He has threatened to take our families. He has threatened to take our civil rights. Now, Donald Trump is reminding us that not even our grief will be spared.
In the wake of Sunday's massacre, where 49 of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters were taken from us, most of whom were Latinx, Trump thought first not of the slain, but of himself. He congratulated himself in a tweet for "being right on radical Islamic terrorism."
In a better world, this breathtaking paucity of sympathy would immediately bring a candidate's presidential ambitions to a halt. But not Trump, whose campaign was founded on fear and whose singular talent appears to be inciting enough outrage to keep his face plastered across media.
We did not even have time to process the magnitude of the massacre before Trump, seeing an opportunity to drum up the hatred his campaign depends so dearly on, pounced on it. He congratulated himself again, this time for calling for a ban on Muslims.
Trump is either overlooking the fact that Omar Mateen was born in New York or this is his way of proposing that even American-born Muslims will be "banned." This is where we are at. The candidate of a major political party might be announcing major, life-shattering policies through sloppily composed tweets.
I thought Trump could sink no lower. But that's never a safe assumption with Trump. Today, he thanked the LGBT community (again on his Twitter account) and said that Hillary would bring in more people that will threaten our freedoms and beliefs.
I will ignore that Trump has said he would look into installing Supreme Court justices who would overturn same-sex marriage. This is a practice I have become accustomed to: Ignoring all the other ridiculous things Trump has said in order to focus in on one, specific ridiculous thing Trump has said.
Right now, I want to focus on the fact that he thanked the LGBT community. So let me be clear, Mr. Trump: We are not in solidarity with you, nor do we want your thanks.
The bodies of our slain LGBTQ Latinx brothers and sisters weren't even counted when you tweeted yourself a pat on the back. How dare you use them as political props. How dare you stand in our grief. How dare you, knowing damn well how we Latinxs feel about you, erase and whitewash the identities of the massacred to promote your agenda of hatred.
Where were you in condemning radical rightwing Christianity in the wake of the Planned Parenthood attacks? Not to be found, of course, because you wouldn't dare do anything to turn Evangelicals off of you. Even though you could barely list a Bible verse that you've read. Even though you are the antithesis of everything Christianity is meant to represent.
You might be able to fool white nationalists. You might be able to fool a menagerie of America's racists and xenophobes and misogynists. But the rest of us see right through you, Mr. Trump. You are no ally of ours. You're a cheap, dishonest salesperson looking for the next opportunity to peddle your wares.
I do not fear Islam, Mr. Trump. The Muslims in my life, many of whom are LGBT, are some of the most inspiring, kindhearted, beautiful people I've ever met. No. I fear fundamentalism. Whether it take Islam or Christianity by name, I fear it because it seeks to snuff out precious life and dehumanize anyone who dares to speak up against it.
That means you, Mr. Trump. The fundamentalism you are inspiring is ripping this nation apart, and as evidenced by your strong hatred of the press, you are trying to silence any who would challenge you.
But it won't work. If anything, this is only drawing our communities closer together. If there were an ounce of humanity rattling around in your surely hollow soul, I'd ask you to look at the solidarity Muslims are offering to the victims of the shooting in Orlando. I have more in common with them than I ever will with you.
In short, Mr. Trump, your scare tactics won't work on us. We've already seen you what you are.
Also, happy birthday, you heinous tangerine.
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