Upworthy's book GOOD PEOPLE, now available - take a look!

Shop
 Explore 

gop candidate

'I find almost everything that Mr. Trump says objectionable.'

It's safe to say J.K. Rowling is not a fan of Donald Trump.

She once claimed that Voldemort — the evil, mass-murdering wizard hell-bent on world domination in her novels — "was nowhere near as bad" as the presumptive 2016 GOP nominee for president.

So I think Trump has yet to win her over.

Yet even with her deep-rooted dislike of the reality TV star-turned-presidential hopeful, Rowling came to his defense in a speech on May 16, 2016.

Well ... sort of.

At the PEN America Literary Gala in New York City, where Rowling received the PEN/Allen Foundation Literary Service Award, the author explained why she opposed a popular petition in the U.K. that had aimed to ban Trump from entering Britain.

Trump's past comments on Muslims, petitioners had argued, qualify as hate speech, and he should not be welcome there.

In her speech, Rowling explained that the freedom of speech that protects his offensive language is the same freedom that protects her right to call him a "bigot":

“Now, I find almost everything that Mr. Trump says objectionable. I consider him offensive and bigoted. But he has my full support to come to my country and be offensive and bigoted there. His freedom to speak protects my freedom to call him a bigot. His freedom guarantees mine.”

"If my offended feelings can justify a travel ban on Donald Trump, I have no moral grounds on which to argue that those offended by feminism, or the fight for transgender rights, or universal suffrage should not oppress campaigners for those causes."

Ultimately, the petition Rowling referred to failed to produce an actual ban on Trump's entry to the U.K. — but not before British parliament had a field day debating the matter, many members using the opportunity to slam the real estate mogul's offensive comments against immigrants and Muslims.

Rowling's remarks serve as a great reminder that, yes, even presidential candidates have the right to say unconscionably offensive things.

As historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall once wrote in reference to a thought by famed philosopher Voltaire, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

During a very heated election season, her words are ones we should all keep in mind — even if it means accepting the racist, sexist, Islamophobic, ableist, homophobic, xenophobic and flat-out despicable things that trickle out of Trump's mouth and into a megaphone.

So, I say we do Rowling a solid and focus on keeping Trump as far away from the White House as possible — not attempt to censor the harmful things he has to say.

Watch footage from the gala, including J.K. Rowling's speech, below.

Rowling's speech starts at about the 1:49:00 mark.

New data suggest that Trump's rise is driving more immigrants than ever before to become U.S. citizens.

Thanks to a decisive victory in the Indiana primary and the suspension of Ted Cruz's campaign, Donald Trump is pretty likely to secure the Republican nomination for president of the United States.

The online reaction thus far has been... Let's call it "disappointed."

Trump has been spewing hateful rhetoric since the day he announced his campaign.

He's referred to immigrants as "rapists," "criminals," and "killers." He regularly responds to female opposition with sexist, misogynistic attacks. He not only witnessed the unjustifiable violence that punctuated many of his rallies, but he encouraged it.

He's also talked about his hands. Like ... a lot.

But believe it or not, Trump's hate speech has inspired some really positive movement from the group he appears to despise most: immigrants.

Similar to how gun-owners often stockpile weapons and ammunition following a gun-related tragedy — because they're worried gun safety legislation will make guns and ammo harder to buy — Trump's political ascension and his promise to enlist a "deportation force" to exile some 11 million undocumented immigrants has led to an unlikely but significant increase in the number of immigrants applying for citizenship here in the United States.

A May 1, 2016, May Day march. Photo by David McNew/Getty Images

According to the The New York Times, naturalization applications spiked by 14% in the last half of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014. And they're on pace to break records for 2016 as well.

One immigrant, Edgar Ospina, told the Associated Press that the anti-immigrant sentiment being stirred up by Trump's rise was the driving force behind his decision to apply for naturalization.

An owner of a small flooring and kitchen remodeling company, Ospina emigrated from Columbia over 20 years ago and became eligible for citizenship in 1990, but he has only recently decided there is no time left to waste.

A large group waits to take the citizenship oath that will allow them to become U.S. citizens in 2015. Photo by Saul Loeb, AFP, Getty Images.

"Trump is dividing us as a country," Ospina told. "He's so negative about immigrants. We've got to speak up."

Luis Gutiérrez, a 10-term U.S. Representative from Illinois, also took to the public airwaves to encourage immigrants to apply for citizenship so they can vote in November.

"We want to raise our voices because the city of Chicago has an incredibly proud tradition of being inclusive, of bringing people together," Gutierrez said during a protest last month. "And Mr. Trump has the tradition of division, of hatred, of bigotry, of prejudice. We are asking all of Chicago to stand up."

Another unforeseen silver lining to Trump's campaign of hate? The reimagining of the Republican party.

Trump might be the Republican party's nominee for this year's political race, but he couldn't be further from what many members of the party consider to be the true embodiment of Republican ideals.

Image via Saul Loeb, AFP, Getty Images.

