*Updated Nov 1, 2018*
WASHINGTON-DC, Nov 1, 2018: With only five days until the midterm elections, Donald Trump is stepping up his hateful extremism. He hopes this will create fear that distracts voters and incites his supporters. Trump proudly labels himself a (white) nationalist and spreads cruelty, baseless conspiracy theories, and endless propagandist rhetoric.
Those of us on the side of justice will not be distracted or frightened. We see these attacks for what they are and what they have been for the last three years: hate filled fear-mongering that amplifies anger and bigotry with real life consequences. The Trump White House rips apart immigrant families, criminalizes asylum seekers at our Southern border, dehumanizes transgender people, resurfaces old Jim Crow tactics to destroy Black and Brown lives, and weaponizes faith and religion against LGBTQ people and women. Since Trump took office, hate crimes increased dramatically and continue to grow. People who are aligned with his ideologies are committing domestic terrorism, including racially-violent murders, and the anti-Semitic massacre last week.
Today’s assault comes at the expense of immigrants, again. Trump stated he plans to build tent prison camps on the border to jail migrants. He said the policy of “catch and release” is over.
Those of us on the side of justice are in solidarity with immigrants.
Trump’s hate is the dying gasp of an old order. Still, even in a society that understands our strength lies in embracing our differences, it is effective. It is up to us to fight back and hold onto the rights we have won: as LGBTQ people, we are out of the closet, we are getting married, we are forming families. We are being seen as we wish to be seen. We believe in democracy: we love the free press, representational government, and voting. We have the power to bring equity, freedom, justice, and equality to all of us.
We will hold onto these hard-won rights, and we will hold onto each other with love, with a fierce belief in justice, and in the inherent beauty of each other.
The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. Love wins.
CONTACT:
Sarah Massey
Director of Communications, Task Force Action Fund
202.639.6308