Today, the Trump Administration ordered the CDC (Center For Disease Control and Prevention) to stop using the following words:
Diversity.
Entitlement.
Evidence-Based.
Fetus.
Science-Based.
Transgender.
Vulnerable.
The First Amendment guarantees the right to free speech, freedom of religion and freedom of the press. Trump has attacked the freedom of the press since the day he announced his campaign. He attacked freedom of religion when he proposed and implemented a ban on people from Muslim-majority countries. And now, he has attacked the freedom of speech by ordering the CDC to not use the above-mentioned terms in any government issued information. Two years ago, during the campaign, no one thought Donald Trump had a chance. Against all odds, (or perhaps, in spite of them), he became the Republican nominee for President of the United States. I remember the chilling fear I felt on November 8th, 2016 and it is a fear that has only grown. Donald Trump’s candidacy and presidency have not been normal but censoring fact-based information out of the CDC website is fascism in action. This administration rose to fame by attacking minorities and marginalized groups and their goal is to erase these groups’ rights from existing in public places. I feel lucky that we can still post on the internet and I want to speak out while I still can. While the thought of taking our democracy back excites me, I often wonder how long it will take to fix the mess this administration has caused. Trump is changing the judiciary. He is eroding every democratic norm known to man. He is literally erasing his predecessor’s legacies because he couldn’t handle the fact that a black man was elected by this country. And while the Trump administration doesn’t condone the use of the following words, I think they are important for our lexicons and I feel it is my duty to continue to use them.
Diversity is America’s biggest strength and it is the foundation upon which this country was founded.
Entitlement programs are not a handout to the poor; they are creating a tiny bit of equity in an otherwise unfair world.
Evidence-based practices are the best and most effective practices.
A fetus by scientific definition is not equivalent to the actual human that is carrying it.
Science-based statements are facts or rooted in theories supported by facts; they matter.
Transgender Americans are just as part of the fabric of this country as any other group.
If it wasn’t obvious already, minorities of all kinds are particularly vulnerable under this administration.
They can try to erase us.
They can try to silence us.
But they will not break us.
Today, and every day here on out, resist.
Also, next time you have the choice between a demagogue and democracy, choose democracy. Even if it’s in the form of a woman.
