We can't expect our current legislators to fix this for us. We're going to have to do it ourselves, and that means everything from calling people and talking to neighbors, to protests, and also to making sure we have a strong-willed trans candidate running in every election from Senator to City Council from now on.
Montana's trans legislators have been a great example, as well as historical role models such as Harvey Milk. In this era, we have to roll up our sleeves and become activists and politicians, even if we lose. We'll take all the good allies we can get, but the fight is now ours. Hardly anybody left is fighting for us.
"How this story comes out does depend to a great degree on what we do right now" - Shannon Minter, transgender Legal Director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights. February 4, 2025.
Yeah, I saw that and responded to it, asking her for advice on what steps I could take as a US citizen living outside of the US. I did get some responses which were helpful, and I'm really glad she posted that!
Unfortunately elections take a lot of time and money to win, so I think that if we’re going to focus on elections, we should focus on just a few elections at once that we actually have a chance at winning.
Electing trans people can certainly help prevent loss of trans rights. But trans politicians won’t be immune to the same power structures that cause the Democrats to act against the interest of trans people, other minorities, and working-class people as a whole. I think what’s important in the longer term, for people and the planet, is connecting with local leftist organizations. Some examples of those are DSA, Green Party, Bread Not Bombs, unions committed to working class struggle, etc., or something new.
(Though I caution against the many small ‘democratic’-centralist socialist parties, as they tend to essentially turn into cults and have a long history of splitting and in-fighting, or at the very least members cannot actually bring new ideas in without being ostracized. Contrast this to a big-tent organization like DSA, which includes everyone from anarchists to libertarian socialists and left-communists to democratic socialists to Trotskyists to anti-revisionist Marxist-Leninists, and in which all dues-paying members get equal votes, and if you don’t like how things are going in your local chapter you can be an at-large member and still have a voice.)
No, I don't think we only focus on elections. But I also think trans candidates running in every election possible isn't about having them all win, it's about trying our best to be vocal, visible, and undeterred. We can't expect that many of those candidates will win, but we have to hope that some will and we have to continue to fight for ourselves on every level, whether it's being the first trans person that someone cis has met, to helping make sure people get food/shelter/medication, to activism, to being active in government. The key is that they want to remove us from every aspect of society, so we must then fight back in EVERY aspect of society.
That doesn't give you an excuse to just simply ignore everything and stop trying to find ways to help. I suggested things like "calling people" (meaning voters/polling), "talking to neighbors" and more. I'm not living in America right now, I can't run for office, I can't protest... but I still do stuff! I sign open letters, I share what's going on with people here, I educate them, I help people trying to escape, I provide shelter for trans people in need.
Nobody can do everything, but everybody must do SOMETHING, otherwise nobody will do anything and we will be eradicated. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but to simply "pass" means to pass on your and everyone else marginalized's futures. Teenagers are protesting schools in Idaho, teenagers have disrupted anti-trans activities in the UK, even disabled people have down whatever they can to join and help. "What The Trans?" podcast is doing fantastic political journalistic and activism-sharing work, despite their longest running host having MS. We can all find ways, within our abilities... we just have to get creative!
Excuse me, did I say I wasn't an American? I said I'm not living in America right now, but I am DEFINITELY an American and I definitely have a serious stake in this as I could easily be deported from this country in the future if the US declines to renew my gender changed passport. My whole life that I've built is in the hands of a State Department that very likely wishes I was dead.
Furthermore, if you didn't want a "lecture" the you shouldn't have jumped into a call to action with a reply that boils down to "No thanks, not interested, pass." If you're trans or queer or any other marginalized group, this is no less than a fight for your long-term existence. It sucks, and nobody should be forced to do more than they can (which I've said several times), but just showing up with a "ehhhh, I can't be bothered" comment isn't helping anybody.
Still, as someone who is clinging DESPERATELY clinging to survival, I do NOT APPRECIATE being told that what I’m doing is not enough. Every day is a battle. Sometimes every second.
