It was a simple realization by a man who father was one race and his mother of another. We were talking about rights and how things had changed, were changing and he has leaned Republican for years because he says he is fiscally conservative. We were having a spirited discussion about climate change, which he is slowly acknowledging the science of, and social issues. He’s younger and believes in LGBTQ rights and I pushed about what electing Republicans, especially the current presidential candidates meant.

He had a sudden realization I would have been Illegal – had he born in the 50s when the races weren’t supposed to mix – he would have been illegal. He looks further back and with a vivid memory knows that Americans can be put into camps just because they are of a certain race. His Grandfather was.

When you know that, when you know how capable we are of discriminating, of hating, when you know that we had to fight a war to end slavery, how can you support people who are advocating more of that? People might say that lumping everything into that one cup is wrong they don’t really mean that. People say that discriminating against the LGBTQ community isn’t about them, its about religious freedom but 60 years ago it was about people of different skin colors and that was religious also.

When you advocate against somebody being able to do something because it impinges on your own moral or religious beliefs you are reaching for the past. A woman has the right to do what she wants with her own body, a person has the right to marry whomever they want to – male or female, a woman deserves to be paid the same for equal work, heck she has the right to work – if you are going that far into the past. When the real estate person says he wants to make America Great Again how far back does he want to take us. Who is he going to make illegal.

We fought a war within our country to stop making people property. We fought a war to stop a man who wanted to make a master race. People have died and bled to gain rights and we can’t stop now. This election is not about fiscal conservatism it is for the heart and soul of our country. We have to move forward. We can’t move back. We cannot make people illegal. Walls do not make our country, our values make our country and that is not about a religion it is about freedom. It is about values that say we are all equal.