I'm at that point...

I don't usually talk about politics because I know that it's polarizing and divisive. There sometimes comes a point though where I have to say something and I'm at that point.

Let me start here in complete honesty-

If I find out that someone voted for Trump (with clear evidence of who he is, what his beliefs are, violating actions he's taken against women and people of color, and how those beliefs can and have cultivated ignorance and hate for people who look like me, and especially for black people in this country) I have an internal struggle to hold space and love for that person, out of sheer disappointment for their lack of humanity. Who we align with speaks to who we are as a person, and I believe that people who support ignorance and hate operate in fear and are choosing to protect their ignorance. For my safety I choose to invest zero of my precious time and energy with people who will align with my demise in order to protect their ill-informed stories.

When I find out that someone voted for him, I have an actual visceral response and I feel momentarily afraid for my life and rights. It scares me and I have to go inward and upward, I have to take deep breaths to recalibrate and realign in order to reconnect to my source, and to love and safety.

DeSantis is running for president. He, much like Trump, is not thinking of the best interest of humanity. Some examples:

He banned books that tell powerful stories of real experiences of people that don't look like him. What it is- is more erasure of marginalized people and more support for white supremacy. He is operating from fear and ignorance which leads to hate.

He banned critical race theory, which leads to even more erasure and denial of what this country did to people of color- specifically indigenous and black people. How can we not repeat history, if we're not actually being honest about what our history did? He says it's to protect the children but let's be very clear that it actually reinforces the story of whiteness and white fragility. He says it's to protect them from feeling bad about being white. We're not interested in making them feel bad for being born into a made-up race that they can't control. We want them to be aware of the violence that was perpetuated to protect their whiteness and to recognize the privilege that they have because of it, in hopes that they make different choices in how they see and treat those who don't look like them, to create a more empathic and loving humanity and a healthier world. It is fear and ignorance.

He doesn't want people to use the word gay. A word originally from the 12th century meaning joyful, and that is now a key identifying word for an entire demographic of beautiful people. Not using the word doesn't make gay go away, it just makes people who identify with that word think they should be ashamed of who they are, leading to more mental health problems. Gay is not contagious. Fear and ignorance are though.

He is against trans rights. Trans people are PEOPLE. Every human should have the right to go through this human experience with all of their rights. Period. Hard Stop. Anything else is fear and ignorance.

Again, he claims it's to protect children. Yet, he thinks it's a good idea to separate trans children from their parents because they love, accept and support their children. He is ripping families apart based on fear and ignorance.

If he wants to protect children, why is he eliminating background checks for gun purchases, and supporting assault rifles for standard humans. According to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, guns are the No. 1 killer of children in the United States of America. The No. 1 killer. More than car accidents, more than cancer. Over the last two decades, more school-age children have died from guns than on-duty police officers and active-duty military combined. If he truly cared about protecting children he will follow the breadcrumbs, or in this case, bullet casings, and do something about the #1 killer of children instead of creating problems where there aren't any.

Make it make sense.

You can't.

Because it's ignorance, and in this case, greed. He has ignorant people looking at the distraction while he profits from the demise of children, and others.

This post is a little bit teaching moment, a little bit rant, and a whole lot of prayer. I pray that when we make choices at voting time, we do it from a place of love and not from a place of fear and ignorance, that diminishes and destroys humanity.

I pray that when we recognize that we're operating from fear we stay curious and are willing to ask questions and have uncomfortable and difficult conversations.

I pray that we acknowledge our own ignorance and educate ourselves through reliable and trustworthy sources.

I pray that we root into and show up in love, after some deep breaths and reconnecting.

And if I later discover that you did in fact vote for him, because his, and obviously your beliefs, are a direct threat to my life and the lives of so many amazing people that I love, don't get confused as to why I walk, or maybe even run, away from you. I have to protect myself and that action, your action, has proven you to be dangerous.

The End.