I'm about to make a post about the effects of this election that I suspect isn't going to necessarily jive well with a lot of posters in this subreddit. I've had it in my head since Tuesday night, but I wasn't sure whether it was even necessary to post, but in the face of what seems to be pretty clear evidence that hate crimes are going to be on the rise, I think that it needs to be said.

I hope that it's allowed within the rules of the sub, but if it isn't, I apologize. It's coming from a place of concern, and I don't have any agenda other than wanting folks to be safe from bigoted, violent assholes.

If you or someone you know feels unsafe in their home, neighborhood or what have you as a result of the election and the potential emboldening of racists and bigots of all stripes, it is entirely reasonable to buy a firearm and learn to responsibly defend yourself.

This is not a call to any sort of violence. I hope like hell you never, ever have cause to use it if you do get one, you should never, ever use it except in extremis, and it's up to the individual if the benefits outweigh the risks in their own household. But if you are in honest fear for your safety, you do not have to be a passive actor waiting helplessly to be victimized.

Owning a gun does not make you violent, or a bad person, or a conservative, or a gun nut, or what have you. Firearms in the United States have a long history of use as an equalizer in the hands of persecuted minorities, from Native Americans to early 20th century African Americans fighting off the Klan. There is a good reason that very early gun control efforts were applied disproportionately to African Americans: an armed community is infinitely harder to victimize than an unarmed community. You can not, with impunity, violently assault armed individuals.

It is your natural right to defend yourself and your family. There is nothing unsavory about it. I know that a lot of people with a liberal slant have an almost totemic hatred of firearms, and for some maybe that hasn't changed with this election...and that's okay. If you aren't comfortable with having a firearm in your home, that is an entirely valid decision, and I would never ever pressure you to get one. For others, though, you might be on the fence now. Maybe your fear of what might be coming is conflicting with your distaste. Maybe you think that guns are for neanderthals, that you're being unreasonable, that firearm ownership is something that only The Other Side does. But seeing to your own defense does not make you a bad person, or a bad liberal, or what have you. If you have weighed the options and made a rational choice that you are in fear and want to be able to defense yourself, that is a valid choice.

If you know in your head that you want/need a firearm, but your heart is rebelling, please: take this post as permission. YOU ARE ALLOWED TO BUY A FIREARM AND LEARN TO DEFEND YOURSELF. IT IS YOUR RIGHT, IT IS REASONABLE, IT IS OKAY.

If you do weigh the options and make the personal choice to purchase and learn to operate a firearm, http://www.pinkpistols.org has a list of LGBT friendly instructors. They are absolutely everywhere, and the overwhelming majority of them will no doubt be friendly with minorities of any stripe (so, for that matter, will most any 'normal' instructor, but if you're nervous that a random person won't be sympathetic, go with someone on the Pink Pistols list). They'll get you started, familiarize you with your state's laws, find the gun that's right for you, etc.

Again, I'm sorry if this is against the rules (I couldn't find one that it would be against, but it's entirely possible that I'm missing something) but I think it needs to be said. You don't have to be fearful of victimization in your own home, your own city, your own country. The United States is yours every bit as much as it is theirs. No one has any right to make you feel unsafe, or harm you, or try to intimidate you in your own country.

It is a right and just thing to defend yourself from violence, whether it's the Klan, or Skinheads, or just angry young men who are mad at the world and see you as a weak target because you're gay, or trans, or an outnumbered racial minority.

If you believe that there are people who want to harm you because you don't fit their homogeneous, nativist view of their culture and living space, you don't have to let them.