Call me crazy, but I feel everyone within my country deserves equal human rights. Women, Men, Immigrants, Lesbians, Queer, Trans, Non-Binary, Atheists, Theists, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Buddhists, Black, Brown, Red, Orange, Yellow, White, Latin, African, Asian, Hispanic, Left-Handed, Right Handed, Left Brained, Right-Brained, Developmentally Disabled, Physically Disabled, and we could include the hypothetical alien that may have landed on our small planet to repair their ship.

I can’t understand how anyone can have a desire to take someone’s freedom away: Economic, Gender, Sociological, Sexuality, Immigration, etc. What metric you use to measure yourself as better than someone else is simply discriminatory. You are not better than anyone else. Sure, some of us are smarter. Some of us are more athletic. Some of us have superior skills involving some profession or vocation, but when it comes to a life and a vote we should all have an equitable chance to succeed and prosper.

As a white male I have benefited from the privilege of my race and gender quite often in my lifetime. Despite being from the poorer but not poorest side of the tracks, I was never discriminated against in sports, music, education, or employment. I earned my own way for the about 60% of it. I received help from others for that last 40%. Friends, family members, teachers, professors, colleagues, bosses, and benefactors of all types influenced the path my life has followed. There has never been a roadblock for me for anything, yet I see countless roadblocks being placed on people who are different than me.

I’ll start with women. I was about eight years old when the Equal Right Amendment was up for consideration for inclusion in the Constitution. I did not understand the process of amending the Constitution. Nor did I understand that women were not paid or treated as equals to men in the workplace. My teachers, nurses, some doctors, and coaches were all women. I admired them. They have had a profound influence on my life. Why would I prevent equal rights? Why would I govern their reproductive health care? Why would I restrict voting rights? Women are equal to men intellectually. They are more emotionally aware than us men. They can balance a schedule of 50 things and make men look like idle fools. Despite the physical differences of genders there are accommodations to assist anyone with any job requiring strength. Anyone that advocates taking any freedoms or a woman’s autonomy is a fascist. The pro-life/pro-birth sect who use antiquated religious dogma are fascists. If they truly were pro-life they would support all things pro-life. Yet, they don’t. America calls itself the land of the free… but it isn’t…

The population that falls into the LGBTQ spectrum knows discrimination. I didn’t know anything about the LGBTQ community until the Reagan administration’s disaster regarding the AIDS pandemic. I was in high school. I didn’t understand the community, the culture, or the discrimination. My church was very much anti-LGBTQ. It was immoral according to their translation of the bible, despite the language not appearing in the bible until 1946. College opened my eyes to all the ways love can be shared between two people. Beyond the seediness described by the religious zealots in my church, I began to see all the ways we can love and care for each other. The number of gay men and women that have made my life better is very large indeed. These people are the most inclusive and loving group I have ever met. How can we take their rights away for loving someone? Why does it matter? Your bible fails to mention that the LGBTQ community is fluid across multiple species and millennia. Your bible is wrong. As is your religion. If people are made in god’s image, then god is queer too. We need to stop legislating bedrooms, and love. If you try to legislate it, you are a fascist. America calls itself the land of the free… but it isn’t…

Racial discrimination is something I became familiar with very early in my lifetime. The maternal segment of my family tree comes from the tobacco plantations of Western Virginia. The Cumberland gap region. I’m pretty positive I have members in my family tree that enslaved people. My maternal grandfather was an illiterate racist. He was not a kind man, but when it came to me he softened a great deal. He respected my skills and intellect. I take after him genetically, but that is where our comparison ends. I strive to improve the world, where my grandfather tried to make it worse.

I saw passive racism exercised at school. It was present mainly within our sports teams. Hispanic children did not get the same opportunities in basketball as they would in baseball. Asian children were primarily ignored when it came to athletics. In the arts, specifically music, things evened out a bit in terms of participation… Yet there is rampant sexism, and racism in the upper echelons of instrumental music. Diversity amongst college professors in the music field is very small. This lack of diversity reflects in scholastic participation nationally. Yet in my high school diversity was embraced. We had a large contingent of Hispanic students, and as a result we all benefitted as our directors programmed Latin and Hispanic music styles in marching and pep bands. My community did not have any African-American families with children in my school. We did have a few Native Americans, but diversity compared to the rest of the world was skewed.

I have never understood the desire to oppress someone for the melanin within their skin. America was built upon the backs of the enslaved Blacks, Latinos, Hispanics, and Asian men and women. Nothing in this country would be here without their contribution. I find it embarrassing that there is a segment of this population that can’t recognize that. The transcontinental railroad, aerospace calculations and computing , computer patents, industrial patents, food processing, and union labor all owe their development to people that are not white. To discriminate anyone whether an American citizen or an immigrant based on their skin color is fascist. White society and culture is a racist construct. American culture is a diverse paradigm of many cultures. America calls itself the land of the free… but it isn’t…

Religious discrimination in the United States is primarily leveled on those who are Islamic or Jewish. Those that level that discrimination are White Christian Nationalists. This is not so much about religion, but again an extension of racism. As an atheist, I am biased against religion. Religion in mind brings about all number of societal issues. The use of religion as a weapon creates all of the discrimination above. I support everyone’s right to practice their religion freely without discrimination. I only ask that we do not use religion to legislate society. America calls itself the land of the free… but it isn’t…

Disability discrimination has an ugly history. The intellectually and physically disabled were once sent to institutions. They were cast out of society and rarely discussed. This started to change in the late 20th century. The American’s with Disabilities Act of 1990 finally ended employment, public service, accommodations, and telecommunications discrimination against individuals with any number of disabilities. Yet there are people that still discriminate and insult people who have a disability. The president comes to mind. Our education secretary does as well. I began teaching in 1991 so accommodating student’s disabilities has been a normal part of my teaching process. I have always used IEP accommodations to steer my teaching strategies, and I was lucky enough to be the subject of a case study for my work with the intellectually challenged in my high school band. My life has been richer for working with people who have disabilities. They taught me to look at what one can do, rather than can’t do. Just a change of mindset and you can see all of the possibilities that lie ahead of them. I can’t imagine a person today who would discriminate against someone that already faces significant challenges on any given day. To do so is fascism. America calls itself the land of the free… but it isn’t…

When you see a politician, religious leader, adult, or an individual with some sort of power and influence advocate for the removal of rights and freedoms from someone else, call out their fascism. It isn’t patriotism. Patriotism is wanting our country to be better than it was. Taking rights away is not patriotism, and it is the worst kind of governance. They are denying a person’s right to exist and live their most authentic life. It is time to call this what it is… fascism…

It is beyond time to see these forms of discrimination disappear, and imprison those who advocate as such… …so it goes…