Every day, students at South Windsor High School are feeling more comfortable identifying themselves as part of the LGBTQA+ community. This can be difficult for many people because they do not feel as though they will be accepted. This fear is becoming increasingly stronger in people now with President Trump in office.

There are students at SWHS that do not feel safe in America with Trump in office, with multiple instances where the LGBTQA+ community does not feel fully supported by Donald Trump. This has been clear in the early on opinions he shared about not allowing transgender people to serve in the military because the medical expenses would be too expensive. SWHS senior Courtney Johnson recently came back to school as her true self. This was a dramatic change and risk for her to come out and to become herself over the summer. Johnson shares that she feels “extremely uncomfortable” with Trump in office. Johnson says that she has felt “genuinely scared when Trump was elected and even if he has changed that idea that he hates the LGBT community is always going to be in my mind.” The president’s comments have left a lasting impact on the LGBTQA+ community and instilled fear in them.

An SWHS student that is well known for his conservative views, Connor Jordan, also weighed in on the discussion. He understands where people could be coming from with a sense of fear with Trump leading the country, but he thinks that treatment of Trump is unfair. Jordan stated that, “any other conservative-minded politician would have the same ideologies as he does. It is simply the fact that it’s Donald Trump that makes people disconcerted as he is a rather controversial person.” The fear that some people have is understood by those that are not part of the LGBTQA+ community, but they do not agree with the community targeting Trump as the face.

However, at the moment, Trump is one of the most well-known people to openly make homophobic or transphobic comments. The records of him making these statements were brought forward to be used against him in his presidential running. They did not, however, cost Trump the election.

The fear that LGBTQA+ community members feel is very real and completely understandable in today’s society. Many more people are beginning to feel more entitled in taking their opinions and using them against others. This is a world that can be incredibly frightening for many people. The desire to come “out of the closet” can be choked back by the fear of ridicule, judgment, and inequality that seems to be waiting.