I won’t pretend to have all the answers. But here is what I can offer, today, as a path forward.

This is hard.

So many of us are still reeling from the Senate’s vote on Saturday to elevate Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Like many of you, I’m disappointed. I’m sad. I’m angry.

Despite the serious questions remaining about the allegations brought forward, despite Judge Kavanaugh’s failure to demonstrate the steady and independent judicial temperament Americans have a right to expect from every jurist, despite a process that has been less than transparent and less than thorough, and despite hearing the impassioned concerns of constituents in their districts and across the country, a razor-thin majority of senators “plowed right through” and voted to confirm Kavanaugh.

I’m also grateful. I’m grateful to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and to the thousands of other survivors who have courageously come forward to share their stories over the past few weeks. As searingly painful as the outcome of this process is, we owe it to those brave survivors – we owe it to ourselves – to make sure this is not the end to this conversation, or to our long overdue work to change a culture that has too often ignored, allowed, and encouraged sexual assault and harassment.

So what now?

I won’t pretend to have all the answers. But here is what I can offer, today, as a path forward:

Take care of ourselves.  And when we can, take care of each other.
These past two weeks have been brutally painful for so many. Take a break. Take a walk. Breathe. Help is available if you need it. For those of us who can offer it, check in and take care of one another.

Keep showing up – however and whenever we can.
Keep talking. Keep sharing our stories. Keep letting our elected officials know what matters to us. At moments like this it can be difficult to see it – but they work for us. And the only way our democracy can possibly work is if we all participate.

Register and vote. Help those around us to register and vote.
So much is at stake on November 6. Every one of us must do everything we can to support the issues and the candidates that matter to us. For GLAD, that means putting everything we’ve got into the fight to uphold transgender nondiscrimination protections in Massachusetts by supporting Yes On 3 – a critical ballot campaign that will have reverberations across the country.

Know that GLAD is here, and we aren’t going anywhere.
One of the things that keeps me going in moments like this is knowing that I am part of an organization – and part of a movement – full of dedicated, smart, and passionate people who will not give up. With our partners across the country and across our movement, GLAD will continue to push forward in courts at all levels, including the Supreme Court, our vision of a constitution and of a nation that values the inherent dignity of all Americans, including LGBTQ Americans and all women.

Even in this moment, I believe the abiding principles of liberty, equality, and justice for all embedded in our Constitution will – and must – survive and thrive in the years ahead. If we all stay engaged, we can ensure that they do.

GLAD is here. Thank you for being here with us.

Toward justice,

Janson Wu

Janson Wu
GLAD Executive Director