Bittersweet Birthday
Celebrating America’s Promise Amid Its Perils
As we gather for barbecues and fireworks this Fourth of July, 2025, I find myself wrestling with a complex question: How do we celebrate a nation’s birthday when its core values- liberty, equality, and justice- are at risk of collapse?
I acknowledge that it’s hard to fully embrace the holiday’s spirit when the institutions and ideals we cherish face unprecedented threats. Yet, despite America’s flaws, both past and present, I believe it remains a singularly special place- a nation capable of inspiring hope even as it demands our vigilance.
This Independence Day, we can hold both truths in our hearts: the beauty of America’s promise and the urgency of its challenges. The threats to our democratic values are stark. On immigration we see the recent mass ICE raids and deportations, as well as the dismantling of asylum systems. These policies, championed by figures like Stephen Miller, envision internment camps (like the recently opened “Alligator Alcatraz” in Florida) and the use of the National Guard to round up immigrants, even in states that resist.
Such measures not only betray the Statue of Liberty’s welcoming ethos but also erode the moral fabric of a nation built by immigrants. As someone who believes in humane and practical immigration reform, I see these plans as a chilling departure from the America we aspire to be. The judiciary, too, is under siege. Recent Supreme Court decisions, shaped by a conservative majority, have rolled back protections that many of us fought hard to secure. On abortion rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and on questions such as presidential immunity from criminal prosecution and the ability of lower courts to enjoin the president from executing extralegal, unconstitutional actions.
As an LGBTQ advocate, I’m particularly alarmed by the Trump Administration’s trend to curtail diversity and inclusion, threaten to marginalize entire communities and undermine the judiciary’s role as a guardian of equal rights. We’ve seen the White House following the blueprint of Project 2025 which came out during the campaign last year, which proposes to criminalize gender nonconformity by equating transgender visibility with “pornography” and punishing educators who affirm gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students’ identities.
These policies don’t just roll back progress; they weaponize fear against vulnerable people, including transgender youth who already face bans on gender-affirming care in 25 states. As someone who has spent years advocating for equality, I find this backlash heartbreaking, a stark reminder that freedom is fragile when ideology trumps humanity.
Yet, even in this fraught moment, I refuse to abandon my belief in America’s exceptionalism. This is a nation that, at its best, dares to dream of equality for all- a place where a gay man like me can advocate openly, where immigrants can build new lives, and where the judiciary, despite its flaws, has delivered landmark victories like marriage equality.
Our history is a tapestry of contradictions: slavery alongside declarations of liberty, segregation alongside civil rights triumphs. But it’s also a story of resilience, of people who pushed America to live up to its ideals. From Stonewall to the Voting Rights Act, we’ve seen what’s possible when we fight for justice. This Fourth of July, I’ll celebrate this landmark day with a heavy heart, knowing our work is far from done. But I’ll also raise a toast to the America that still inspires- a country where we can critique, protest, and dream without fear. We can love the United States while demanding it do better. Let’s celebrate its promise, not by ignoring its perils, but by recommitting to the fight for a more perfect union. That’s the truest form of patriotism I know.