A teenager has writtenĀ an absolutely heartbreaking letter to advice columnist Michael Radkowsky at the Washington BladeĀ sharingĀ his concerns aboutĀ Donald Trump.
āIām 16 years old, gay, a junior in high school and scared about what is going to happen to us under this new government,ā the letter begins.
The teen explains that he lives in aĀ conservative state with ānot the most gay-positive atmosphere.ā Heās found immense comfort in his schoolās gay-straight alliance.
āIt gave me a safe and protected place to come out,ā he writes. āHaving other kids to talk to and also our advisor (a teacher) helped me feel Iām just fine. I got a lot of support from them that helped me come out to my parents.ā
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He continues, āEven if some people in town are homophobic, for as long as Iāve known Iām gay (five years) Iāve known itās really fine to be gay from TV and from our government, starting with the President. Of course Iāve heard stories of the old days when people had to be in the closet and faced all kinds of discrimination. Iām grateful to have been growing up in a time when weāve gotten equal rights.ā
Now heās afraid all that is going toĀ be stripped away.
āSince Trump won I feel like we are getting sucked back in time,ā he writes. āItās so scary to hear about all these homophobic people he is appointing to run the government. If the federal government is against gays, Iām afraid that America will turn against us again and we will no longer be able to live openly in peace.ā
He is also afraid they are going to shut down his schoolās GSA.
āI canāt really focus and Iām not sure what to do,ā he says.
Radkowsky has the perfect response:
āGood news,ā he writes. āYouāre in for an adventure that is going to help you become a stronger, more resilient human being. And, you have the opportunity to learn some lessons that are way more valuable than anything you can learn in a classroom.ā
He continues, āGoing forward, your job isnāt to be a compliant kid who does whatever the grownups tell you to do. Your job is to start figuring out what you believe is the right thing to do, regardless of what others around you may think and whether or not they say itās OK.ā
Radkowsky tells the teen not to panic or be afraid of bigots. Stay strong and keep looking forward.
āIf anyone tries to shut down your gay-straight alliance, continue to meet. Donāt let administrators or anyone else block you from banding together and supporting each other,ā he says. āIf your school gives you a hard time, call the local paper. And then call a national paper. Do not stay silent in the face of hate. Put bigotry on the defensive. Non-violent resistance can be a tool of awesome power.ā
But perhaps most importantly, āRemember that you are not facing this alone. You have many, many allies across the United States.Ā But itās up to you and me and all of us to keep everyoneās eyes open by speaking up for honesty, decency and tolerance.ā
Good advice for everyone.