Over eighty organizations have just banded together to craft an open letter of solidarity following the reelection of Donald Trump into office this past week.
This letter comes not only in reaction to the results of the election and the convictions that Trump and those involved in his election have displayed throughout his campaign, but the resounding celebration from supporters and right-wing influencers on social media. The connection in all of this that makes this letter and others like it so necessary? The formidable Project 2025 that was repeatedly mentioned and brushed off by Trump himself during the election, and that conservatives now feel safe to preach as the agenda of the second Trump administration upon Inauguration Day.
People such as Texas Republican politician Bo French and podcast host Matt Walsh have posted on social media admitting that Project 2025 (which outlines, among many other discriminatory acts, removal of most queer rights in America) was the plan all along, insinuating that Trump’s disapproval of it was a front of some kind to get him elected. Along with other extremely concerning posts and statements that this author will not be giving any traffic to, the right-wing sentiment that seems to be washing over the nation once again (and much more emboldened this time) has left members of the LGBTQ+ community extremely concerned for their rights, existence, and safety.
Thus, the joint statement cosigned by organizations such as GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign, and multiple local-level PFLAG operations came into fruition. Contributed to by organizations on the local, state, and nationwide levels (with three Colorado-specific signers), the letter serves as a beacon of hope for LGBTQ+ Americans in these unprecedented times. It discusses the long and storied history of queer rights and the organizations that support them within the United States and recognizes that election outcomes on the national, state, and local levels will inevitably impact the lives of many disenfranchised groups across the country.
One exceptionally powerful excerpt reads, “We’ve got this. We’ve got us. No matter who you are, where you live, or the outcome of yesterday’s election, today we are an LGBTQIA2S+ community united. Together, across races, places, genders, and abilities, we have shown up for each other by organizing, mobilizing, and casting our ballots for the freedom to be ourselves. Our work continues.”
OFM has released our own official statement on the reelection of Donald Trump here.
