Week 3 : "...Make Hope and History Rhyme..."

January 22, 2021

Hello Readers!

I'm not sure how many of you teared up yesterday during the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris, but I know I sure did. It has been a blessing knowing that the past four years of uncertainty are over and a thing of the past.

In order to honor this ability to breath again, I would like to take a moment to examine not only what has happened during the tenure of "He who must not be named" but also the progress that was made during the Obama-Biden administration and the progression that we can expect moving forward.

We have had a lot of set backs over the past few years, ranging from racial injustice to flat out discrimination against our trans and non-binary brothers and sisters. An administration that was insistent upon placing blame and taking divisive action against our nation has opened the doors for hate, discrimination, and abuse of power to run rampant.

We have seen our trans brothers and sisters denied the right to honor their commitment to our nation through the military ban. We have seen members of our own community not only betray our causes, but discriminate openly against people of color within our community. We have had members of white supremacy groups openly displaying hate and discrimination.

In fact, in the last few weeks of #45's administration we saw last minute policy changes allowing social service providers to discriminate based on sexual orientation, adoption agencies being allowed to deny same-sex couples, and homeless shelters being allowed to turn away gay youth. Add these to the previously stated and we can see how very discriminate the previous administration was.

Looking back on the gains made in the community during the Obama-Biden administration the last four years was certainly heartbreaking. From 2009-the end of his term, the Obama administration strived to make the world a more inclusive place. Below is a list of some of the pro-LGBTQ+ events and executive actions taken by the administration:

1. Repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell"

2. President and Attorney General announce the Department of Justice would no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act's (DOMA) provision defining marriage as only between a man and woman.

3. Supreme Court rules in favor of LGBTQ+ community multiple times, ruling that section 3 of DOMA is unconstitutional.

4. Federal recognition of Same-Sex marriage, ensuring all individuals are treated equally under law.

5. The backing of protections for Trans and Non-Binary members of the community

January 20, 2021 is a day that is going to go down in history as being a win for our community, and minorities galore. Kamala Harris being not only our first woman Vice-President; but also the first vice president of African-American and Asian-American decent.

Finally, not only has Biden already reversed a lot of the anti-LGBTQ+ policies with executive orders; but he has also assigned individuals to be in his cabinet that are as diverse and inclusive as he stated it would be. Mayor Pete has been selected to serve as Secretary of Transportation, and Rachel Levine (A transgendered woman) has been nominated as the assistant secretary of health.

I know that my heart feels at greater ease after the past few days, and I hope that yours does as well.

As one of our nation's founding fathers stated, "United we Stand, Divided we Fall." I hope that the country can heal and the divide that has been created can be bridged. We are not Liberals, Conservative, Republicans, or Democrats; We are members of the Human Race, seeking equality justice and happiness for all.

Remember readers,

Embrace your loved ones, stay safe, and wear your mask!

– Joey ToGayOrNotToGay.