All
American Girl vs Injustice
Chapter
12:
I’ve
been struggling to write this one because it relates to my child. I did ask permission before writing and he
said yes. So here goes.
My son
keeps asking me to find him a therapist and for one reason or another, it keeps
getting delayed. Currently hard to get a
new patient in during #COVID-19, but also the insurance has changed how to do
it. I know it isn’t hard, but it’s hard
for me. Anyway, one of the big reasons he wants to see a therapist is because he
is anxious and depressed, a lot, due to all the nonsense going on in the
world. For all his bravado, my son is a
very kind, caring, and empathetic person.
He’s also scared. Scared
something will happen to his friends (POC and/or gay), his family (POC and/or
allies), himself (POC-gay-drag queen), and he’s terrified that Mom or Grandma
will contract COVID-19 and leave him alone in this world.
He said
he started watching the news and it just makes him cry. He has always been sensitive to the
news. When he was a baby, I would have
the news on and he would just cry and cry and cry. As soon as I changed the channel or turned it
off, he was fine… and this kid was not one who cried a lot as a baby. He was very even tempered and slept through
the night very early on. #bestbabyever I
told him I don’t like to watch the news myself and I try to educate myself in
different ways, research, talking to like-minded (reasonable) people, etc. We are
starting to have more open conversations now.
He related
some stories to me that happened to him and his friends and Momma Kat’s claws
came out. Stories about people yelling at them from their cars, calling them names,
people approaching them trying to start trouble. You can imagine the names and threats. He and his friends never go anywhere alone –
there are always at least two of them—so that they can back each other up
and/or call for help. Now—I gotta tell
you. Drag queens are not to be messed
with. While they may look female, they
are all male, testosterone and all. I know
my son can kick butt if he isn’t outnumbered and I know his friends can
too. I mean seriously, you have these
kids who are minorities to begin with, many who came from poor homes, and they
are gay and drag queens? Come on . . .
you learn how to fight back. But why should they have to?
Once
again, I digress—back on topic. Much of
the anxiety and depression comes from the way people treat each other, the way
people will not acknowledge that this country needs help, the way that people
won’t acknowledge how this country was “founded” and built up. My son is a descendent of slaves, both black
and Native American, and the slave owners who raped them. He gets the whole “tear down the confederate
statues” issue. He gets the whole “Independence
Day wasn’t for my people.” He has done
his research and is disgusted by it all.
His words, “It’s disgusting. I
just hate it.” SIDEBAR: and before you start in that he is also white
. . . duh. That isn’t the point.
So
again, before you come at me with all lives matter, remember that all lives don’t
matter until ALL lives matter . . . minorities, women, LGBTQ+, disabled, unborn
babies, elderly, immigrants, and on and on . . . EVERY. SINGLE. LIFE. HAS. TO.
MATTER. BEFORE. ALL. LIVES. CAN. MATTER.
Can you honestly stand behind #alllivesmatter if you don’t stand up for
every life?
And by
the way . . . Breona Taylor’s murderers have not yet been charged. Oh and . . .
Vanessa Guillen, was murdered for speaking out against her rapist, a woman who
was serving her country, and has not been given justice. #justiceforVanessa How
can you say all lives matter?
#vote #blacklivesmatter #JesusSaves #nojusticenopeace #wecandobetter
#askthequestions #learntheanswers #stopthemadness #wedontwanttodieyet
#educatethemasses #Icantbelievewearestilldoingthis #Education #Compassion
#Justice #reallocatenotdefund #timeforachange #tryharder #notanopinion #sayhername
#justiceforVanessa
