“How do queer and trans people survive the current apocalypse? The truth is, we will do it the way we always have. The truth is also that we will lose people along the way, as we sadly always have. Yet the knowledge of how to be with unbearable tragedy while continuing to celebrate the fact of our existence and possibility of hope is something that is deeply woven into the strands of our cultural memory.”
-Kai Cheng Thom, How to Survive the Apocalypse (Again)
Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States. Again. His vision for America — a bastion of white supremacy, intolerant to difference, embodying bigotry and hatred — has shown itself to be, once again, the country’s most popular and strongly embraced vision. Voters delighted in his authoritarianism, his worship of dictators, his disgust towards trans people and immigrants and people of color and women. Voters endorsed his plan for mass deportation, for tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy, for giving immunity to police officers, for stripping reproductive rights from those who require them, for putting our public health in the hands of an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist. Voters said “yes” to a man who has pledged to refuse refugees with a version of the “Muslim ban” that also seeks to weed out people from “terror-infested areas like the Gaza strip.” They aligned themselves with the same president preferred by Vladimir Putin, Elon Musk and Benjamin Netanyahu. Once again, we saw Black people organizing and voting overwhelmingly in support of the better candidate and we saw that candidate lose. Across the internet, so many Black women are mourning not only this ongoing effort but also, again, an eminently qualified, forward-thinking, Black woman losing to an disgusting and completely unqualified white man.
It is a disgraceful day in America.
(Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
I keep coming back to this: of course the U.S. elected a serial rapist who says rapey, misogynistic, racist things all the time again. His supporters are not just okay with that, they are validated by that. It is relatable. The majority of white cis men in this country, with their own personal history of rapey language or behavior, can relate to Trump’s experiences.It is validating for them to see a man who’s done similar things win the White House, be celebrated, be popular. It is validating for them to see someone so racist and so impulsive and so self-centered assume power because they, too, are selfish and impulsive and say racist and misogynistic and transphobic things all the time and they too don’t want to ‘get shit’ for it. They too want to be pardoned for their own, untried crimes, and the women who love them want that, too. He was not elected despite all that, he was elected because of all that.
“America’s values have always included exceptionalism, exploitation, domination, theft, and violence,” wrote writer and activist Raquel Willis on X. “Trump, too, is America. Quite possibly the most America. And we must accept that.”
“Living in the South gives you a strange sense of the country, the deeper rot beneath the surface,” writes Danté Stewart. “The parasitic nature of our choices. The destruction that damns us. And the rot is this; we live in a country of bullies — American bullies. Bullies who can only feel powerful when someone is less than them, who can only feel free when another person is bound.”
Where the fuck do we go from here? How did we get here, again? And how can we take care of each other? I love what Thom writes about surviving the apocalypse because it acknowledges that for most of our history, as a queer community, we have existed in stark opposition to the state. The idea of a presidential candidate supporting LGBTQ+ rights was a pipe dream even for most of my lifetime, the most activists could hope for was convincing this or that administration to do more about people dying en masse due to the HIV/AIDS crisis.
There will be a lot of anger, including righteous, important and productive anger at the Democratic Party in general. But it’ll also be tempting to turn on each other. It’s easy to jump first towards those that are closest to us because those are the only targets in a shooting range. To direct anger at people who couldn’t convince their Fox News brainwashed siblings to vote for Harris. To direct anger this or that celebrity for not saying what we wanted them to say. To direct anger at people who voted third party because of Harris’s endorsement of the genocide in Gaza.
Regardless of our personal feelings about any of those things, how can we still show up for each other, now? Because we all will need each other, now. By “we all” I mean people who believe in equality and kindness and want this country to move forward and not backwards. People who think everybody deserves health care and food and a safe place to live. That’s a big group and it encompasses a wide variety of perspectives that won’t always or ever align with each other, but we have a lot to learn from each other.
We also need to be clear-eyed that the current world, the one we’re all living in right now under the Biden administration, is already falling short for so many marginalized people and they are exhausted. Trump’s plans are worse for everyone, on every level — for the economy, for human rights, for international relations, for healthcare. Trump’s plans put all of us in danger, but the degree of that danger varies. Those of us with more privilege have to step up for those with less.
(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
A few other things happened last night in the realm of LGBTQ+ rights. Missouri became the first state since the fall of Roe v Wade to overturn a near-total abortion ban, and abortion rights advocates also saw victories in Arizona, Nevada, Montana, Colorado, New York and Maryland.
California voters approved Proposition 3, which repealed Proposition 8, guaranteeing the right for same-sex and interracial couples to marry. Colorado voters passed Amendment J, which repealed a ban on same-sex marriage. These are important measures, decisions worth celebrating. The majority of Hawaiians voted in favor of the Remove Legislature Authority to Limit Marriage to Opposite-Sex Couples Amendment.
I do hear a lot of cis queer people talking about friends and family who voted for Trump as voting against their marriage rights as gay people. Listen, Trump has gay donors who want to keep their marriages and their children. I absolutely could be wrong, but I don’t think repealing same-sex marriage will be a top priority. That said, I’d definitely recommend preparing yourself personally for that possibility.
However, his administration does hope to eliminate and reject anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people as quickly as possible. Most of all, they are planning to make life as unlivable as possible for trans people, particularly trans youth. They are planning to do that immediately.
Republicans bet big on transphobia this election cycle and they won. Their anti-trans messaging succeeded not just with other Republicans but with moderates and Democrats as well. Right-wingers are teaming up with TERFs, with the “get the T out of LGBT” groups. Support trans individuals and artists and creatives and businesses and social justice organizations. Dispel misinformation about trans people with your family and your neighbors. Not just the Trump voters — all of them.
