. It shouldn’t be a debate. It shouldn’t even be a question. Use fear against a man and he will eventually turn against you. Show him kindness and he will gladly fight for you. Compassion is not weakness. It builds strength. Unfortunately we’ve gone so far back we’re breaking apart again.
The “United States of America” aren’t even that anymore.
We’re fractured into pieces from a giant that calls itself our leader.
