Soon you will be living (part time?) in Washington, D.C., where Hillary Clinton won more than 90% of the vote, and where, not surprisingly, you will not find many fans. There are those who would suggest, of course, that Washington, D.C., is just another urban bubble, ignorant of the realities of small town America.
I can assure you, however, that this is not the case. Many of us, including myself, come from a small town and know the struggles they face first hand. Others follow one of the finest American traditions coming from other countries to seek new opportunities, much like my own mother did more than fifty years ago.
David Mariner — Photo: Todd Franson/File photo
I have never felt more of an American than I have living right here in Washington, D.C. Not because of the monuments, or the Congress, but because of the people — my neighbors. My Washington, D.C. is where Ben Ali, a Muslim immigrant from Trinidad, came with virtually nothing and over time built Ben’s Chili Bowl, one of our city’s most iconic restaurants. This city is a place where homeless LGBTQ youth arrive from other parts of the country with little more than a bus receipt, and have the opportunity to rebuild their lives thanks to the work of folks like Ruby Corado at Casa Ruby. My city is a place where undocumented residents can get a limited purpose driver’s license, where asylum seekers and refugees find sanctuary, and where transgender residents can get gender-affirming care. Most importantly, Washington, D.C. is a place where we strive to live together in peace.
We are not perfect, but it is here, working with the local community where I feel we are closest to that perfect union where everybody — yes, everybody — has a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This is the daily work of our fine city, and frankly for me and for countless others, this is what makes America great. I might add, we do it all without a vote in Congress (it’s called taxation without representation and it’s not fair).
I hope you take the opportunity to learn from your new neighbors, but if not, please know that we will not be divided. I consider an attack on any one of our fine citizens an attack on all of us, and I know other community leaders feel exactly the same way. We don’t know if you will go through with pushing for a Muslim registry. We don’t know if you will go through with your threats to start deporting undocumented residents on Day One of your Presidency. We don’t know how many of the executive orders protecting individuals from discrimination will be rolled back. What I do know is that we will resist. I know the “bubble” I live in is growing bigger every single day. And I know that ultimately, we will win.
The opinions expressed in these letters are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of their organizations and this magazine, its staff and contributors.
The International Olympic Committee is reportedly preparing to ban transgender women from competing in all female-designated sports, according to a report by the U.K. newspaper The Times.
At present, each sport’s international federation sets its own rules on transgender eligibility, with some requiring athletes to undergo hormone therapy for a specific period before competing in the female category.
But IOC President Kirsty Coventry, elected earlier this year, has called for consistent standards across all sports. After taking office in June, she created four working groups to address key issues facing the IOC, including one focused on protecting women’s sports.
Dutch authorities say Veronica Clifford-Carlos failed to prove she faces a "legitimate risk of persecution" or threat of physical harm in the United States.
A Dutch court has upheld a ruling rejecting a U.S. transgender woman's bid for asylum, finding she does not face a substantial enough threat of persecution in her home country.
Veronica Clifford-Carlos, a 28-year-old visual artist from California, said she once believed she’d build a life in the United States, but felt compelled to flee after receiving death threats over her gender identity.
Clifford-Carlos left the United States -- leaving behind friends and her dog -- and flew to the Netherlands with her father. Upon arrival, she applied for asylum, telling authorities about the abuse she endured in the United States, particularly after President Donald Trump’s re-election last fall.
The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for the Trump administration to enforce a policy mandating that U.S. passports list a traveler’s sex as assigned at birth, based on biological characteristics.
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring that the U.S. government would recognize only two sexes, effectively erasing transgender identity. The order, which pledged to uphold "the biological reality of sex," directed the State Department to revise its passport policies to "accurately reflect the holder's sex."
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