I have been thinking about the election for the last week and a half. I have listened to the excuses that Trump voters gave for their vote. The constant bemoaning that they aren’t racist, sexist, homophobic bigots, and these qualities weren’t what attracted them to him. It was his “draining the swamp” of political insiders that bought their vote.
This doesn’t bother trump voters evidently.
I understand the dislike for Hillary Clinton. I don’t like Hillary Clinton or the neoliberalism she represents. She is definitely a Washington insider.
I was a Bernie Sanders supporter all the way. However, even I couldn’t walk away and let people’s lives be in danger by the demagoguery of Trump. His speeches on hatred of people who aren’t able-bodied straight white Christians were scary. The responses from the people that supported him were even scarier.
but they have feelings too!!!
I honestly never thought he had a chance, and that was my fault. I figured the nominee would be one of the other horrible GOP candidates, but at least it would be the kind of horribleness we are used to. I never imagined Trump would get past the first time he made fun of a disabled journalist. Even when the media focused heavily on the “deplorables” I wrongfully assumed they were a minority. When he got elected I was stunned at voted for him.
The fact that they are willing to look past racism, homophobia, misogyny, bigotry and numerous other odious viewpoints to elect someone president puts them in the category of the racist, sexist, and homophobic people the media titled “deplorables”. They were willing to look past the treatment of their fellow human beings just to get back at a government that doesn’t pander to white Christianity. If Trump’s hatred (which by the way is the opposite of Jesus’s teachings) isn’t a deal breaker for them, then I can’t forgive them.
It will take a lot.
I won’t address that Trump didn’t win the popular vote, nor the fact that he is not draining the swamp, but bringing in lobbyists and some of the most swampy of the swamp rat politicians into his administration. Nor can I adequately address his racists, sexist and religious bigotry here in this post in a way that they deserve. Maybe I will try to tackle these issues individually later.
What I can address is how this affects me directly. I have privilege in many ways. I am a white male, working a white-collar job. I live in an extremely blue state that will insulate me, for at least awhile, from the hatred and bigotry in an official capacity. However, I am a non-Christian man in a same sex marriage to a man who I worry about, as he is not only gay, but transgender. Now, because my spiritual outlook is not Islamic, I am still much safer than my Muslim friends, but it still separates me from the white Christian ideal that Trumps politics favor.
First, before I hear that Trump has no problems with “the gays” let me correct you on that by referencing Human Rights Coalition website (click link to go there).
I have to worry about the culture of hatred that Trump brings, as well as the intolerance and violence. As of this post’s writing there are over 700 confirmed hate crimes committed in Trump’s names in just 11 days after the election (see Pink New’s article that references the Southern Poverty Law Center) and that isn’t all they have put together, undoubtedly there is more we haven’t heard of. This is well before he even takes office.
I have to worry that my husband might get fired, denied access to healthcare, that we will lose our place to live, be beaten, threatened, or killed because my husband is transgender and gay. I cannot risk taking temporary assignments in my agency to red states. I fear that if something happened to me I wouldn’t be able to be see my husband if I were in a hospital that didn’t honor same sex marriage. Although as a bonus, we have decided to get power of attorneys over each other just in case the worst does happen.
I have to worry that this toxic hateful element of Trump supporters are going to make our lives hell. I can only imagine the fear for someone who is not white, because of the more extreme positions these “deplorables” take. Already my anxiety is starting to pick up while I watch more and more legislation being bandied about that will reduce my rights, my husband’s rights, and my friends’ rights both in meat space and online.
It is a deal breaker for me if you voted for Trump.
The fact that they don’t consider racism, homophobia, misogyny, and especially the bigotry against Muslims as unacceptable for their candidate means they are truly horrible people. They may not realize it, and they may just be caught up in the craziness of it all, but that isn’t my problem. I don’t have the time to educate them anymore. I am already looking for ways to volunteer to help stop this or at least protect those I can.
So to all you Trump voters, Fuck Off!
Accidently Gay 