My point is, not everyone can fight. Not everyone should be expected to fight. You don’t think I understand the stakes? Why do you think I’m emphasizing how HARD IT IS TO SURVIVE. I know they want me dead, or worse! Why do you think I’m so stressed?
If you don’t want pushback on “everyone should (fill in the blank), then don’t tell strangers what to do. You want to help trans people like me? Stop putting more existential pressure on me! I’m terrified that *I’M* not going to be able to make it through the day, and you want he to take on the additional burden of millions of other people like me?
NO, I WILL NOT. I’m not going to break my back in a fight I never asked for, that I don’t have anything to contribute to, that won’t help anybody or anything.
So I’m putting on my own mask, focusing on my own family and loved ones.
As it is, the monthly subscription to Erin is all I can do. Stop demanding more from people who have nothing else to give.
I hear you - sometimes just making it through the day is a triumph and a serious struggle. You are doing enough. I think more than enough- you don’t owe a response to anyone trying to shame you for not living up to their standard. Please know that by continuing to care for yourself and your family you are already doing what many can’t or won’t do. 😍
Forget the complicit Democratic Party ruled by the same oligarchs as the GOP. They are the foxes Malcolm X told us about 60 years ago. We need a unified Left.
What we need is a new party with a name that hasn't already been tainted by the FOX news type organizations after years and years of misinformation and negative associations w the very word democrat and liberal. A party that is the centrist party of sanity and freedom and upholding the separation of powers and our Constitution.
Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm just too dumb to understand the three dimensional chess being played by Chuck Schumer. The justification for voting for the CR was we have to keep the government open or Trump would use the shut down to permanently get rid of parts of the government he doesn't like. And here I thought he's ALREADY DOING THAT.
Chuck Shumer and the idiots that voted for this giving even more power away where it will be welded and turned onto American citizens need to be voted out or expelled at this time. Shame on them
I am pretty disgusted by what Schumer and the other few Dems did to pass the CR (really an un-CR since it had a bunch of bad new stuff in it.) The message it sent of weakness and rolling over like a dog wanting a belly rub made me ill. I made my senator calls (they voted no) and messages to Schumer and I know he is aware of the displeasure, but he’s now positioning himself as making the hard decision that he says is actually the best one even though the majority of Dems said no. He’s got to go.
This was literally the final straw. The writing is most certainly on the wall and there is literally nothing the Dems will do to stand in Trump's way. Total capitulation.
I can't help but wonder if most of the old-guard Democrats will even get the point when it's impaling them. They still think they can preserve the status quo by throwing 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 enough people under the bus... but the status quo they hold so dear has been dead in the ground for a decade, and all they're really doing is helping the GQP feed the most vulnerable among us, feet first, into a woodchipper.
I was going to ask a related question. Is this a generational problem with the older democrats refusing to recognize the real severity of the issues because they are so entrenched in the game that they grew up with? They refuse to see that this is an existential threat to anything even remotely resembling a democracy, seemingly more concerned about their own political futures while assuming that in two years we will still be holding free and fair elections.
The house is fully engulfed and they're worried about someone in front being double parked.
As a boomer, I am embarrassed that this is largely my generation. Embarrassed but sadly not surprised.
It's been a very, very long time since the US faced a threat from within as serious as Trump and his gaggle of goose-stepping goons. Since the Civil War, really. To some degree, I can almost understand how a Senator, insulated as they are from the need to interact with their constituents on a regular basis- and especially one who has lived out their entire career in the political stability we used to enjoy, even during our most corrupt and abusive Presidencies- might not realize how much things have changed, or how much worse they can (and likely will) get.
𝘈𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵.
And then I remember, a split-second later, that the perfectly obvious should be slapping them in the face every time they look at the news, or show up to work. Trump and his MAGAts aren't making any effort whatsoever to hide their corruption anymore; their eliminationist rhetoric is loud and consistent, and their actions put the lie to any claim that it's "just talk;" their assault on the separation of powers and the rule of law itself is brazen and unambiguous.
