Vermont is rare in many ways: no billboards for starters, and, more importantly, the first state to legalize same-sex marriage by legislation. That change, after many years of outward and ugly hate, has brought an environment of not only greater acceptance but a great deal of outright appreciation for the contributions of LGBTQ+ folks.

This week I enjoyed photographing the Lost Nation Theater’s production of The Prom, directly by our dear friend Eric Love, and found myself moved to tears remembering the torturous path LGBTQ+ folks have walked, still must walk in many cases. The musical tells the story of a small town in Indiana that cancels the high school prom when a lesbian couple declares they will arrive together. The ending turns things around and tells of a much brighter future but the play highlights the fact that most of us just want to love and be loved.

But the Republican National Convention and Trump’s nomination do not describe a brighter future for our many LGBTQ+ family members and friends. Among other statements, Project 2025 (a document created by Trump & Co. that describes in horrifying detail what they have in mind for the next few years) spells out these initiatives, among many, affecting LGBTQ+ folks:

• Eliminate federal policies that promote LGBTQ+ equality in schools, universities and the military

• Transgender people are described as an “ideology” and their existence is linked to pornography and the “sexualization of children.”

• Transgender health care for youth is considered child abuse, punishable by law. 

So I ask that you read between the headlines and share what is actually true about this hijacked Republican Party: it is based on lies and hate for many in our world. If you know LGBTQ+ folks, and because “they are everywhere,” we all do, tell the truth: their lives will be even more endangered, literally, than they are now if Trump is re-elected.

The only way Trump can win is if we fail to confront the lies and tell the truth, so please look past the clouds hiding those truths and see the amazing world below we live in.

19 Jul This entry was published on July 19, 2024 at 12:38 pm. It’s filed under John Snell, John Snell Photographer, www.johnsnell.photography and tagged LGBTQ+, Lost Nation Theater, politics, Project 2025, religion, Republican National ConventionProject 2025, The Prom, Trump, Vermont. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.