Why I Am Joining The March : When the election results came in I was one of many people who were scared for their lives. I have a plethora of chronic physical and mental Illnesses, and as a bisexual 23 year old woman I was aware of the issues I would have to face. But the most heartbreaking part about knowing that I might lose my insurance and be left to die if I cannot get out of the country (At 26 I’ll lose my parent’s insurance) was knowing that I was LUCKY. I was born into a white middle class family, and was able to get student loans to graduate from college. The fact that even with these advantages I was at risk of death was staggering, thinking of loved ones and strangers alike who were struggling just to make ends meet, dealing with racism, families who didn’t support them and countless other issues who would be even more at risk.
Looking at the history of Disability and LGBT rights that were fought through protests and almost unfathomable deaths, the rights that people before me had fought tooth and nail for just so I had a chance of survival, it was unthinkable that it all could erode away.
That we as a nation could go so far backwards against basic human rights is disgusting.
That there are more kids who won’t get the help they need in school because ableism is permitted to penetrate deep enough and deny that their minds an bodies are of any value is horrifying. We are all so capable, so full of potential and the ability to learn and create. Asking for equal treatment is not and should not be treated as some “privilege”.
Who you are at your core (as long as it doesn’t hurt others) should not be penalized by increasing medical expenses, deadly stereotypes, or laws that punish you for wanting to be treated as a human being.
My protest is as much for me as it is for my friends, for their kids that are just coming into the world, for humanity as a whole.
Treating people like people should not be a controversial political opinion. Actually doing research and understanding what a fact is should be standard practice. Helping people get education (whether it be ESL, special education, or a college degree) is something we should encourage instead of destroy.
So, so many people in America are already struggling to survive, to get education, to get healthcare, and just to be themselves in a loving way.

With the looming danger of losing special education funding, I encourage anyone to help with Eye to Eye, a non profit that connects college students with ADHD or Learning disabilities to kids who also do. We help them understand how amazingly capable they are and advise them on how they can succeed in school and their future. All the mentors are volunteers, all of us just reflecting on how helpful this advice and mentorship would’ve been while we were growing up. Support differently abled kids and adults- there are some changes in the world only we can make.