Senate Democrats- with the usual handful of exceptions- need to get their shit together, because I don't think we can afford to wait until Schumer and the rest of the Complacency Committee are up for re-election.
It's truly hard to accept that, when push comes to shove, people we've trusted to have our backs, will sell us out. But we have to face reality: Democrats with aspirations to national power, with very few exceptions, will not fight for us. This difficult truth is evident in the budget fight and also Gavin Newsom's recent actions on his new podcast. We need to unite with dependable allies and forge real power on our own.
Whether people realize it yet or not, we are all transgender now. We are all targeted.
People drunk on power push the line a bit, and when there are no consequences (and let's face it, how to do you levy consequences on billionaires?) they push further.
That's what we are seeing here. Illegally (in so many ways) firing federal employees? Impounding Congressionally approved budgets (which, btw, are law)? Deporting legal residents? Then a few days later deporting a young girl who is a US citizen by birth?
So far, zero consequences. Despite court tro's and injunctions, no consequence has been physically felt by the authors of these actions.
Musk is starting to feel the pressure due to the Tesla takeover and the damage he is doing to that brand worldwide. Enough pressure that he is trying to shore up brand perception and stock value with a sad performance in front of the Whitehouse. (And Trump showed just how ineffective and useless he is to Elon during that debacle.) Trump buying an electric car he cannot charge is pure Kabuki theater. Can't charge it on federal properties because Trump shut down all of those chargers. Can't charge at public chargers because his government credit card has a 1.00 limit. I guess he could install a charger at Mar-a-lago, but then how do those optics work?
They are also feeling the pressure a bit due to reporting on changes at SSA. Back tracking on their plans to eliminate telephone service entirely, and then backing out again on just eliminating specific features that are widely used by seniors.
But pressure only slows their roll, not their intent or goals. There is nothing yet that makes them fear to take harmful action against others just to feed their egos.
Not even fear for their lives is enough. Elon is well aware of the death threats he receives, and is reported to wear ballistic vests when in public. Wearing his child as a helmet to protect his head may be the most craven act of parenting imaginable.
A shutdown would have stopped the implementation of any existing or future executive orders, at least protecting the status quo while challenges played out in courts.
It would have drawn the venom from the viper, for a while at least. A shutdown was the thing they truly feared because it would render them powerless for a time.
The betrayal by senate democrats is therefore far worse than just preventing a shutdown. It was explicit approval for Trump and Musk to keep pushing forward into deeper and deeper lawlessness .
In terms of consequences, our environment grows more target rich by the day.
When I say consequences I am most explicitly not advocating for violence. While it's been proven over and over again that those who live by the sword die by the sword, we are not judge, jury, and executioner.
But we can frustrate their lawlessness, we can block their illegal acts. Each in our own way.
We can stand on laws like religious freedom laws, basic constitutional rights, and even other more obscure laws.
Did you know it's legal to create your own currency? There are restrictions, but within those perfectly legal.
Personally I believe it is time that we move beyond support groups and protests (while of course staying active in those). I believe it is time we acted on belief. The belief that everyone is not only deserving of respect and equity, but is owed those things simply by virtue of their existence. Our existence.
For my part, I am working to build production capacity in my tiny little corner of the world. 3d printing (did you know you can print shoes? It's not all knick-knacks.), knitting, distilling, brewing, making essential pils and balms with medicinal (and unregulated) value, growing food for trade, baking bread and cooking meals to share.
In hopes that we can create a parallel economy that is based on our most fundamental beliefs.
Because when people fear for their immediate future, they become desperate, and desperation saps our strength. We can provide more certainty for the future, to give each other room and strength to engage in the battle to reclaim our rights, our liberty, and our happiness.
We can all contribute, in small ways and large. Each contribution makes a tangible difference.
The old saying is "Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind." Conversly, "Sow compassion, reap Love.", and Love Wins. As proven by our Montanan legislators and heroes last week.