Take care of yourself. Take care of each other. Hold each other accountable for the ways we have hurt each other. Forgive each other. As Thom writes, “Our greatest power to resist oppression and death comes from our connections with one another, our ability to create community structures through which we can give and receive care, make art, share pleasure and raise our collective voices.”
i was waiting for something like this. so thank you. i feel numb, frustrated, hurt, angry and furious. i wanted better for all of us. i kept my toddler home from day care today, i just wanna hang on to her. thank you for always being there.
I finally decided (admitted to myself?) that I want to use they/them pronouns last night – so of course this happened this morning. But I refuse to let the assholes win. I will keep fighting, even though everything feels so overwhelming, depressing, and scary right now. Thank you for writing this article and for reminding us that our community is here – and that we need to support each other right now. For anyone out there who is scared, please stay hopeful <3
my latin family completely are in love with the man. it’s hard to reckon with but they still love me. they all work in factories in LA and come from a rough background. my aunt is butch old school riding motorcycling butch -works as a cook in the back of a boyle heights restaurant and she and her wife love “meester troomp”. it’s kinda crazy. i’m out in florida with my gf so am away -i listen to what they say but have my own views.
UK here watching in sympathy & anger. I was chatting to an older Venezuelan lesbian on Reddit. She & her wife were voting Trump. They didn’t think Kamala could handle economy or immigration, & they were convinced Trump wouldn’t harm gay rights bc he didn’t last time. Hmm.. Seemed utterly blasé about Project 2025. Otoh other people were terrified Trump was going to bring in concentration camps & lock up gay people. Surely that’s unlikely? Otoh if he changes the rules, is there a chance he could stay in power longer? Please no..
I felt so hopeful about Harris in the beginning. Just to see her watered down by an unimaginative democratic establishment who thought getting in bed with the Cheneys was a better move then her offering us something NEW. Even though that is all true- i still voted for her without any hesitation. I thought others would do. It seemed obvious to m e, I have to admit that Im surprised by the results. I was living in a bubble all along. THanks for keeping this space here for us.
thank you. I think Kamala would have been a good president. she would be good as any other and better than trump. i’m old, been around the block a few times, i can’t ever expect the president to support everything i do, but kamala came closest. her position on gaza: i don’t understand it and i don’t support it. yet i was excited to see her be president, for my nieces to see that. i sure am sad. this racist sexist place. i don’t know how many elections we will have left.
I’m not American but I was keeping hope for this election, because it meant so much more than just who becomes president of a country. It would be a sign of the times, a mark of progression, a reminder of the best in people. My heart breaks for everyone decent who voted for “the right things”, who now have to suffer, all because some people (it sucks to see a majority here) genuinely think this option is better (and the amount of insufferable ignorance has been staggering). I am so sorry.
it is such a sad day in america. i hope i can find hope somewhere.
Tired of hearing “people of color”. Latinos and Asians have supported Trump and right-wing politics over and over again. Some of them see themselves as closer to white and will do anything to enable the very same people who will turn around and throw them under the bus. Same with the assimilationist LGBT who cry about trans people making “us look bad” to their rich white friends and family.
Trump winning again is not surprising because he is the representation of the United States and the fears and chauvinism of the much of the middle class. All I ask is when he gets down to doing the bidding of “neoreactionaries” that for once let it rain on all of them not just the marginalized. Tired of these clowns supporting the worst this country has to offer and then getting rewarded for it while friends, family, neighbors, and even complete strangers get screwed over. Let them go through what the UK supporters of Brexit did. Let them feel the anxiety of the French middle class that supported Macron and Le Pen. Only when there is a real worker’s party in this country and a push to abolish capitalism will there be an end to politics as usual. Stay safe out there and fuck all these disgusting pigs and those who apologize and collaborate with them.
Black men, Latinos, women, men, Asians, all voted for him. He will give Netanyahu the green light to flatten Gaza, Putin the go ahead to take Ukraine and start moving through other countries, and Xi to take back Taiwan. They won’t just overturn gay marriage, but they will label all LGBTQ people as obscene so we’re all forced in the closet to live because THEY cannot control their sexual thoughts about us. But forget about all of that, there will be price increases from tariffs, mass deportations and no one to work those jobs, unless that’s why they rolled back child labor laws in many states. It’s a white man’s world, all the real suckers and losers helped them get there.
I for one am just happy for the 3rd party and abstaining voters who will rest easy on the laurels of their unshakable principles
I’m ruminating about how little I care about having a “strong border” or reducing the number of people immigrating to this country. I’m not friends with anybody who cares about this issue. It is so frustrating to see Trump getting so many people riled up about what is a total non issue. People come here because there are jobs here for them and they aren;t safe where they are. we should be treating them better not worse. I can’t think of a single problem being caused by having a “weak border.” He is so good at getting everybody riled up over things that don’t mater.
“I can’t think of a single problem being caused by having a “weak border.””
Hearing Spanish (and other foreign languages) spoken in public. “Are. They. Talking. ABOUT. ME!?!? 😡”: I think that’s 99% of what drives the anti-immigrant MAGA voter.
I really understand the urge to smash the entire system. I don’t know anyone under the age of 60 who’s happy with the way things are right now. It’s clear things have to change, and quickly.
But I don’t think this is a good change for America, and I’m resentful that a few million people in a regional area of a different country have so much influence over the direction the rest of the world will go in. If Americans want to fuck their own country up that’s one thing, but America is so influential that their decisions are going to affect my life too.
I’ve lost my last hope that anything will be done about climate change.
I’m worried and tired. Feeling kind of numb