Out singer Lance Bass on Saturday spoke
out in support of demonstrators protesting the election of Donald
Trump.
Protests have erupted in at least a
dozen U.S. cities, including New York, where thousands gathered
outside Trump Tower.
Eight thousand people took to the
streets of downtown Los Angeles on Saturday to stage a peaceful
demonstration against the president-elect's policies on immigration,
the environment and LGBT rights. Los Angeles police said that nearly
200 adults and eight minors were arrested during a protest that took
place on Friday. Protests in Portland, Oregon on Saturday devolved
into a riot.
In an Instagram post, Bass shared a
Facebook post by Michael Rex in support of the protesters.
“If you're a Trump voter who is tired
of being called a bigot, if you say you voted for him based on gun
rights or economic issues, or because you think Hillary really was
that awful, and in spite of his rhetoric, rather than because of it,
I believe you. If you're in my life, I clearly don't think you're a
vile hateful person. But if you're now watching protests across the
country and you don't understand why, or think they are just being
sore losers, let me break something down for you. These people aren't
just angry or sad that someone they didn't support won the election,
they're scared.”
“They're black Americans who hear
talk of law and order and remember a racially charged stop and frisk
program, or see an emboldened KKK holding a celebratory parade.
They're Muslim Americans who worry that spitting in their face is now
okay and violations of their rights to assemble and their rights to
privacy are about to come. They're LGBT Americans who fear not just
of the loss of marriage rights or restaurants gaining the right not
to serve them, but of an administration that thinks it's more
important to research electrocuting the gay out of them than AIDS.
They're Hispanic and Latino Americans who are scared their children
will be bullied in schools, and their families ripped apart while
their culture is mocked. They're women who are wondering if we've
normalized groping, and if their career endeavors will be judged by
their face and body, and not their minds.”
“I believe you when you say you
didn't vote for any of these things. But If you didn't know that this
is why they're protesting, if you think it's really just about free
tuition or more government giveaways, then you, like the elite
liberals you love to castigate, have also not been listening. If
you're tired of being called a bigot, then you need to use the same
voice you used on Tuesday and speak out against these things fully
and clearly. You need to reassure your friends and family members who
feel like they no longer have a seat at the table that you still
stand with them, even if your priorities were different. If you
aren't willing to do that, then you have no right to call for unity.”