We did it. There were times I was certain we would, convinced that voters from all walks of life knew that enough was enough – and others when I accepted it was an impossibility, too exhausted to hope it could happen after 2016. But it’s done.
After a very long four years for the LGBTQ community and this country, seven if you count the first 10 months of 2020, Donald Trump has been ousted by the American people. Joe Biden will become the next president of the United States, bringing with him a selfless, pro-equality track record to which even I can personally attest.
When Watermark reached out to every presidential campaign left standing for our February coverage of Florida’s primary election, the team that the former vice president assembled was the first to respond. I felt they did so with the most in-depth answers of any candidate, and was pleased that throughout the 2020 election they maintained frequent communication.
I value what Watermark does wholeheartedly, and I believe no one in Florida does it better, but we’re not a national operation like USA Today. That didn’t stop Biden’s campaign from treating us with the same respect that outlets of their and every stature deserves, however, ensuring we had every pertinent piece of information we needed to serve our readers.
Closer to the election, Biden would go on to directly commit to equality in an interview with the Philadelphia Gay News, fellow member of the National LGBT Media Association. His respect not only for LGBTQ Americans but for the free press at large was a refreshing change from the Trump administration, which so clearly valued neither.
With Biden’s election also comes Kamala Harris, a fellow equality champion who will make history as our next vice president. She’ll do so not only as the first woman to serve in the role, but as the first Black woman and first woman of South Asian descent.
She was only the fourth woman to appear on the presidential ticket for a major political party in our nation’s 244-year history and is the first to win. Whatever your political affiliation, that long overdue representation should be celebrated by everyone.
As for Trump, there isn’t much I can say at the end of his presidency that I haven’t said during it. So I’ll let him speak for me, something he never did as president. “You’re fired.”
I have no empathy for the man, nor for voters mourning his loss. Whether they cast their ballots eagerly or with hesitation, they did so after he showed the world exactly how little he deserved it.
My empathy was all used up during his term. From thinking about Nazis killing an American on U.S. soil in 2017 – during protests which did not have “very fine people on both sides” – to reflecting on children caged at the U.S. border like animals, I spent it all on the marginalized communities Trump threatened.
Including ours. From barring transgender soldiers from serving in the military to opposing the Equality Act’s nondiscrimination protections for every LGBTQ American, Trump showed us who he is. That’s why I’m so very thankful that voters showed him who the U.S. should be.
Our country is in good hands with Biden and Harris, something the president-elect made clear during his victory speech. In it, he celebrated the diversity that truly makes this country great.
“I am proud of the coalition we built, the broadest and most diverse in history,” he said. “Democrats and Republicans and Independents. Progressives, moderates and conservatives. Young and old. Urban, suburban and rural. Gay, straight, transgender. White. Latino. Asian. Native American. And especially for those moments when this campaign was at its lowest – the African American community.”
There were always more of us who opposed Trump’s hatred than welcomed it, something 2016’s popular vote showed us, but this time there were enough of us in the “right” states.
His Electoral College loss is a breath of fresh air, especially as our nation grapples with COVID-19 which Trump so predictably mismanaged. For the first time in four years, I have hope.
Exciting changes are happening in Tampa as well, which is why we focus on Metro Inclusive Health’s renovation of the German-American Club with this issue. The nonprofit and its partners detail how they’re (re)making history to expand LGBTQ-inclusive services.
In our news coverage, we reflect on more local, state and nationwide races impacting the LGBTQ community. We also look at the closing and demolition of Orlando’s Parliament House and Transgender Day of Remembrance events in Tampa Bay. In Arts and Entertainment, we chat with “Crazy Rich Asians” star Henry Golding about his new LGBTQ film and log on for the inaugural Tampa Bay Transgender Film Festival.
Watermark strives to bring you a variety of stories, your stories. Please safe, stay informed and enjoy this latest issue – and on another exciting and personal note, happy four years of marriage to my husband Wade. I love you.
