A lot of the students at my university
think that they can't come out of the conservative
because they don't want backlash from other students.
I don't wanna diminish the fact that coming out
as gay is a very difficult thing to do.
I completely empathize with that,
but I think that if you walk into any public space
and shout out, "I'm gay!" versus "I'm a Trump supporter."
You'll definitely get weirder looks
for being a Trump supporter.
When I walk around with the Trump hat on
I get weird looks from people.
Once a burrito thrown at me.
People spit on my shoe sometimes.
I have a sticker on my laptop that says,
"I support free speech."
and people don't wanna sit next to me in class.
They look at me weirdly, they question
why I'm Asian and a conservative.
(dramatic music)
Well Kathy won Miss Michigan 2019
but got her crown removed the day after.
They said because of comments she made on social media
which the pageant deemed 'offensive, insensitive
and inappropriate', that's a quote from them.
Kathy says they're just her political views
but she also got kicked out of her sorority
for the same type reason, take a look.
I was born in China, and moved
to Florida when I was five years old.
I was bullied as a kid when I was
in elementary school for being Asian.
Of course I was really upset about that.
In high school I was bullied because
of my conservative values and beliefs.
It's difficult for me to comprehend that
because I was bullied once for how I looked
and now I'm bullied for how I think.
(whoosh)
When I first joined my sorority I posted
about it on social media.
Other sorority members found out and they decided
to look through my social media and found
an innocent set of posts, then they told the higher ups.
They never told me what was insensitive about it,
they just said that my Tweets were insensitive
just like the pageant story, I was given an ultimatum.
Either to stop posting my political views online
or to leave the sorority, I chose to leave.
I have a very small circle of friends
but they were back in Florida.
Since I moved to Michigan last December
I have acquaintances from classes
but I don't have many friends that I'm very close to.
Whenever I'm in class or around campus
I feel like there is a target on my back.
I think that people who know about me from the story
and they automatically assume certain qualities even though
I try so hard to present myself in a nice manner.
When it comes to jobs, schools, opportunities
you should be judged on the character
and not your political beliefs.
(dramatic music)
Okay so, that wasn't the only,
the pageant wasn't the only place you got criticism
and deemed as being inappropriate and offensive.
What do you think about that?
It's definitely a pattern.
I mean, we, I mean, right now in society
the political climate is so toxic and it's so difficult
to even talk about your political views.
And, I think that shouldn't be the case.
I think that we should definitely have an open dialogue.
If they, if any of them, the pageant or the sorority came up
to me and said, "Hey, like why do think these things
and can you explain or elaborate?"
I'd be like, "Yeah sure, talk to me.
I would love to have a conversation with you."
But, when people see me online I say that to them,
they're like, "No, I don't have the time to talk to you,
you're a racist, I don't wanna talk to a bigot."
Stuff like that and it's ridiculous.
I have to go back to something I said earlier
that you kinda said, "Yeah, but".
You said, "When somebody writes something like they did
and I responded to it, what do I do instead?"
I suggested what you do instead
is link to something where you have an opportunity
to be more fulsome in your answer.
And you said, "Yeah but, nobody will read that.
So instead,
I defend the fact that I made
what many can think is a glib racist comment
and suffer the consequences from it."
Do you really discount my suggestion
of being more thoughtful
and linking to something
because you think maybe people won't read it?
No, I get your point completely.
I think that on, I mean now obviously
I would definitely link to an article and stuff like that.
I don't think that I should be deemed racist
for providing facts, I don't think facts are racist.
You know, facts are facts, so that's it.
(audience laughs)
Well, of course statistics are statistics.
They don't have feelings,
they don't have agendas,
but they can be weaponized and taken out of context.
You just can't sum this up in 140 characters
and I think it's irresponsible to try.
I mean so do people who say,
"Cops are bad and cops are pigs."
Exactly, I think it's idiotic to,
that's not the place to be having a serious discussion
about serious issues with serious people.