Donald Trump, I’m 13 and I’m Trans
A letter to the future president
My name is Caleb. I live in Tennessee and I’m thirteen years old. I’ve been in foster care since I was eight. The thing I want more than anything in the world is to have a forever family. I recently moved in with two parents who are about to make my dreams come true. They want to adopt me.
But they’re gay, and I’m transgender. I’m terrified.
And this isn’t just me. Because of the things you said during your campaign, millions of Americans like myself are not only afraid for their future, they’re afraid for their lives.
We both know that America is home to one of the most diverse groups of people in the world. We are black, white, brown, and every color in between. We’re young and old, rich and poor. We are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and atheist. We are straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual, and transgender. I can go on and on, but my point is that we are diverse, and we are also equal. Each of our voices deserve to be heard.
So hear mine.
The purpose of this letter is not to criticize you. The purpose is simply to ask you to honor your promise to keep America safe—safe for everyone, including myself and the LGBTQ community.
Before you were elected, you said you would strongly consider overturning the marriage equality laws. When you say that, what I hear is that same-sex couples should not be treated as equals and that they don’t deserve the same rights as straight Americans. If marriage equality was overturned, millions of Americans like my parents wouldn’t just lose their ability to marry, they would also lose many benefits that come with marriage, like adoption. They would lose me, and I would lose them. It’s stuck in my head, over and over: What if they can’t adopt me?
You said you would do nothing to protect kids like me from North Carolina’s bathroom bill. You said it should be up to each state. As president, it should be up to you to make sure all of your citizens are safe. You have no idea what it’s like to be laughed at, humiliated or hit just for being who you are. You have never had your clothes ripped off your body at school, just for being different.
You pledged to sign the First Amendment Defense Act, which would basically legalize that kind of LGBTQ discrimination all over the United States. Any of the rights that we’ve fought for for years could be taken away just like that, at any time, simply because someone claims it’s against their religious beliefs.
What scares me the most is your vice president, Mike Pence, who is a known supporter for conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth, including electroshock therapy. I can’t even think about my body being treated like that. I don’t know how anyone, whether they are LGBTQ or not, could think Mike Pence’s views aren’t scary.
I’m writing this letter because you’ve said again and again you would oppose our equality and take away our rights. That’s bullying. I know because I’ve encountered bullies all my life, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s to not take them lying down.
So I’m asking to you to reconsider your LGBTQ policies. My family and countless other Americans are depending on you. Please don’t let us down.
Please keep us safe.
Sincerely,
Caleb
The first thing Caleb wrote to me on Wednesday morning was: “I’m really scared my dads won’t be able to adopt me now.” Hell. I don’t know enough about American politics to know whether or not that’s possible, but I do know two things: No child should ever have to feel that kind of fear, and the best thing we can do to fight that fear is to organize.
With the President, House and Senate now Republican, we are the best thing standing in the way of discrimination and LGBTQ kids. Let’s stand strong.