No Erin- You are exactly right. That Was The Line. It was the first one the Democrats have been given since Trump has taken office this time that depended upon their cooperation to pass. It was the litmus test for their courage and willingness to uphold the rights and values of Democracy. Those 10 senators failed. We need to let them know we expect better from them.
I feel like the game that the Dems are playing is to let the right upset people and make things worse. It’s total politics but if Trump and the Republicans destroy social services and tank the economy they will be welcomed back. I don’t think it’s right but it be where we are. We’re just not big enough of a voting block and they’re going to closely follow opinion polls on trans issues. Minors transitioning and Sports don’t tend to be that popular in polls. So while I disagree I think they’re working towards punting certain issues. I don’t agree to clarify but it seems to be the perception
Totally, I just don’t feel the majority feels that way. The Republicans have been very effective in their messaging. Even the suicide argument only plays with people that are sympathetic. I like where you’re going there though and I think we need to frame it as a medical choice issue. They want ivermectin that’s fine but we want hormones. It’s about individual rights.
I don’t think we can rely on national Democrats to protect us. We have seen that already in the passage of the bill gutting trans care for children of service members last December. Also, some Democrats have voted to confirm members of the administration’s cabinet. Our only hope, really - and it’s a fading one - is for blue Democratic states to stand up and protect trans rights to the extent they can. I am not particularly hopeful even on that front.
We can't expect our current legislators to fix this for us. We're going to have to do it ourselves, and that means everything from calling people and talking to neighbors, to protests, and also to making sure we have a strong-willed trans candidate running in every election from Senator to City Council from now on.
Montana's trans legislators have been a great example, as well as historical role models such as Harvey Milk. In this era, we have to roll up our sleeves and become activists and politicians, even if we lose. We'll take all the good allies we can get, but the fight is now ours. Hardly anybody left is fighting for us.
Yes! Montana made me realize that what this country needs is more trans legislators, or at the very least, more strong trans allies.
Rep Zephyr made a Bluesky post (link below) inviting people to contact her, offering to setup a time to chat about how to take the first steps.
https://bsky.app/profile/zoandbehold.bsky.social/post/3ljq7pxwirs2d
"How this story comes out does depend to a great degree on what we do right now" - Shannon Minter, transgender Legal Director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights. February 4, 2025.
Yeah, I saw that and responded to it, asking her for advice on what steps I could take as a US citizen living outside of the US. I did get some responses which were helpful, and I'm really glad she posted that!
Unfortunately elections take a lot of time and money to win, so I think that if we’re going to focus on elections, we should focus on just a few elections at once that we actually have a chance at winning.
Electing trans people can certainly help prevent loss of trans rights. But trans politicians won’t be immune to the same power structures that cause the Democrats to act against the interest of trans people, other minorities, and working-class people as a whole. I think what’s important in the longer term, for people and the planet, is connecting with local leftist organizations. Some examples of those are DSA, Green Party, Bread Not Bombs, unions committed to working class struggle, etc., or something new.
(Though I caution against the many small ‘democratic’-centralist socialist parties, as they tend to essentially turn into cults and have a long history of splitting and in-fighting, or at the very least members cannot actually bring new ideas in without being ostracized. Contrast this to a big-tent organization like DSA, which includes everyone from anarchists to libertarian socialists and left-communists to democratic socialists to Trotskyists to anti-revisionist Marxist-Leninists, and in which all dues-paying members get equal votes, and if you don’t like how things are going in your local chapter you can be an at-large member and still have a voice.)
No, I don't think we only focus on elections. But I also think trans candidates running in every election possible isn't about having them all win, it's about trying our best to be vocal, visible, and undeterred. We can't expect that many of those candidates will win, but we have to hope that some will and we have to continue to fight for ourselves on every level, whether it's being the first trans person that someone cis has met, to helping make sure people get food/shelter/medication, to activism, to being active in government. The key is that they want to remove us from every aspect of society, so we must then fight back in EVERY aspect of society.
