This is an editorial that shouldn’t have to be written. At this point in the Trump presidency, we as Americans can collectively agree that we have enough evidence to assess who he is and the clear agenda of his administration.

Over the last 43 years of this publication, we felt we saw about almost everything you could see in politics. But never did we witness a year when candidates for public office use their commercials to totally devalue their opponents — labeling them everything from child molesters to supporting terrorists.

It’s not the most pleasant question to think about, but at some point it must be addressed: How do you want to spend your final years of life? To the extent that we have any control over our life span, as we grow older, we come closer to death. So, really — how do you want to spend those final years? And, as an LGBTQ person, how to find caretakers and a place where you are accepted for who you are?

In the absence of national leadership on LGBTQ equality, cities and even towns are stepping up to pass ordinances protecting basic rights for citizens.