Dear Friends,
I'm sure some of you are wondering where the old Aida is. The one who didn't bring politics into every text thread. The one who invited you over more often. The one who was almost always positive. Well, I'm sorry she is gone, but that is just a phase of my life that we have to come to terms with. The way you come to terms with it is up to you and I will not be upset by any choice you make, whether it is to distance from me or call me out on being negative. We all have to live our lives authentically and I want you to do that, as I am.
I have been told that politics is something separate from friendship and family. I can assure you I'm trying that with a few people in my life right now. They might not believe it, but I am trying to preserve the relationship to the best of my ability despite political differences. Having said that, I will share a quote by Pericles: “Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you.” Right now, politics is taking a keen interest in my family. And it’s scary the harm it’s done in one month.
I’ll start with K, a Non-Binary 23year old just trying to live their life. Just because they use “they/them” pronouns, the Trump administration is trying to erase them out of existence. You may hear that this is about “men in women’s sports.” Heck, you may even think that yourself. But I can assure that’s not what it’s about. When a congresswoman purposely uses a slur during a hearing over and over, it’s about hate. It’s about cruelty. When the national park service eliminates trans people from the history of Stonewall Inn, it’s hate and cruelty. When the state department stops processing passport applications of trans and non binary people, it’s about hate and cruelty. I encourage you to read and follow trans activists and journalists because there is a constant barrage against trans people that it’s just too much to list in a letter (even a long one). If you want suggestions, I’d be happy to provide them. Trans people have and will continue to die because of trump. There is much more cruelty done by this administration but, for now, I’ll leave you with this: K said on a walk, after I had my first club meeting (a group I started to take action on issues) that so many trans people feel under attack and just need to bury themselves in the sand and hide away. So, allies are critical to keeping these issues at the forefront. They thanked me for doing even the littlest thing. Are you willing to be a true ally and take simple steps to fight for human rights?
Next is S. He is a scientist, a professor, a researcher. His salary is dependent on grants, many from the US government. The cuts to scientific research is devastating to people in his field. Thousands of people have already lost their jobs and today, NASA cut 10% of its workforce. The new “rule” that overhead expenses on scientific grants be limited to 15% is going to kill higher education in this country. If you don’t care about this, that’s fine, it’s your choice, but science is truth. The way scientific research is done is rigorous and based on seeking proof. Without it, you’re left with misinformation (which is already rampant) that will just get worse. And furthermore, not caring about this means not caring about millions of job losses. Do you care about these jobs?
Next is V, a young woman who has fewer rights than I had growing up. No matter how you feel personally on getting an abortion, it is a healthcare procedure. There are documented deaths (in Texas) that are attributed to refusal of care due to the heinous anti-abortion laws in some states. This is not the future V wants or deserves. When she starts her own life, many parts of the country are off limits to her because she could bleed out in a parking lot. I would expect most women to feel the way we feel, and yet here we are. White women voted for Trump 3 times, who deserves and has taken credit for all the anti-abortion legislation. How are we protecting the young women of this country?
Let’s do J next. Well actually, he is not being personally targeted by this administration. That’s one good thing, but his future is bleaker now than it was. The economy will get worse and prices have already gone up due to proposed and enacted tariffs. It’s ok if you don’t believe me. I respect disagreement on this front. And I hope I am wrong. But, the fact that billionaires are calling all the shots shows me that they will do anything to hoard their money and make more through extortion, corruption and corporate welfare, while young people suffer and see less and less upward economic mobility. Do you support oligarchy or democracy?
And now me. I am the child of an immigrant who was born 11 years before my mother became a citizen of the US in 1980. I have birthright citizenship. While I do not believe it will be retroactively rescinded, how do you think it makes me feel to know, I wouldn’t be welcome in America if I had been born later? I have been called garbage by our president. While the Palestinian crisis doesn’t affect me directly, I have to ask, if Trump is willing to “clear out” Gaza, which is a term aligned with ethnic cleansing, well then, who of middle eastern descent is safe?
There is so much else I want to say about how I feel this country is slipping into fascism, but I wanted to keep it to personal stories. Maybe you are not being affected by these issues, for which you should be thankful. If any of the facts I have listed come as a surprise to you, I suggest you reevaluate your news sources. These are all well documented, easily searched and, well, felt keenly by me and my family if you care to find out. You could say we’re experts in keeping up on some of these issues. We actually do know more about them than Fox News or Joe Rogan.
So, if you truly do care about me and my family, you would not say “let’s keep politics out of it.” Rather, you would do something to right the wrongs done by this administration, whether you voted for Trump or not. In fact, if you voted for him or down ticket republicans, your voice is more powerful than mine. And to those, of any political leaning, who have taken action on the issues I’ve mentioned, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I welcome this change in myself. I hope you do too.
Love,
Aida
P.S.- if you think I think you voted for Trump and you didn’t, it would make a world of difference to me to know that. But your vote is private, and I respect that.
