Am I Safe?

So many times I try to be very unpolitical in public, however now that I'm slightly more grown I have seen that I can't be quiet anymore.  I have to say something; because right now that's the only thing I can do.

A few days ago, on January 20, 2017, Donald J. Trump became the 45th president of the United States.  For me, this was not a happy day.  I didn't celebrate, I didn't congratulate him, I don't feel that he could ever be my president.  (I know that being a US citizen legally makes him my president, but I'm talking emotionally and mentally he's not).  This is because, all that Trump stands for, all that he has spoken about and pledged to do once in office, does nothing to help me.  It could actually hurt me.

I know that being a cisgender, white, female makes me lower on the list of those to be hurt by Trump.  But maybe, if I speak my voice, others will understand my story, and be more apt to understand the stories of all POCs and other LGBT community members who are also scared about what the next four years will bring.

As a female, Trump has scared me so much.  He is planning to possibly cut funding to Violence Against Women grants and programs, and so much more.  I'm scared because the defunding of Planned Parenthood (whose major focus isn't abortion like everyone thinks it is).   It helps with so much more as the chart on the right shows.  Their main focus is helping with STD testing and contraception.  Ways to keep everyone safe. PP is not just for women too.  Men can go and get helpful services there.  They are funded so that those with little or no money can go in and get free health care.  What will happen to all those that won't get free health care now that PPs defunded?  Many people will die, or become very sick.  How can a man (or many people that is) not understand that people's lives are more important than the fact that only 3% of PPs services revolves around abortion?  Not even 10%!!!

I'm in college, and things that Trump has said about college, though seeming great, doesn't help my scared heart.  This is because of Devos.  She, at least to me, doesn't understand what it takes to be secretary of Education.  She does not have the interest of public or state schools in mind.  She thinks teachers are overpaid and that public schools should be funded less.  This could be bad for my school as I am in a state university.  And what about my alma mater?  It's a public school, terribly underfunded already.  My AM can't afford to not get any more money and the teachers deserve MORE money in my opinion.  Education is something very important to me and the woman that Trump feels is the best fit for the job, is not.  I do not think she will ever be someone I can trust to handle the safety of education in America.

As a bisexual woman, I am fearing for the future.  This is also where Mike Pence, the new VP, becomes somewhat scarier than Trump.  For Pence believes in conversion therapy to reverse or 'correct' homosexuality.  What will come of the future for me and my siblings within the LGBT community?  Will I be able to marry the woman of my dreams (if I ever meet her bc im a hermit)?  Will I be strapped down and forced to change my sexuality?  I'm not hurting anyone being Bisexual, but apparently, I am.  Don't know how me liking both males and females ruins your dinner across the country, but please let me have my own rights.  I came out just under a month before the elections.  While writing this I had to stop and listen to some music.  The song that I listened to that gave me more strength to write this and get my feelings out was a beautiful cover of 'RISE' by Superfruit (Scott Hoying and Mitch Grassi), Mary Lambert, Brian Justin, and Mario Jose (originally Katy Perry).  

My heart sank in my chest while I watched the live poll results with my roommate early in the morning on the 9th of November.  All the fear I had ever felt: for being a woman, for being bi, for being around many who felt that they could just 'grab me by the pussy' because the now president-elect said it was okay.  I feared for my whole life.  I was more nervous walking home from all my night classes than I ever should have been.  I had never been scared to walk home alone on my campus before.  But my many neighbors who had Trump signs in their windows caused me caution as I walked.

Nothing Trump has ever said regarding his policies, foreign and domestic, don't give me comfort.  Many times it is because he does not fully state what he is going to do.  He just repeats that he 'has a plan, and it's a good plan and we should have a good plan and this plan he has is good' which gives no damn clarity.  Also with the new president's twitter-happy fingers, I fear that he could set our country into some deep trouble if he becomes easily angered at another country or something of that sort, and decides to voice his opinion on Twitter; and it would be even worse if he did this all from the president Twitter.

And the fact that not even twelve hours after Trump swore in, the pages for climate change and LGBT were gone from the white house website.  I was outraged like anyone.  Then I saw a wonderful twitter thread describing that all those pages were just archived at this site.  This makes me feel better that the progress we made did not just disappear from the world.  It's still here, and we must fight to keep it that way.  We can't sit still and let things go down.   Like the Women's March on January 21, 2017.  A total of around 1 million people marched in just the USA, many others marched in other countries, to tell the world that we will not be silent and that we will fight for our rights no matter how hard.  The marches were peaceful (at least that I've heard) and no one was hurt.  Seeing something like the Women's March fills my heart with happiness because it shows that the country will stay strong, and we have other countries standing with us.

So a finishing question, like the title asks: Am I safe?  Will I be safe when I leave my apartment?  Will I not fear my life walking home from classes at night?  Will I be able to marry the one I love when it comes time to do so?  Only time will tell, but I hope that the answer to all of these will be 'YES'.  Yes, I am safe.  Yes, I will be safe when I leave.  Yes, I will not fear my life walking home from class.  Yes, I will be able to marry the love of my life.  Just yes.

Stay safe everyone, and never be silent.

À bientôt!