I’m white and my family is well off and I’m straight and American
So yeah, I get it, you don’t want to hear my story.
But please don’t judge me based on the things I can’t control

I am an American
That used to be something I was proud to say, maybe it still is
But I went overseas, and for the first time in my life I was embarrassed
Embarrassed because I sounded American
Embarrassed because I could say one word
And anyone could immediately have a thought something about me that wasn’t true
I walked around a foreign city, looking at the sights and sounds
While in the back of my mind a nagging voice kept saying
“The American President is Donald Trump”

I am Caucasian
There is no denying that white skin is an advantage
That people with darker skin are stereotyped
Discriminated against
Subjected to racism
And hatred
And based on the history of our country that lies in slavery, the Civil War, and the Civil Rights movement
Someone that looks like me might just have the upper hand
So, that might be fact, but it doesn’t mean I’m proud of it

I’m straight
But maybe I’m not
I wouldn’t know
I’ve never been in love with someone
Never been in love with someone long enough to tell what kind of gender I might prefer over another
Because love is a fickle thing that dances around you sticking it’s tongue out
And society pretends that you, you should know what you want
You should know who you want
No matter how young you are

Remember that I am a woman
And maybe I’ve got everything else going for me
Except for this one thing
I embrace it, every ounce of being a woman
I embrace a characteristic that could be detriment to my success based on the way our country functions
Based on the glass ceiling that didn’t break here as it has been broken it seems everywhere else

But don’t expect me not to care about the people and places because I might fit a type of person that society is less inclined to be suspicious of
Don’t expect me to not think about the incarceration of young black men at an absurdly higher percentage than white men
Don’t expect me to not to think about Matthew Shepard in Laramie
Or Trayvon Martin in Sanford
Or the many innocent lives referenced by three words “black lives matter”

I’m not oppressed
Profiled
Beaten down
Discriminated against
Victimized because of my skin
Race
Religion
For being who I am
So, you might not care about my story
But I care about yours