I feel strongly that U.S. Sen. Susan Collins should vote against nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court. If confirmed, he poses an immediate threat to anyone who holds a marginalized identity. He could take away basic rights for people of color, queer folks, any person with a uterus, immigrants and more.

I am a college student and a trans-person. When I was in high school, the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage was legal across the country. Same-sex marriage is the bare minimum of protections that are needed in the queer community. For trans-people specifically, there is still a lack of adequate medical care and widespread discrimination and violence.

People deserve to live in a world that respects and uplifts their identities. Instead, as it stands, our identities are used to divide us. If Kavanaugh is confirmed to the Supreme Court of the United States, I believe that he will entrench those divisions in new, cruel ways.

It is terrifying that even same-sex marriage (again, the bare minimum of what the queer community needs) could be so easily taken away.

If Collins votes to confirm Kavanaugh, she will be failing me and the whole LGBTQ+ community.

Maddy Smith, Auburn