Hate and oppression depend on fear to inhibit and deter communities away from taking positive, corrective, or constructive action. But we must bear in mind that shying away from positive action does not eliminate the source of the fear. Allowing ourselves to be intimidated only emboldens the agents of fear. Surrendering to fear will beget more fear.
In other words, there is more to be feared by allowing ourselves to be intimidated than from finding our courage in the face of evil. The antidote is normalization of the good.
Keep doing what the haters hate
And do it proudly and openly. Remember that the vast majority of people in your community have not changed. Acceptance and tolerance has not disappeared from our society. The only thing that changed is that hate and intolerance has become emboldened and openly expressed.
If you’re LGBTQ+ like I am, flaunt your Pride merch. Regularly refer to “pronouns” as they apply to gender identity. If your social media account allows you to set your gender pronouns and display them publicly on your account profile, do so.
And on social media, never hesitate to call out cruelty, violations of Constitutional rights or due process, just as you did before. Taking a stand for basic right and wrong doesn’t make you a leftist, not that there’s anything wrong with being a leftist.
Calling out that kind of gross wrongdoing doesn’t make you a leftist. It simply makes you normal.
And it’s the normal among us who need to be heard, in all of our majority’s numbers … once again.