This is Not My America

America is the country of my birth. And there have been times that I was passionately proud to be an American.

Today is not one of those days.

I am afraid. I am disillusioned. I am angry.

And perhaps all of the things I am going to list as feeling were things others were feeling when we were met with the two candidates from which we had to choose. I did not feel the weight of this reality, though, until today.

I call a number of people who have been targeted in recent weeks friends, loved ones, confidants and lovers. And among that list you will find people of the LGBTQ community, transgendered, women, people of color, people of religions other than Christianity, people who do not call America the country of their birth. And I am now afraid for all of them. And for myself.

I ache. Somewhere deep in my heart where all the beautiful emotions live. I ache to think of the people I love and hold dear who have dedicated their lives to their husband or wife only to have someone come into office and threaten the designation of being married.

I ache for the women who will come after me who will face the same fear that we have since the beginning of time when faced with a pregnancy they did not plan and will have far less options than I had.

I ache for the women who will need to end that pregnancy to save their own lives and will be called murderers.

I ache for the people of color who went to bed last night or awakened this morning to confirmation that America does not love them the same way that she would if they were just less ethnic.

I ache for the women and men in my life who have known, admitted, faced that they were born a different sex than they identified as and have fought for acceptance. Won. And lost again.

I ache for all of the people who think that this all does not matter.

I am crying, somewhere deep inside my soul for the grief that people I love are facing on this November morning.

I made a commitment to social justice on Yom Kippur. I am not Jewish, but I did it anyway.

That has not changed. I will stand by this platform and all that it seeks to create. Justice, a voice, LOVE.

I have always been called to be sanctuary. This is not any different today. But the world around me crumbles as though it was shaken in an earthquake. I will stand true. Love is my answer.

I love you even if the world cannot. I love you even if someone somewhere voted in a way that made you feel like you were somehow less. I love you even if you voted in opposition to everything I believe.

I pray, to the extent that I do so within the confines of my spirit, for peace. May we all find it somewhere today. May we come out on the other side of this journey with grace that we could not find on the way in.

Grieve today if you must. Celebrate today if you somehow think that is appropriate. But please, please, please, find your way to love.

And hold someone tightly. Tell them they matter.

You matter.

I love you.

#Election #BlackLivesMatter #Immigration #womensrights #PlannedParenthood