Resources

If you're a millennial who fought for Bernie Sanders, but still voted for Hillary Clinton because you knew she'd work to protect the oppressed class and you put that above your own anger at the DNC or your need to win, YOU are the real MVP.

If you're a straight white male (or female) and knew that a Trump presidency might do more for you than a Clinton one, but you STILL voted for Clinton because you have compassion for those who are marginalized by the RNC, YOU are the real MVP.

I'll even give a shout out to the people I know who snuck behind that curtain and pulled the lever for a Trump/Pence presidency, but didn't share that with anyone before or after the vote because people they know and love are in the groups who will be marginalized over the next four years.

We all got a chance to find out a lot about the people we are friends with this election season. So many people learned details about their family and friends that they probably wish they never knew. How many friendships have ended in the last 24 hours? How many family members aren't on speaking terms after this election?

The silver lining in this cloud is that more Americans voted for inclusion than voted for exclusion: 59,796,267 to 59,589,809. The electoral college determines our president, and we have to let the system work. But make no mistake: when it comes to sheer numbers, it was close, but there were more of us who voted for the candidate who backed the LGBT+ community, Muslims, immigrants, Black Lives Matter, and etc. than those who voted for the candidate who wants to stack the deck against these groups.

Remember that: we were in the majority. Keep that in mind as you continue the fight for equality over the next four years, and let's build on those numbers, person by person, one person at a time.

Each generation is better than the one before, and with each comes greater acceptance of those who are different than us. I've been inspired by my friends who, despite having no real personal reason to do so, chose to support a candidacy they disliked but knew would work to protect those that they love. Thank you.

I know a lot of us here in the U.S. are feeling the sting of a Donald Trump victory, especially since his running mate, Mike Pence, has such a long history of anti-gay actions to his name. Here are some resources for anyone feeling particularly upset. This is from the Human Rights Campaign... 

Remember... stay padded, stay safe.