Disclosure as a Political Act

The choice is yours–the choice is mine–whether or not to disclose our actual diagnosis or even the bare-bones of what happened.

In one instant this week it was clear to me that now’s the time to speak out.

Disclosure IS a political act that gives us the power to own the truth–in this way “if you name it you can claim it.”

What inspires me now is the Million Women March or the Women’s March or whatever it was called.

One of its co-founders–Arab-American Linda Sarsour–was quoted on the Democracy Now website. You can’t mess with her most of all because when you see her photo it’s clear she’s wearing very good makeup and isn’t barefaced.

Her quote signaled that all women of all colors and sexual preferences must walk together–and she brought into this fold women with disabilities.

We should rightly be part of the lobbying effort as activists.

In five days in office Mr. Toupee has imposed a gag order on the EPA preventing it from blogging, talking, or making public comments about climate change.

Mr. Toupee took down the civil rights page on whitehouse.gov and replaced it with a message urging all Americans to stand in solidarity with police officers.

Again I must say I don’t like the hateful turn America has taken.

First women will soon be denied the legal right and protection to decide when or whether we want to have kids. After this it’s open season on attacking every other right a woman might have or want to have in the future.

This isn’t about abortion. It’s about every right women in America should have to decide how we want to live our lives.

Take away just one right from one person–and the dominoes of other people’s rights begin to fall down one after the other.

We can no longer afford to remain silent as people with mental health conditions.

We must join Linda Sarsour and the others in speaking out against this aggression towards and repression of women and other Americans deemed too expendable to care about.

Let’s not forget the trashing of Native Americans and their lands due to Mr. Toupee’s steamrolling through of the building of the Dakota Access pipeline.

It’s 2017. People with mental health conditions can no longer afford to live in hiding. We must stand up and shout: “I have __________ (fill in the blank), and I’m not going away.”

Disclosure is a political act.

I for one refuse to be silent on the things that matter.