An Open Letter To Supposedly Pro-Choice, Pro-Same Sex Marriage, Non-Racist Trump Supporters

Yesterday, the Washington Post published an editorial from former Wall St. Journal writer Asra Q. Nomani, titled "I’m a Muslim, a woman and an immigrant. I voted for Trump." I came across it in a tweet that said something to the effect of "SUCK IT LIBERALS!" -- meant to be proof that Trump supporters could not possibly be racist or sexist or xenophobic if this lady was on their side. You know, because we've all definitely never heard of someonetaking sides against their own people before.

I read the article. In it, Nomani explains that she is a "lifelong liberal" who supports "the Democratic party's position on abortion, same-sex marriage and climate change." That she supports equal pay. That she voted for Trump because Obamacare is expensive (wait til you see NOT Obamacare, honey), because Clinton and Obama weren't enthusiastic enough about saying "radical Islam" and said "ISIL" instead of "ISIS" or something, and because emails. 

And I probably would have been like "eh, whatever" about it if not for this shit right here:

Yes, I want equal pay. No, I reject Trump’s “locker room” banter, the idea of a “wall” between the United States and Mexico and a plan to “ban” Muslims. But I trust the United States and don’t buy the political hyperbole — agenda-driven identity politics of its own — that demonized Trump and his supporters. [...]

The checks and balances in America and our rich history of social justice and civil rights will never allow the fear-mongering that has been attached to candidate Trump’s rhetoric to come to fruition.

First of all -- nothing has been attached to Trump's rhetoric that he did not put there himself, ok? He did all that fear-mongering himself, please and thank you. Second? We don't have checks and balances anymore! Get it? Congress is all Republican, the Supreme Court -- if godforbid anything happens to Ruth Bader Ginsburg -- will soon be all Republican and anti-choice and anti-same sex marriage. You know what that means? Nothing's getting checked, and nothing's getting balanced. There is literally no one to stop him from doing anything he wants to do.

As for social justice and civil rights? Those things don't happen because of a "rich history" -- people fight and work for them every day. How dare anyone take it for granted that this is a given.

But there are a lot of people like Nomani. Tons, in fact, if the people on the pro-Trump message boards I spent hours on during the election were any clue. Those who said "Oh, well, I'm pro-choice, but whatever" -- "I support same sex marriage, but whatever" -- "I'm not racist, I just want lower taxes! (For rich people apparently) -- "Where did Trump say he doesn't believe in climate change except for the thousand times he said he doesn't believe in climate change!" -- "It's UNFAIR for liberals to think we are all racists! How is that fair? I don't understand! I am totally pleasant to black people I meet on the street."

And I have a thing to say to them -- You. Are. WORSE.

Yeah, you're worse than all the Trump supporters who are openly racist and sexist and homophobic and anti-choice. You're worse. 

Doing what you did with the expectation that other people will keep the bad parts "in check" is worse.

You see, all those openly anti-choice, homophobic, racist, sexist Trump supporters? They, at least, voted their convictions. They were ALL IN. For all of it. The wall, the Supreme court justices, the Muslim registries, the grabbing women by the pussy. They are doing all the work they need, for themselves, to achieve the aim they are after.

You all, on the other hand, want to say you are SO NOT racist, you totally support same-sex marriage, and you are pro-choice. You just like him for his other policies. Whatever those are. You want us believe you when you say that you are a "good person." You just wanted to vote "against the establishment" by voting for a rich white man instead of a woman. You had "economic anxiety" and thought no health care was better than Obamacare or you thought that if Trump brought back manufacturing jobs that they would magically pay well without anyone fighting for it. Because you apparently have no idea how the labor movement happened. And you fucked us harder.

Because of you, those of us that voted against him now need to do more work -- for things you say you want too. And think about this for a moment -- the largest demographic of people who voted for Clinton, percentage-wise, were black women. Black women -- who have both sexism and racism to deal with, who may have "economic anxiety" of their own that will certainly be exacerbated by a Trump presidency. Black women, who -- let's be honest -- already do the most work when it comes to fighting both sexism and racism. You made more work for them. What the hell is more racist than shitting in the middle of the living room, casually walking away and expecting a black woman to come and clean it up for you? That's what you did. 

Social justice is work. Ending systemic racism is work. Keeping abortion legal is work. Making sure LGBTQ people have rights is work. And just because you never bothered doing any of that work yourself doesn't mean that you should just take it for granted. It doesn't mean you should just spit on the floor someone just mopped and think to yourself "Whatever, it'll get clean again somehow ."

Not only did you make more work for other people that you claim to agree with, you made that work a hell of a lot harder, by joining forces with and legitimizing hate groups, men's rights groups, the alt-right, and, indeed, Donald Fucking Trump.

As a special note to "pro-choice" Trump supporters:  No, you're not . You voted for someone who wants to take that right away from others, who wants to defund Planned Parenthood, who wants to put people on the Supreme Court who will overturn it. And it's likely he'll have a chance to. So no, you are anti-choice. As much as existence precedes essence and what you do is more important than what you say? You are anti-choice.

And as much as when I vent my spleen I like to say things like "and if it goes back to the states, which it's likely to do now, stay the fuck out of our nice blue states that will still have abortion, and -- if you need one -- I'm sure Donald Trump's fabulous health care plan will assist you with any sepsis that occurs when you shove a coathanger..." I know it's not true. Because yeah, we'll still help you. And you'll probably continue voting in ways that will screw us, but we'll still help you. Because unlike you, we're not only out for ourselves.

[ Washington Post ]