Dear Future President of the United States,

One of my main concerns as the next presidency rolls around is if you, being the future president, will continue to acknowledge the rights of LGBTQ individuals and if you will aid the destruction of prejudice to this group.

I have many people very dear to me that are in the LGBTQ community, including my aunt and very close friend. Usually, they enjoy an accepting workplace and school life, respectively. They are lovely people who have open hearts and compassionate souls, thus they dismiss ignorance and hate and try to live their lives to the fullest.

There have been some victories for the LGBTQ community. On June 26th, according to CNN news, the White House was lit up with the colors of the rainbow to celebrate the Supreme Court’s ruling that each state must legalize same-sex marriage. Finally, all same-sex partners can legalize their relationship and give it the strongest title: marriage. Another victory has been the transgender bathroom law in California. The Orange County register mentions how Governor Brown signed the first law about the issue, giving the transgender youth of California the option to use bathrooms and participate on sports teams with the gender they identify themselves to be. This is major progress for a big issue in the LGBTQ commmunity.

However, some people in the LGBTQ community are not as fortunate as my family and friends. They have less wages and experience hate on a daily basis, solely because they love or sexually identify differently than heterosexual people. For example, the Humans Rights campaign says that at the workplace, nearly “23% [of LGBTQ workers] fear they might not be offered development or advancement opportunities” if they identify as LGBTQ. This is insane! There shouldn’t even be a statistic in this scenario. If America truly is the home of the free, then why do nearly a fourth of working LGBTQ people feel scared to be true to themselves?

As president, you will have the power to change this. The question isn’t if you can, the question is if you will. Be the example for the nation so that all of America can truly be known as the home of the free, with all men created equal. Recognize LGBTQ people for the equals that they are.

Most Sincerely,

MJ de Vere