WELP
The election of Donald Trump is bad for trans people, we can’t sugarcoat that.
by Alyssa Steinsiek
“Joever” may be an understatement this time.
This is, without a doubt, one of the darker days in American electoral history. In my lifetime, at least. As I’m writing this, it appears that the Democrats have lost the presidency and possibly both chambers of congress, which means that national politics are going to be very dangerous for us and indescribably harmful to whatever parts of the American imperial machine could yet possibly be construed as good.
And that’s as a minimum. It may be four years, it could be the rest of all of our lifetimes.
Every journalist and outlet bleating at you about this great existential “threat to American democracy” over the past few weeks and months was absolutely correct to do so. I’ve never thought highly of “American democracy,” given its countless shortcomings and abuses, but it’s impossible to deny that the path forward is going to be extremely hard as our now uniformly conservative government takes every step they can to dismantle what few aspects of the system remain that are good and helpful.
It’s important that we take stock of the terrible things Trump threatened to do, should he win a second term.
For a start, he has promised to enact the “largest deportation” in US history. A Trump spokesperson told the Associated Press that Trump “would marshal every federal and state power necessary to institute the largest deportation operation of illegal criminals, drug dealers, and human traffickers.” If you believe that these efforts will only target or affect “criminals,” you are sorely mistaken.
Trump said himself that he would deny federal funding to schools that teach “critical race theory,” “transgender insanity” or “any other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content on our children.” Never mind that Trump couldn’t explain what critical race theory is if he had a gun to his head, the fact that he believes the existence of trans people is “insanity” is terrifying.
And regarding the trans community specifically, at CPAC Trump said that he would “revoke every Biden policy promoting the chemical castration and sexual mutilation of our youth, and ask Congress to send me a bill prohibiting child sexual mutilation in all 50 states.” He later stated that he would cut existing federal funding for transgender healthcare, and would not let hospitals or health care providers meet the federal health and safety standards for Medicaid or Medicare if they provide gender-affirming care to trans youth.
Considering the guy who may wind up in charge of public health agencies under Trump has a hole in his brain and thinks vaccines are harmful, it’s fair to say that publicly accessible transitional care provided by federal funds may go the way of the dodo soon.
I can’t tell you that everything’s going to be okay. You and I both know that would be a lie, and I respect our readers far too much to float such a disingenuous, dangerous fantasy. It’s going to be hard. I am, like you, so deeply scared right now. I don’t know what the world is going to look like in the days, months and weeks following January 20th, 2025, and I fear that I will have to watch people I love and admire suffer and die beneath the insufferable yoke of fascist authoritarianism.
What I can tell you is that I love you with all my heart, and that we protect us. Do what you have to: Stock up on your medicine, get your identification in order, relocate if you feel you must and are able to. Help yourself and help who you can and brace yourself what comes next. We were here before them, and we will be here after them.
And if you respect what independent queer journalists and outlets do, consider a donation, because man… we’re all about to be working overtime for the next four years.
Alyssa Steinsiek is a professional writer who spends too much time playing video games!