The 2020 LGBTQ State of the Union with Billy Porter

As I did the year before, I wrote the 2020 Queer State of the Union for Billy Porter to deliver on Logo. Here’s the text of the speech:

My fellow Americans, my name is Billy Porter. I’m an activist and a proud member of the LGBTQ community, and it is my privilege to join you today. This evening President Trump will be addressing a joint session of Congress, the Supreme Court, his cabinet, and the world. I’m here with Logo to offer up the LGBTQ state of our union, to reflect on the past year, and to look forward to the year ahead. 

Last year, I told you that the state of our union was strong, and while it certainly has been battered, our union is far from broken. Now, in 2020, our responsibility as citizens has never been more evident. 

Our nation is facing one of its biggest crises in my lifetime, but this year, you and I have the chance to correct course. We have the chance to send a clear and direct message to the president, and to those that embolden, protect, and defend him. The message is this: Your time is up—and don’t let the door hit ya on the way out. 

So far, our nation has survived the first term of Donald Trump, but who’s to say what another term would do to this country, to democracy, and truly, to the entire world? The time for action is now. 

During his first—and, Lord Jesus, let’s hope, only—four years in office, Donald J. Trump has painted himself as a friend to the LGBTQ community, while revealing his true colors at every malicious turn. 

His malice has been demonstrated in banning transgender servicemembers with a tweet, as he did in July 2017. And, just last May, when he expanded the so-called “conscience rule” that would allow health-care workers to discriminate against queer people  and that gutted protections for federally funded homeless shelters for trans people. And his disdain for our rights has been demonstrated up and down the federal benches he’s packed with anti-LGBTQ judges whose influence will be felt long after Trump has left office. 

For some of us, each day under this administration is a matter of life and death. Last November, the FBI reported that hate-crime violence has hit a 16-year high. 

With more than 25 innocent people murdered, 2019 was the deadliest year on record for transgender Americans. Just on New Year’s Day—on the very first day of this year—Dustin Parker became the first transgender homicide victim of 2020. This heinous violence against trans people—which disproportionately affects trans women of color—is nothing short of an epidemic. We must confront it as a community and as a country, and we must elect officials who recognize it for the crisis it is.

But let’s not get it twisted—queer rights are far from the only rights under attack. From the erosion of the truth, to the normalization of white supremacy, to the assault on women’s reproductive freedom. From the dangerous othering of immigrants and people of color, to the inhuman treatment of migrants at the border, to the rampant injustices of our criminal justice system. From denying the very existence of climate change, to the frustrating and incredibly disappointing inaction on gun control—the fate of the entire country is in the balance. 

I know it sounds dramatic, but if now is not the time for drama—chile, when is? For the third time in American history, the President has been impeached. Impeached. While we all know the Ukraine scandal is but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his offenses that are impeachable, there is an endless list of his offenses that are unpresidential, dangerous, and just plain cruel. And the impeachment proceedings have shown us that we cannot depend solely on our elected officials to hold him accountable.  

Around the world, our LGBTQ siblings have endured heartbreaking setbacks and celebrated triumphant victories. In Chechnya, the state-sponsored crackdown on LGBTQ people continues unabated as the U.S. turns a blind eye to refugees seeking asylum from the purge. But in Brunei, an international outcry led to drop a planned Sharia law allowing death by stoning as punishment for gay sex. Even as Brazil elected its proudly homophobic president, Jair Bolsonaro, its Supreme Court criminalized homophobia and transphobia. Kenya may have upheld its ban on gay sex, but Angola, Taiwan, Ecuador, and Northern Ireland have legalized marriage equality. 

I’ve been so proud to see the wave of everyday citizens protesting in the streets, engaging with their local governments, running for office, and speaking out in hopes of righting the wrongs occurring all around them. The 2018 election reminded us of the power of the ballot box, but every day I’m reminded of the resilience of the human spirit. 

Whether it’s Utah beconing the 19th state to ban gay conversion therapy, legendary up-and-coming children like Greta Thunberg leading the fight against climate change, New Jersey joinig Califnornia in teaching LGBTQ history in public schools,  Virginia’s historic ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, or the rise of potentially the first openly gay Democratic candidate for President—we are witnessing true progress.

Groundbreaking works of art, theater, and literature from queer creative minds and increasingly rich and diverse representation on television and in films prove that even in its darkest moments, humanity will find the light. And shine bright. The category is: Living Our Best Lives On and Off Screen. 

Every act of kindness is a blow against cruelty, every act of empathy is a blow against bigotry, every act of courage is a blow against cowardly self-interest, and every act of love is a blow against hate. 

We may have a tough fight ahead of us, but I know we can win it. We have no other choice but to win it. Remember that we have far more that connects us than sets us apart, that we are all responsible for the country and the world in which we want to live, and therefore, we are all responsible for each other. So love one another, take care of one another, and let’s secure the future for those who will inherit it. 

In the words of the great James Baldwin, “Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.” 

So let’s face the challenges of this new year, and this new decade...together. Thank you. May God bless the LGBTQ community, and may God bless America.