I’m sitting here, stuck at work, feeling emotionally devastated… Worse than I’ve felt in a long time. I’ve made a few comments on Facebook, but I’ve felt the need to pull back, to be semi-friendly, to make excuses for those who claim to love me, yet still voted for Trump. But why should I hold back? Donald Trump has won the presidency, and that’s something I really never believed would happen yesterday at this time. I truly believed that more Americans stood for racial and gender equality, equality for LGBT people… That we stood above bigotry. But the country has proven me wrong. They’ve placed racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, transphobia, (so many phobias…) up on a pedestal. They’ve told little girls out there that if a man gropes her inappropriately that it’s his right, and she shouldn’t complain. They’ve told little Muslim and Latino boys and girls that they’re not welcome here, their families aren’t welcome here, and that they’re going to stick them behind a wall. They’ve told African American men and women that if the police shoot them in the street like dogs, well hey… Too bad for you. Your lives don’t matter.

I’ve had two friends tell me tonight that it “wasn’t about gay rights” or “It wasn’t about bigotry.” Well then, what was it about? What else could it possibly have been about??? Trump hasn’t presented any plans or details about how he’s supposedly going to “fix” the economy (which was already recovering nicely) other than by giving a bunch of tax cuts to the rich (because that’s worked so well in the past). He’s made wild claims about fighting terrorism, but again… He hasn’t given any details about how he’s going to do so, other than by stating “ban all Muslims from entering the country.”

I had one friend who didn’t vote for Trump, (but supports Republicans who did) that stated that it was about being “Pro-Life” and because Hillary is for “late-term abortions” (which she’s not). I almost bought it, but let’s get real here… He’s not going to be able to stop abortions. Not ever. Not even if he somehow manages to get a constitutional amendment passed (he won’t). All Trump could possibly do is stop safe abortions. Key-word here… Safe… Let’s face it, if a woman truly believes she can’t support a child or carry it to term, she won’t. Period. Instead, what we’ll be faced with is women who can do so going across the border to Canada, and those that can’t, resorting to the abortions of the past (coathangers, falls down the stairs, etc…) So not only will we have those “lives” you claim to care about being lost, we’ll also have the lives of the mothers being lost as well. So, no. You don’t get to pretend this is somehow about being “pro-life” unless you’re completely naive about how the real world works (which you very well might be).

Trump’s entire campaign has been built on nothing but the worst sort of bigotry, in so many forms. Racism, homophobia, misogyny, Islamophobia… He’s backed by the fucking leader of the KKK for Christ’s sake, which should tell anyone all they need to know. I can’t speak for other minorities (though I can be horrified for them), but I can speak as a gay man, and what people who voted for Trump have told me, in a loud and clear voice, is that they don’t think I am equal to them as a human being. They’ve told me they couldn’t fucking care less if I’m able to marry the man I love. They didn’t think twice about whether or not I’m allowed to adopt children. They’ve told me they don’t give a shit if I get treated as a person when I walk into a business. With those stakes on the line, ignorance about what Trump stood for is not an excuse. Apathy is a slap in the face. Agreement is absolutely offensive and disgusting. I can’t even begin to imagine how any minority could have voted for him (though statistically speaking, quite a few must have…)

I’m going to say, unapologetically, if you supported Trump (or really any Republican) you can make all the claims you want about caring about me, but the harsh reality I’m now faced with, whether you want to admit it or not, is that I’m not even worth your consideration. Gay rights… Minority rights…Women’s rights… Probably didn’t even cross your mind. Trump is the lowest form of scum and those that agree with him are as well. “Deplorable” is too nice of a word. Those that didn’t bother to research what Trump stands for, voted in protest, or flipped a coin… I don’t even know what to say to you. You should have cared more… Considered others besides yourself more. But you didn’t. I’m beyond livid… I’m tired of sitting back and watching the country be raped by the Republican elite and now by the monster they’ve created, but the entire country has now been placed in their proven incapable hands.

One of my closest friends stated tonight that people who voted for Trump shouldn’t be made to feel guilty for voting for him, because that’s their right. But I disagree. STRONGLY. It definitely is their right to vote for a bigot. But they should feel guilty about it. They should feel ashamed of themselves. Whatever nightmare is in store for us for the next 4 to 8 years is on their heads. If I believed in any sort of god, I’d be praying for mercy right now. As it is, I can only sit here with a sense of absolute dread for what’s in store for us.

James Garcia 11/9/2016