We need to acknowledge something difficult. We are under attack by the Red Hats. Our rights are being stripped away, trampled, and spat on. This is happening because of the hate that tRump spreads. It is a deliberate attack on our community.
Even in the face of this, we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard. It is unfair, but the truth is that when one of us makes a mistake, it can weigh as heavily as the actions of thousands of cis people. Out of more than five thousand mass shooters in this country, only four or five have been transgender. Yet Charlie Kirk spent his last breath demonizing the entire trans community, while at the same time defending mass shootings by cis people as the supposed price of the Second Amendment.
We must remember something important. When the Red Hats stormed the Capitol on January 6th, they could count on tRump for presidential pardons. We do not have that privilege. Our survival depends on maintaining our moral core. We must never forget that being part of the LGBTQ+ community means belonging. It means we do not walk this world alone, but side by side with others who have also been isolated or wronged. It means relief, liberation, pride, resilience, and the freedom of no longer hiding who we are.
We must carry both our pain and our strength. We can and must call out the hate that the Red Hats bring. And though Charlie Kirk should not have died, the reality is that he was not a good person. His words created harm that rippled in unpredictable ways. But we are not here to follow that path. We are here to create love, hope, and community through our thoughts, beliefs, and actions.