Open Letter to Candace Cameron-Bure and North Carolina; Let Me Help You Understand My Son
I am disgusted. I can't stand to hear about yet another state trying to pass a bill to take away my son's rights. States have tried, but eventually have listened, to the pleas and taken them to heart. North Carolina in lightning speed took us all back to the times of segregation. In one single day North Carolina Lawmakers passed a bill striking all existing LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinances across the state. Governor McCrory signed this horrific bill that same night. He stated "I signed bipartisan legislation to stop the breach of basic privacy and etiquette, ensure privacy in bathrooms and locker rooms." By doing so Governor McCrory is attacking my son and transgender people everywhere by adding to the unfounded fear that my 17-year-old son is a sexual predator as is all transgender people. I could attack this bigoted and clearly misguided Governor. I could point out that this fear based bill is based on a lie. I could yell and scream and spew insults but I realize that is futile. Instead of responding to a hateful person such as Governor McCrory who is clearly abusing his position of power to bully transgender people I will turn to a position of love and understanding. As Martin Luther King Jr. said: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
Instead, I choose to appeal to the conservative Christians out there who I believe support these types of bigoted bills out of fear. I believe they have truly good hearts and clearly just do not understand what transgender people face. They do not understand the bullying they face. They do not understand that transgender people face a 41% suicide rate. They do not understand that transgender people are killed every day simply because of who they are. They do not understand the shear courage it takes for them to get up every day and try to just be themselves. I truly believe if they did they would join among the ranks of the heroes such as: Rob Reiner, North Carolina's Attorney General Roy Cooper, New York's Governor Cuomo, Google, Apple, Facebook, The NBA, The ACLU and The Whitehouse in denouncing North Carolina's Anti- LGBT law. I would like to appeal to the heart of all of these conservative Christians. I believe you cannot discriminate against someone whose story you know. So, in order to stand up for my son I must try to appeal to at least one: Candace Cameron-Bure.
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Instead, I choose to appeal to the conservative Christians out there who I believe support these types of bigoted bills out of fear. I believe they have truly good hearts and clearly just do not understand what transgender people face. They do not understand the bullying they face. They do not understand that transgender people face a 41% suicide rate. They do not understand that transgender people are killed every day simply because of who they are. They do not understand the shear courage it takes for them to get up every day and try to just be themselves. I truly believe if they did they would join among the ranks of the heroes such as: Rob Reiner, North Carolina's Attorney General Roy Cooper, New York's Governor Cuomo, Google, Apple, Facebook, The NBA, The ACLU and The Whitehouse in denouncing North Carolina's Anti- LGBT law. I would like to appeal to the heart of all of these conservative Christians. I believe you cannot discriminate against someone whose story you know. So, in order to stand up for my son I must try to appeal to at least one: Candace Cameron-Bure.
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