Marsha Aizumi
For the past two months, I have been in writer’s hibernation as I updated my book “Two Spirits, One Heart” into a second edition. It has been a tearful reunion that has made me realize how much I have grown and how much I have changed. As I reviewed the first edition of “Two Spirits, One Heart,” I cried in parts and smiled at others. But I could see that I was getting stronger, more resilient and more confident in who I was.
I think I lived in a rose-colored bubble before Aiden came out to me as transgender. I didn’t want to use my voice because I was afraid of people judging me. Today, I believe that my voice matters, and so I am more brave to enter spaces where previously I would just sit back and hope that things would materialize in the direction that I wanted them to.
In the next months, I feel we are entering a most critical time for our families and our country. I am working with Japanese Americans for Biden/Harris, and this is the FIRST time I have ever gotten involved in any kind of political campaign. But I believe that our country is going in a direction that I am afraid of for my son, our Nikkei, our LGBTQ+ and all marginalized communities.
I can’t sit back and do nothing.
Four years ago during our last presidential election, I did not get involved. I didn’t believe that the country could elect a person who had no experience in government and exhibited behavior that was not exemplary of the office of the president of the United States.
Although I voted and encouraged people in my family to vote, I did nothing else. When I woke up the next morning and saw the results of the election, I felt sick to my stomach. I vowed that this would not be the case in the next election.
There are many ways to get involved during the days leading up to Nov. 3. You can write letters and postcards, and you can also donate or help with a phone bank, where you can encourage others to register and vote. If marginalized communities come together, I believe we can see different results in 2020.
Japanese Americans for Biden/Harris now has a website with a lot of wonderful information and opportunities to get involved. Please go to jas4biden.com and check it out. There is information about voting, registering to vote and so much more. You can also find ways to join the campaign.
I hope you will get involved if you are looking for a way to make sure our country returns to the world stage respected and trusted again. Your vote counts … and your voice matters!
Marsha Aizumi is an advocate in the LGBT community and author of the book “Two Spirits, One Heart: A Mother, Her Transgender Son and Their Journey to Love and Acceptance.”
