Hillary is Right: Donald is Dangerous for America, the Gays…and Humanity.
Last night in San Diego, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton gave the most blistering foreign policy speech toward presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump of her campaign yet. The truth of the matter is that a Trump Presidency in this country would be an outright disaster. Just a few weeks ago, the mayor of Paris (who happens to be a woman) gave such a disgusting response to a reporter about her feelings about Donald Trump, that a true fear came across me (and a tear to my eye). The fear of losing what Obama has built for the past 8 years, because frankly, we are on the brink.
I have a story that I think you’ll find interesting:
In 2006 I was touring Europe on a Broadway world tour of West Side Story. We were in Switzerland on break and a group of us decided to drive to a spa in the alps for a relaxing day and a half retreat between show weeks. Long story short, the three of us bonehead dudes get our car stuck in the snow 20–30 miles away from civilization in the Swiss wilderness…with no smartphones (2006). I was the only gay in the group and one of the straight guys went to find help in a first aid tower we saw about a mile back. Soon he returned with a truck, an old guy and a rope. This guy was a ranger and spoke not a lick of English…but had a jolly smile that spoke lengths. He took one look at our car stuck in the snow and one look at us and proclaimed “idioso’. We all laughed. He got our car out and since it was too dark to head back he gestured for us to come back to his place and have a drink. He lived almost 30 miles from civilization, 20 ft in the air in a cabin with a wood burning stove. It’s as if we walked into a cabin at the turn of the century. We sat at his craftsman wood table, he brought out 4 mason jars and poured out from a larger jar a clear liquid, which turned out to be homemade moonshine. Remember, not a lick of English! We navigated this whole thing through noises and gestures (so primal). The one moment I will never forget out of this entire experience was the first thing we all connected on: We sat at this table and my buddy points to himself and says “American”. He looks at us and says “uhh Bush!” and we all say in unison “Bush!”, nodding our heads in pure joy that we all finally understand something together. Then something amazing happened. The old guy gave another smile we remembered seeing back on the mountain and another huge chuckle. He then said loudly through his low belly laugh “Bush…IDIOSO!”. And we all busted up laughing on the floor. Not only did we connect cross generations, cultures and borders…but intellectually and through humor. At that very moment we all realized the incredible microscope and sheer global reach America has across the globe. As funny as it was, I must admit, it was a little embarrassing looking back. This old man, who rarely gets guests…who’s only entertainment is AM radio and bird watching…has such an accurate yet poor opinion of the leader of our country was profound. The moral to this story is that we touch the entire globe so deeply and it’s undeniably true that the entire world is watching. They were watching in 2008 when we elected Obama, and when I returned to Europe in 2010 for another tour, we were the heroes and saviors of the planet it seemed. No more “idioso”.
But now, we are facing another wave of danger that could set us back farther than even the Bushes. The wrath of Donald Trump is upon us and he is not only threatening the dignity of women, gays, and all of the true values America holds so dear on our own soil, but the dignity of America abroad, what Obama worked so hard to draw us out of. I never want to return to that place of embarrassment for my country. I never want to go back to that disappointment in the American people for not thinking more broadly about humanity and how our decisions affect the lives of emerging countries and future generations. We are the model of bravery and the super heroes of the modern world. We take human rights challenges that are ingrained through thousands of years of discrimination and forge a beacon of hope through the walls of adversity. We challenge and strike down some of the most evil crimes and give the globe something to believe in. The world is watching us and if we show the world that we stand up to bigotry, hatred and discrimination in the face of evil, we will keep our role as leaders of the free world. We will continue to be leaders in progressive thought with true emphasis on humanity and social well being. But if we elect Donald Trump as President of the United States, the future of all humanity may be lost. This is not a drill or an X-Men movie where something good is bound to happen to keep those ticket sales rolling in…this is real. It won’t be about the loss of economic power or our ability to be taken seriously across the world…it’ll be about our inability to respect and uphold liberty and the freedom of man that the whole world looks up to. We will send a message to the world that will resonate so deeply that it will take more than a generation to reverse and I for one am not going to sit back and let this happen. Hillary is right…Donald Trump is dangerous, but not just for America, but for the future of humanity.
Join Pride PAC at one of our Pride Brunches and help us help Hillary defeat Donald Trump in November by grabbing a ticket here. It’s up to us…will you participate and be a part of saving humanity together?
