Gay Fil-Am: The next four years of living on edge

Jude Thaddeus Socrates, a professor of mathematics, looks at the coming US presidency with much anxiety. CONTRIBUTED

My name is Jude Thaddeus Socrates, a name hardly anyone would ever regard as one belonging to a Filipino. I lived the first 23 years of my life in Manila. I went to college at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, where my parents were teachers. We grew up as conservative Catholics.

I arrived in California in September 1988 to go to graduate school. After completing my education, I crossed the street and became a professor of mathematics at a two-year college. Manila and Los Angeles are the only homes I have known. I have met and got to know many Filipino immigrants, and many of my Filipino students are either immigrants or children of immigrants. I became an American citizen in 2001.

I am, however, very different from other Filipino immigrants in this country. I am a registered Democrat, and I loudly cheered the election of Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. Some of the Filipinos I know are staunch Republicans, who would never vote for a Democratic candidate, much less a person of color.

The great thing about a democracy is that we are all entitled to our political beliefs. But it also makes me tremendously happy when a fellow Filipino shares my same left-leaning views, and joyfully supported Hillary Clinton for President.

As a true Harry Potter fan, having read the entire series at least four times, I decided to refer to her Republican opponent as Voldemort. I refuse to speak or write the name of the President-elect. I must also admit that I unfriended a few deplorables who rabidly supported Voldemort.

Openly gay

I am also openly gay. I married my husband, Juan, in June of 2008, the first month that same-sex marriage became legal in California. We met the day before my birthday in 2001, and we have been together ever since. We watched in dismay as Proposition 8 passed in California in November 2008, which declared marriage as solely between a man and a woman. We were consoled, however, when the California Supreme Court declared that our marriage, and all marriages performed earlier that year, shall remain legal and valid in California. At least while we lived in California, our rights as a married couple would be protected.

But that also meant that our marriage would not be recognized by the many states that passed similar laws. Juan and I rejoiced over the next several months and years, as state after state decided by election, by legislation, or by the judgment of their own supreme court, that same-sex marriage would be legal and recognized in that state.

The tipping point would come in 2013 when the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) invalidated the Defense of Marriage Act, thus paving the way for same-sex marriage to be legal and recognized in all 50 States of the Union. I consider this a major achievement of President Obama. We would feel its positive impact almost immediately, as we enjoyed the tax benefits that most married couples in this country probably take for granted.

Worry over safety of immigrants

My husband, Juan, is from Guadalajara, Mexico. We watched together with disgust as Voldemort disparaged Mexican immigrants, calling them rapists and murderers. We watched in horror as he called for a registry for Muslim immigrants. I worried over the safety of my friends and students, some of whom were harassed in public and told to go back where they came from. To our knowledge, we did not have a single Mexican American or Islamic friend who would vote for Voldemort.

On Election Day, it was clear on social media that most of us who expected Hillary to win were in shock and denial as the day dragged on. I did not stay up past midnight, as Voldemort delivered his acceptance speech. I would find out later that many of my friends would not sleep that night, and remained anxious and depressed the next few days, incredulous to what just happened.

As a teacher, I also worry about the future of my own immigrant students. It is not clear what will happen to the thousands of students in California who are currently protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Act and the California Dream Act (CDA or AB 540). Undocumented immigrants who took at least three years of high school in California may legally avail of lower-cost resident tuition fees while enrolled in a two-year or four-year college in California under AB 540.

Voldemort has vowed to his supporters that he would abolish DACA, although many California legislators and educators have pleaded with him to keep the program, which does not provide a path to legal citizenship for its recipients. History has shown us that this great country was built on the back of hardworking immigrants who simply want a better life for themselves and their families.

Shortly after the election, my heart was broken as I heard that many young students were abandoned by their parents who returned to their countries of origin, instead of waiting with the uncertainty of being deported under orders of this demagogue.

Supreme Court appointment

I am worried over the next four years because I know that much depends on Voldemort’s nominee to the SCOTUS. The rights of immigrants and the LGBT community are hanging on a slim thread, and all it takes is a properly timed case to turn back years of progress towards equality.

Jude Socrates (right) with his husband, Juan who is from Mexico. CONTRIBUTED

I am also pro-choice, and I believe that a woman has a right to decide what to do with her own body. I am concerned about the millions of women who will not have access to affordable birth control, who will die thanks to botched abortions. I am worried that the SCOTUS will overturn Roe vs. Wade.

I am troubled by the climate of bigotry and intolerance that has engulfed this country which before 2016 was known for its openness and acceptance. I am troubled that this President was endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups.

I am troubled that many Americans deem it acceptable to publicly show hostility towards immigrants, people of color, the LGBT community and other marginalized segments. I am appalled that Voldemort was elected despite openly mocking disabled people, and admitting to sexually assaulting women. I am concerned that Congress will refuse to impeach a President despite his unwillingness to divest himself and his family from businesses that will present a conflict of interest and leave him open to corruption.

I am worried that those who do not have a full-time job and are relying on the Affordable Care Act will lose their health benefits because of the posturing of rich, privileged politicians, who will do anything to wipe out any progress made by this country’s first African American President.

And now it appears that the FBI knew of the possible ties between Putin and Voldemort, but chose only to reveal the embarrassing yet unverified information that they had on Hillary’s e-mails. It worries me that an agency that exists to protect the safety of all Americans has skewed the elections in favor of one candidate.

I console myself with the thought that Juan and I live in California, which may be regarded as a bubble that will protect itself from the Voldemort presidency. We live in a solid Democratic state, and our legislators and leaders have declared that the great strides that we have made towards social justice and equity will remain in place. I only hope and pray that the rest of the United States will follow our example.

Jude Thaddeus Socrates is a professor of mathematics at Pasadena City College in Southern California.