Ain’t I A Middle Class Striver?

I was reading an opinion piece about remaking the Democratic Party.

Remaking the Democratic Party means leaving some Americans behind.

My question: why would my needs be sacrificed in the name of being for the middle class?

I am a middle income person without enough retirement money to last more than a couple of years and will be reliant on an equally small amount of SS income and Medicare to live a very basic life. I do not own a home, so I will need low-cost housing. I’ve worked all but the first years of my kids’ lives. And saved enough and maintained healthy enough family relationships to not need government assistance during extended layoffs when minimum wage jobs were refused because I was looking for a job in my field.

I am also a person of faith (Christian) who believes healthy spirituality and values are important for building strong lives, families, and communities.

I am the middle (barely) class worker who wants a government that works for me and everyone else by both not hindering my individual achievement, not failing community support when/if I am in need.

So I ask again, why must my needs as an LGBTQIA person be sacrificed in the name of being for the middle class?

And one more. Why does my faith and my personhood not warrant equal protection as a citizen and contributor+consumer in this country from faith-based hate and community exile?

The driver of my reflection was one line in the NYT article about remaking the Democratic Party: “Democrats should also be welcoming to people of faith and willing to accommodate their reasonable needs, even if that sometimes means compromising on things like L.G.B.T. rights.”

The real question is why do we think the good life means stepping on others to get a leg up instead of building accessible pathways wide enough for all to hand in hand?