Part one written last year discussed my disgust for Donald J. Trump, his administration, and all that they stand for. Exactly one year ago, I was heartbroken learning that Hillary Clinton was not, in fact, going to be our president. Devastated, I took to my writing and bashed our country's choice and our President Elect. At the end of that post I wrote,
“Everything happens for a reason, it has to. But how could a man so awful, so unqualified, so insecure, become the President of the United States? How is he now supposed to make all Americans trust him enough to have him represent us? The answer: he won’t. What’s going to happen is this: we're going to come together in opposition of his win and this period of doom in our lives over the next four years. We need to make this an era of true change due to the jarring results and behaviors that we’ve seen come from this election cycle.”
In no surprise, much has changed in our world since I wrote that. With apprehension I live-streamed the inauguration, the start to a rocky year ahead. While watching President Barack and Michelle Obama stand on the White House steps side by side with Melania and Donald Trump, I felt I was looking digression directly in the face. I felt defeated, but I knew I would just have to fight harder for transgender equality. Within this year, while doing just that, my view on the current presidency has changed. I, Corey Rae, have seen the positive effects Trump has had on our country.
Our nation has finally had an awakening. People like myself who’ve grown up and have lived in liberal areas have now become aware of our surroundings, literally. Until the early morning of last year's election, a large portion of Americans were in a bubble, completely naive to the true feelings and beliefs of middle of America, and anywhere else that supported Trump. Although I will always disagree with his supporters, our country would have stayed stagnant with a Clinton presidency.
I was a Bernie Sanders supporter during the primaries, but in my opinion, Hillary would have been a stellar first female president. What I do question, though, is if our country would have truly progressed under her command. Honestly, I doubt it. I feel we would have stayed the same, sightless to the severe social issues our nation has. The overt racism, sexism, sexual misconduct, violence, and overall hate that occurs in our country is despicable, but a reality we can no longer and will no longer ignore. Despite the devastations and frustrations that we’ve endured in 2017, we are nonetheless becoming stronger. Women and members of the LGBTQ+ community have started to take a stand against the government and take control of where our respective movements are heading. We’ve realized that we need to fight hard for what we want, and not allow someone else to make decisions for us. To quote the strongest President I believe we’ve had to date,
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” - President Barack Obama
Donald Trump represents all that is wrong with our country. He is the exact opposite of what a president, our leader, should be. Instead, he is a prime example and a reminder of what shouldn't be representing us, what America should not be, and should not let happen again. Our system is no longer working and it needs a reboot; something I think most people (at least millennials) would agree with. Trump’s blatant racism, idiocy, ignorance, xenophobia, (the list goes on) gave a platform to a group of scary individuals who have had more power than anyone in history, conservative white males. The capability these men have to change the course of history in a negative way is bothersome and we need to put a stop to the hate as well as conservative legislation in order to truly move forward in a positive direction.
Last year I was deeply disappointed in our country for passing up the opportunity to have the first female leader of the United States. This year, I couldn't be prouder for the election of seven transgender politicians: Danica Roem, Andrea Jenkins, Gerri Cannon, Lisa Middleton, Phillipe Cunningham, Stephe Koontz, and Tyler Titus.
Most notably, Danica Roem ended the 26 year reign (13 terms) of Bob Marshall for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates, and is the first transgender individual to be an elected lawmaker. She defeated none other than the man who calls himself the “Chief Homophobe.” A transgender woman beat the man who infamously proposed a law to stop transgender students from using school bathrooms that aligns with their gender identity, and requiring principals to out gender-nonconforming students to their parents. How cool is that?
Andrea Jenkins is the first openly transgender woman of color elected to the city council of a major U.S. city, and will represent Ward 8 of Minneapolis. After her win she told The Post, “Transgender people have been here forever, and black transgender people have been here forever… I’m really proud to have achieved that status, and I look forward to more trans people joining me in elected office, and all other kinds of leadership roles in our society.”
This is a massive step for the transgender community, especially in politics. For transgender youth, I hope this shows that anything positive they want to accomplish, they can. This is not only a step in the right direction for transgender individuals, but for our country. We should all feel proud of our progression. To quote President Obama once more,
“The future rewards those who press on. I don't have time to feel sorry for myself. I don't have time to complain. I'm going to press on.”
In a time where nowhere feels sacred or safe any longer PLEASE let’s keeping fighting, and stay safe while doing so. Be there for one another, be kind to one another, and stay kind to one another.
Written by Corey Rae --- Edited by Emily Turner