We are writing to you and your organization as members of the national LGBTQIA communities and HIV/AIDS treatment and advocacy communities in order to introduce you to our organization, RefuseFascism.org . We have one goal: to do everything within our power as citizens of the United States of America to ensure that the illegitimate Trump/Pence administration will not be allowed to assume power on January 20, 2017.
On December 19th, we announced a call to action for a MONTH OF RESISTANCE to the incoming administration. The membership of Refuse Fascism is comprised of folks from all walks of life, all faiths and those of no faith, all races, all genders and gender expressions, all sexual orientations, all ethnicities and all socio-economic backgrounds. We are truly an embodiment of the collective diversity of this country. As such, many of our members represent communities who are most under threat from the coming Trump/Pence regime, aided by the House and Senate majorities led by Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell. We believe that this period leading up to the January 20th inauguration is a crucial period for all the communities most at risk and our allies to join hands to create a strong and united resistance to the very idea of this racist, misogynist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic, war-mongering regime taking power. We must make it clear to the world that this unprecedented turn of events is one of the most extreme and disruptive political crises our country has seen since the Civil War.
The Presidency of Donald Trump is illegitimate
Donald Trump did not win the popular vote. Not even close, he lost by [more than] 2.5 million votes. He won the Electoral College — an institution set up in 1787 to protect slavery. This legacy of the most brutal oppression of Black people has become the means that enabled the election of Trump and Pence.
More fundamentally, it is the fascist character of the Trump/Pence regime and what they are planning to do which renders it illegitimate and an immoral peril to the future of humanity and the earth itself.
Under the slogan "Make America Great Again," Donald Trump has viciously attacked Mexicans and Muslims, threatening to register and deport millions, closing borders. He incites fear and hate of all who are "different"—nationalities, religions, or gender. He crudely demeans and degrades women, openly boasting about molesting them. He champions white supremacy and whips up a racist lynch-mob mentality. Trump has mocked the disabled. He is a bellicose militarist, who threatens to use nuclear weapons. He openly advocates war crimes—including torture. He vows to pack the Supreme Court with justices who will take away the right to abortion and gay rights. He denies science—calling climate change a hoax and will wreak devastation on the environment. He has attacked and threatened the press and stirred up his supporters to do the same. He has threatened to strip citizenship for constitutionally protected dissent. Trump has utter contempt for facts and the truth, and consistently lies to advance his agenda. As for the rule of law, Trump went so far as to openly threaten his opponent, Hillary Clinton, not only with jail, but even assassination. By any definition, Donald Trump is a fascist. He has put together a regime that will carry out this program, and worse.
This is fascism and it is a very serious thing. It has direction and momentum that must be stopped before it becomes too late.
Fascism foments and relies on xenophobic nationalism, racism, misogyny, and the aggressive re-institution of oppressive "traditional values." Fascism feeds on and encourages the threat and use of violence to build a movement and come to power. Fascism, once in power, essentially eliminates traditional democratic rights. Fascism attacks, jails, even executes its opponents, and launches violent mob attacks on "minorities." In Nazi Germany in the 1930s and '40s, fascism did all these things. This is where this can go. And yes, Hitler himself could "talk graciously" when he felt it would serve his interests and lull his opponents.
In the world today, shockwaves reverberate. Over decades in the U.S. virulent movements of white supremacy and anti-immigrant hysteria have gained momentum. A narrow, intolerant, and political form of Christian fundamentalism has been brought into government and policy at all levels. The Trump/Pence cabinet and judiciary will coalesce all of this and worse at the highest level of power, with horrific consequences. No election, whether fair or fraudulent, should legitimize this. "Reaching across the aisle" only legitimizes that which is illegitimate.
If you work with fascists you normalize the road to horror. You cannot try to "wait things out." Those who lived through Nazi Germany and sat on the sidelines, looking on as Hitler demonized, criminalized, and eventually rounded up one group after another, became shameful collaborators with monstrous crimes. Don't Conciliate…Don't Accommodate…Don't Collaborate!
The Trump Regime Must and Can Be Stopped Before It Starts!
Our resistance must spread rapidly to every sphere and every corner of the country. Because we refuse to accept a fascist America, millions must rise up in a resistance with a deep determination such that we create a political crisis that prevents the Trump/Pence fascist regime from consolidating its hold on the governance of society. And for that, we need the help of you, your organization and all of our LGBTQIA and HIV/AIDS communities. We need to join together and find common cause with all of the Americans, native born, naturalized, resident, and undocumented, under threat from Trump, Pence, Ryan and McConnell:
-Women whose reproductive choices are under threat
-Muslims being threatened with registries
-Immigrants being targeted for deportation and their American born children threatened with losing their families
-People and communities of color under threat from expanded stop-and-frisk policies and further militarization of a national law-enforcement structure long known by the FBI to have been infiltrated by White supremacist groups
-Organized labor
-Environmental and climate change activists
So, what can we do to when we join the fight?
-We can sign and encourage our contacts, memberships and supporters to sign the Call to Refuse and -Accept a Fascist America at refusefascism.org
-On our website, we can download the graphic "NO!" images and print and mount them for protest actions and distribute them on social media. The image is also available on our Facebook page
-We can rally our communities to join street protests scheduled during Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend ( 1/14 — 1/16 ) in Washington, DC
-We can organize teach-ins
-We can volunteer our time, and our skills to local organizing efforts in our own communities
-We can join the mass rallies on January 19th, 20th and 21st in Washington, DC and in communities around the nation to let the world know that we shall not accept a fascist America!
It is so important that we do more than merely register our distaste for Trump, Pence and their agenda. We need to find cross-cultural, pan-demographic common cause and take a strong and visible stand to make clear that the vast majority of Americans will stand against this rising fascism.
Stand with us in the name of Humanity!
Signers,
Jay W. Walker, Gays Against Guns
John Grauwiler, Educator, ACT-UP, Co-Founder, Gays Against Guns
Kevin Hertzog, Co-Founder, Gays Against Guns
Ken Kidd, ACT-UP, Queer Nation, Gays Against Guns
Catherine Marino-Thomas, Emeritus Board President, Marriage Equality USA, Gays Against Guns
Lou Markert, Gays Against Guns
Mark Paige, RefuseFascism.org, Gay Activist
