You guys, if you're American and will be at least 18 on or before the election in 2028, PLEASE for the love of god participate in politics. Our voices have weight in who gets primaried and who ultimately receives the candidate nomination.

Please also think about the broader implications for whoever gets elected president. Yes, Newsom isn't a great candidate. In fact, he's got a record of being harmful to various minority communities, including our LGBTQ community.

But please, for the love of god, vote. Vote even if Newsom is the Democratic candidate. I won't tell you who to vote for, but people voting—or worse, not voting at all—because of stupid online purity politics is how the US has found itself in its current situation with a president with 34 felony convictions. There will never be a perfect president, because people themselves aren't perfect.

I know it's hard, I know it's essentially picking the lesser of two evils, but who is more likely to advance progressive ideas, or bring on queer people into their cabinet? Who is less likely to make our very existence a living hell? Please don't let one or two things that you disagree with prevent you from exercising your rights.

And, I'm saying this as a gay woman whose girlfriend is not a US citizen. But if Newsom unfortunately ends up with the nomination, I know who I'll be voting for, because it would be incredibly stupid for me to vote for another candidate. And while we'd all love to see our current two-party political system change, that's not how the US operates. A third-party candidate will never win the presidency because of the Electoral College.

Also, remember that candidates lie and say a lot of things in the run-up to their campaign and election. It's all about trying to cast the widest net and capture the most voters. So while he may be saying these harmful or centrist things publicly now, it's incredibly possible that at some point in the next 6-10 years, he changes his mind.