In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, supporters of Hillary Clinton are taking to the Facebook group Pantsuit Nation to share stories with and provide support for one another.
One member of Pantsuit Nation, Rachel, shared her story with the group and has since seen an overwhelming amount of encouragement and love.
An HRC supporter and LGBTQ ally, Rachel was preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday when she received a message from her father informing her that she had two options for transportation to their home: remove the HRC sticker from her vehicle and drive to the property, or leave the sticker and have travel provided by a family member.
Rachel’s father told her that he and her mother thought displaying the sticker was “offensive.”
Refusing to remove the sticker while also hoping to avoid an argument with her family, Rachel decided to cover the sticker by taping an index card over it. After her post went live, however, she received thousands of comments – an outpouring of support and suggestions to combat bigotry and hate.
Ultimately, Rachel realized that removing the sticker was allowing discrimination to win, and she refused to back down from something she so strongly believed in. Unwilling to compromise her convictions, Rachel decided to leave the sticker on her car.
The simple display of the HRC sticker, whether it’s on your car, laptop or elsewhere, shows that you believe in a world that does not discriminate against anyone and that we are in this fight together. Get your free HRC equality sticker by visiting hrc.im/Sticker.
Read Rachel’s full story below:
Yesterday morning I received a lengthy text from my father informing me that I can either remove the Human Rights Campaign sticker from my vehicle before coming to their house for Thanksgiving, or he and my mom will provide transportation to and from their house. In other words, they don’t want my vehicle on their property with a HRC sticker on it. He said that he and my mom adamantly oppose the “sodomite lifestyle”, and that me displaying the sticker is “exponentially more offensive” than anything his brother could have said or done (I got into a massive fight with my uncle last week and ended my relationship with him). I considered trying to rationalize with my dad, but my parents are extremely religious Independent Baptists (similar to Evangelical), so there is no rationalizing with him on LGBT issues.
I’m not gay, just an outspoken ally. I’m not removing the sticker. And I’m not allowing them to shuttle me back and forth to their house. If things go bad I want to be able to make a quick exit. I haven’t responded to the text. I’ve decided that I’m just going to show up and tape an index card over the sticker while I’m there. This seems like a fair compromise to me. That way nobody’s eyeballs are offended by my sticker, but it also sends the message that I’m an a grown woman and my father will not dictate what issues I can and cannot support. ON MY OWN VEHICLE, at that. If that’s not good enough for him, I’ll just leave.
Anybody else have issues they’re facing like this? Suggestions?
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UPDATE:
Wow… Over ten thousand comments and counting. Thank you for the outpouring of support and suggestions through comments and private messages. I truly did not anticipate this response. It’s comforting to know I’m not alone in this battle.
There is no way I can respond to every comment, but I have read as many as I can. Many of your comments have brought me to the realization that covering the sticker would be equivalent to removing it. I am an ally at all times, not just when it is convenient or easy. My father would win by forcing me to back down from something that I believe in, and it would validate his belief that he still has control over me and can bully me into submission. So there will be no compromise, as I am not willing to compromise my convictions anymore than he is willing to compromise his. I have decided that I will be parking elsewhere and walking to their house, even though that will be a good little hike since they live down a country road in the middle of nowhere. I feel that this will send a far stronger message than if I were to refuse to remove the sticker and just cover it instead.
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