He waffles often on his stances, appearing to support gay marriage, calling out North Carolina's ridiculous HB2 bill, and supporting both universal health care and higher taxes for the wealthy. In fact, he's even gone on record in the past as saying, "In many cases, I probably identify more as a Democrat.”

As a result, more and more Americans are being forced to rethink what the Republican party means to them, and some people are even deregistering from the party.

Trump has been such a divisive figure among Republicans that he even led to the dissolution of the Friends of Abe, a "secret society" of conservative Hollywood elites.

All of this just goes to show that hate can still inspire good, even when that hate comes from the darkest of sources.

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Clap your hands, America! We did it!

We're number one! U-S-A! U-S-A! Photo via iStock.

Our presidential election is officially scaring the ever-loving bejeezus out of children.

U-S-A? U-S-A? Photo via iStock.

Thanks, in no small part, to this guy:

Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images.

The Southern Poverty Law Center surveyed 2,000 teachers and school officials about how the 2016 election was affecting their classrooms.

None of the questions on the survey mentioned Trump by name.

But it's pretty much impossible to read the responses without concluding that The Donald is the main nightmare-driver for America's youth, particularly youth of color.

The numbers are scary.

The report found that 67% of the educators questioned reported hearing students of color — Muslims and Latinos especially, but also African-Americans and others — express fear for their and their families' futures after the election was over.

An immigrant rights rally in Washington D.C. Photo by Mandel Ngan/Getty Images.

More than 33% reported a general rise in nasty comments about Muslims and immigrants.

"One of my students who is Muslim is worried that he will have to wear a microchip identifying him as Muslim."

More than 40% reported feeling nervous about bringing the election up in class.

The quotes from teachers and school administrators are even scarier than the numbers (all respondents were quoted anonymously).

Protestors at a Trump rally in New York. Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images.

On how the tone in their classrooms is much, much different this time:

"Kids are asking frightened questions, rather thanpositive ones," one teacher responded.

"The hateful speech of Trump has frightened my eighth graders," said another.

On how students have internalized the bigoted rhetoric emerging from the campaign trail:

"One of my students who isMuslim is worried that he will have to wear a microchipidentifying him as Muslim."

"I have noticed that many of our students, as young as first grade, are asking questions about what may happento their family members that are here without theproper documentation."

"A student has been called terrorist and ISIS. Another was told he would be deported if Trump wins."

On what students of color think their fellow Americans think of them:

"My Hispanic students seem dejected about not only Donald Trump's rhetoric, but also about the amount of people who seem to agree with him. They feel sure that Americans, their fellow students, and even their teachers hate them (regardless of their citizenship)."

"My students are frustrated with the racism andprejudice that is emerging from the presidentialcampaign. They are scared of what will happen andthey feel helpless."

Keep in mind: This is just a small sample of what these teachers and school administers had to say. There are over 200 pages of these kinds of statements. You can go read the whole thing if you want. I'm not sure you want to, but you can.

A couple important caveats about the report:

It's just a single survey and a nonscientific one at that.

The types of teachers who respond to a survey from the SPLC — an organization chartered to fight racism — could be more likely to speak up about injustice and the impact of bigotry on their schools and students than teachers who aren't as tuned in to these issues.

But, win or lose, the Trump campaign's race-based fearmongering has already begun to bleed out into the real world.

Students at an Iowa High School were heard chanting "Trump! Trump!" after losing a basketball game to a school with a higher percentage of Latino students.

In Wisconsin, high school students reportedly yelled "Donald Trump, build that wall!" at players of color on an opposing soccer team.

Pro- and anti-Trump supporters argue in Utah. Photo by George Frey/Getty Images.

A Kansas man allegedly chanted "Trump! Trump! Trump!" while beating a Hispanic man and a Muslim man, after subjecting them to a round of racial slurs.

Trump supporters have assaulted nonwhite protestors at actual Trump rallies.

A black woman was shoved — repeatedly — at a Trump event in Kentucky.

A teenage protestor was pepper-sprayed in the face at a Trump rally in Wisconsin.

A Trump supporter told a group of protestors to "Go to Auschwitz," while giving what appeared to be a Nazi salute.

Two assailants beat up and urinated on a homeless man in Boston while reportedly said, "Trump was right. All these illegals need to be deported."

A Trump speech prompted a young Muslim girl in Texas to fear that the army was going to come and take her family and her away, prompting members of the military to rally to her defense.

It's no wonder our kids are scared.

Even one child frightened is too many. Hundreds is a national disgrace.

Scientific or not, the survey reveals that many, many children — particularly children of color — are indeed frightened about what might happen this November. For good reason. The list of truly terrifying things Trump has said and/or pledged to do is long — and growing.

Liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat, we owe it to them to stop this guy:

Photo by Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images.

But more than that, we owe it to them to undo the damage Trump has already done by creating space for racist violence and speech to thrive. That means we need to call out hateful, biased rhetoric when we see it, and make it clear that, no matter what our political beliefs are, bigotry has no place in politics.

Once we do that, we can get back to arguing about what really matters.

Not actually what they were really saying. But a man can dream.

From Your Site Articles