I'm lucky I live in 2016. Gay marriage is legal, transgender adults can join the military, and society is overall more accepting than it was even ten years ago. In my lifetime, so much has changed. After all this time, we, as a community, are gaining the rights that have been withheld from us for so long. I hope that whoever is elected our president will continue this change.

As a teen and a member of the LGBT community, I will, of course, have a different view and opinion on how our nation should proceed to gain equality. As much as I would love to see a major change in our world surrounding the LGBT community, that is not happening anytime soon. In the very least, I would like to be able to live my life like anyone else. I would like to be able to go to work and have a picture of my future spouse on my desk without being fired. I'd like to walk down the street without ever being being harassed for my  gender identity or sexuality. I'd like to adopt children one day and be allowed to be called by my name and pronouns without fighting for it. Most of all, I would like for all of my friends and family in the LGBT community to have this and more. At the moment these things are not always possible, but with your help, I hope they will be.

Author Alex Sanchez once said, “The pressures on gay teens can be overwhelming--to keep secrets, tell lies, deny who you are, and try to be who you're not.” He is absolutely correct. For years, I have hidden who I am, along with a lot of my friends. Most of us are still hiding. After all this progress we've made, there is still such a long way to go. Kids are still scared to come out, and rightfully so. Teens are being kicked out of the house, beaten, or bullied to the point of suicide for simply being who they are. If this is going to stop, we will need your help as president. Please, as our nations leader, help us by promoting equality, or at the very least, by not spreading hate. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I hope you will consider what I have written to you. Below I have included links to scholarly articles on the issues I have discussed.

-Ryan J Sardin

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Belle_Ragins/publication/11589906_Pink_Triangles_Antecedents_and_Consequences_of_Perceived_Workplace_Discrimination_Against_Gay_and_Lesbian_Employees/links/56b3f03908ae61c4805814dc.pdf - Workplace Discrimination

http://homes.chass.utoronto.ca/~tkennedy/Courses/38H3/Daugelli.pdf - Harassment 

https://www.aclu.org/fact-sheet/overview-lesbian-and-gay-parenting-adoption-and-foster-care - Adoption