Yesterday I talked about what a scary place the world is right now, and that I feel a lot of anxiety about my place in it. Sometimes I assume that people know where I stand on certain issues and that I don’t need to explicitly state them, but maybe I should. So here we go:

I support the 2nd amendment and the right to bear arms. I grew up in a household that owned guns and I learned how to handle them safely from a young age. BUT I also believe that guns should be registered and people should have permits to carry a weapon, just like you need to have a license to drive a car. They can both be deadly and need responsible people to operate them. BUT I believe that there is NO REASON that ANYONE needs to own an assault rifle.

I oppose hatred and antisemitism, and DO NOT condone attacks against the Jewish community. HOWEVER I also DO NOT support the Israeli government and VEHEMENTLY oppose their attacks on the Palestinian people.

I support the right to CHOOSE your own religion, BUT I believe that religion should have NO PLACE in government of any kind.

I support equal rights for EVERYONE, no matter your race, religion, gender of birth, gender identity, sexual orientation, place of birth, financial status, health status, weight, ability, skin color, height, or other random thing you might think separates us. PERIOD.

I believe women should have control of their own bodies, Trans rights are human rights, no person is illegal, Black lives matter, science is real, climate change is real.

I believe that healthcare should NOT be a for profit industry. (Neither should education)

I believe that the wealthy should be taxed at a HIGHER rate than the worker and there should be NO TAX BREAKS due to wealth.

I believe that all workers should make a LIVEABLE wage and that those in service industries deserve RESPECT from the public and not the horrible treatment they receive from so many.

I believe that teachers should be paid MORE than politicians and CEOs.

I believe that elected officials should SERVE their constituents and not their own beliefs. I further believe there should be TERM LIMITS and no one should serve more than 2 terms in any office.

I believe that our police and judicial system need to be completely OVERHAULED. They currently neither protect nor serve in many places. This includes the Supreme Court and its total lack of ethics.

I believe that Trans men are men and Trans women are women. I believe that being queer is NOT a choice, but if you are queer, it is YOUR CHOICE whether or not to come out (and to whom).

I believe that it is important to TEACH your sons to respect women and the power of consent. Because until it is no men, women will continue to fear ALL MEN. That is our reality.

This is not a comprehensive list, and I’m sure things will come up in future, but I think this captures most things.