by Dinah Aguilar ‘19

On January 30, days after President Trump signed an executive order banning entry to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, the Boy Scouts of America voted to accept kids based on the gender they identified as rather than the gender on their birth certificate.

Last December, their century-old rule caused lots of controversy when an eight-year-old boy, born a girl, was kicked out one month after he joined the scouts. Although this intolerance may have been seen like another reason why 2016 was the worst year, the recent change of policy has shown that if people organize and work together to demand equality, progress will be made.

Many people are still shocked about the path the country is taking. But remember, four years ago, two men could not get married in all 50 states, 100 years ago women could not vote, and 70 years ago African Americans had to go to separate schools and bathrooms. Small steps keep being made to make this country what it was founded on: freedom and equality. We need to exercise our rights and speak up, protest to gain equality for all. Nothing will get better if we are only looking at how it is getting worse and not focusing on changing it.