5 Reasons The LGBTQ+ Community Should Stand By Hillary Clinton

The time has come again where we as a nation must select the next president of this great country of ours.

Looking around at all the candidates, the choice to me is an obvious one.

The HRC (Human Rights Campaign), America’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization has come out and publicly endorsed Hillary Clinton as the next president of the United States.

As a gay man, I too have made my decision: #I'mWithHer.

The stakes couldn’t be higher for the LGBTQ+ community than they are right here and now.

In the last seven years, we have seen a sweeping change when it comes to equality in this country.

We’ve seen the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” a silencing executive order that "protected" LGBTQ+ employees of federal contractors from discrimination.

We’ve seen nationwide marriage equality and an ever rising public support for LGBTQ+ equality across the country.

Landmark hate crime legislation has been passed, and we've seen an increasing support for LGBTQ+ students in the classroom.

These are all amazing changes.

We cannot sit idly by and let someone else come into office and revoke, repeal and overturn the gains we've made under President Obama in his two terms in office.

As a gay man, I am supporting Hillary Clinton for president.

Here are five reasons why:

1. She’ll carry on Obama’s legacy.

The progress we have made under the Obama Administration has been life-changing, and these actions will go down in history as some of the greatest times for LGBTQ+ Americans.

No other presidential candidate has worked closer alongside President Obama than Hillary Clinton, and therefore, she will be able to carry on Obama’s legacy.

Clinton and Obama’s beliefs and policies are the most similar, and therefore, the gains we have made as a community will only continue.

2. She’s a woman.

This reason has been controversial among my friends.

My friends say I can’t simply endorse someone just because of her gender.

Well, I absolutely can.

As a gay man, I look at the women in my life and the way they accepted me after I came out.

I’ve been surrounded by women my entire life, and therefore, a woman in charge makes me feel comfortable.

We all know the gay man-straight woman bond that exists, and to me, Hillary Clinton is the ultimate "Flame Dame" (much better than "Fag Hag").

Last but not least, we’ve been letting men try it and f*ck it up for many years.

Let's have a woman go at it.

3. She has the experience.

This is something that regardless of who you support in the race, you can’t deny.

Hillary Clinton has the most experience among any of the other candidates.

She’s been First Lady, a senator and just a few years ago, Secretary of State.

Clinton has been a public servant for a majority of her life.

She’s met with almost every world leader, and she has the reputation as a master negotiator, which is a talent that definitely comes in handy as president.

She’s been tested, vetted and has risen to the occasion far too many times to list here.

4. She’s a far better choice than any of the Republican candidates.

If you’ve been listening to any of the Republican candidates, this reason really needs no explanation.

The leading Republican candidates for [resident have spoken out against LGBTQ+ equality.

They’ve even threatened to halt, revoke and repeal the massive gains in equality we have made under President Obama.

I actually agree with many of the Republicans on their fiscal policies when it comes to how to run the country.

Yet, when it comes to this batch of Republican candidates and their stance against LGBTQ+ equality, I couldn’t vote for any of them and feel good about it.

5. It’s my choice.

When it comes to who you vote for, it’s your choice.

You have the choice to stand behind any candidate you want and for any reason you choose.

Hillary Clinton is my choice.

Let’s get this out of the way for all the Bernie Sanders lovers.

Yes, he has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights for a long time.

I’m not saying anything bad about him. He’s a great guy with a great track record when it comes to equality.

Yet, if we really want to ensure our rights are not taken away from us, it is my belief that we need to stand behind a candidate who can actually go to Congress and the Senate and be able to accomplish something alongside them.

Bernie Sanders is far too progressive, and his ideas are way too unrealistic to work in our current political climate.

At the end of the day, it’s your personal choice to make.

Regardless of who you want to be your next president, look at all the candidates and decide what’s best for you, the country and our future.

Just remember the wise words of LGBTQ+ leader Ru Paul: “Don’t f*ck it up”