I see, thanks for clarifying.
I’m too old to become an activist, and I’m too fragile to withstand the public scrutiny that goes with being a politician. Pass.
That doesn't give you an excuse to just simply ignore everything and stop trying to find ways to help. I suggested things like "calling people" (meaning voters/polling), "talking to neighbors" and more. I'm not living in America right now, I can't run for office, I can't protest... but I still do stuff! I sign open letters, I share what's going on with people here, I educate them, I help people trying to escape, I provide shelter for trans people in need.
Nobody can do everything, but everybody must do SOMETHING, otherwise nobody will do anything and we will be eradicated. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but to simply "pass" means to pass on your and everyone else marginalized's futures. Teenagers are protesting schools in Idaho, teenagers have disrupted anti-trans activities in the UK, even disabled people have down whatever they can to join and help. "What The Trans?" podcast is doing fantastic political journalistic and activism-sharing work, despite their longest running host having MS. We can all find ways, within our abilities... we just have to get creative!
I AM doing what I must: taking care of myself and my family, which is taking literally every resource I have, and many that I don’t have.
Maybe if you’re not an American, consider the efficacy of lecturing disadvantaged Americans on what they MUST do.
Excuse me, did I say I wasn't an American? I said I'm not living in America right now, but I am DEFINITELY an American and I definitely have a serious stake in this as I could easily be deported from this country in the future if the US declines to renew my gender changed passport. My whole life that I've built is in the hands of a State Department that very likely wishes I was dead.
Furthermore, if you didn't want a "lecture" the you shouldn't have jumped into a call to action with a reply that boils down to "No thanks, not interested, pass." If you're trans or queer or any other marginalized group, this is no less than a fight for your long-term existence. It sucks, and nobody should be forced to do more than they can (which I've said several times), but just showing up with a "ehhhh, I can't be bothered" comment isn't helping anybody.
Sorry, I misread something in your comment.
Still, as someone who is clinging DESPERATELY clinging to survival, I do NOT APPRECIATE being told that what I’m doing is not enough. Every day is a battle. Sometimes every second.
My point is, not everyone can fight. Not everyone should be expected to fight. You don’t think I understand the stakes? Why do you think I’m emphasizing how HARD IT IS TO SURVIVE. I know they want me dead, or worse! Why do you think I’m so stressed?
If you don’t want pushback on “everyone should (fill in the blank), then don’t tell strangers what to do. You want to help trans people like me? Stop putting more existential pressure on me! I’m terrified that *I’M* not going to be able to make it through the day, and you want he to take on the additional burden of millions of other people like me?
NO, I WILL NOT. I’m not going to break my back in a fight I never asked for, that I don’t have anything to contribute to, that won’t help anybody or anything.
So I’m putting on my own mask, focusing on my own family and loved ones.
As it is, the monthly subscription to Erin is all I can do. Stop demanding more from people who have nothing else to give.
I hear you - sometimes just making it through the day is a triumph and a serious struggle. You are doing enough. I think more than enough- you don’t owe a response to anyone trying to shame you for not living up to their standard. Please know that by continuing to care for yourself and your family you are already doing what many can’t or won’t do. 😍
Forget the complicit Democratic Party ruled by the same oligarchs as the GOP. They are the foxes Malcolm X told us about 60 years ago. We need a unified Left.
THANK YOU. Democrats have had my entire (gen X) adult life to right the ship. They’ve failed. Democrats aren’t with us.
What we need is a new party with a name that hasn't already been tainted by the FOX news type organizations after years and years of misinformation and negative associations w the very word democrat and liberal. A party that is the centrist party of sanity and freedom and upholding the separation of powers and our Constitution.
Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm just too dumb to understand the three dimensional chess being played by Chuck Schumer. The justification for voting for the CR was we have to keep the government open or Trump would use the shut down to permanently get rid of parts of the government he doesn't like. And here I thought he's ALREADY DOING THAT.
Chuck Shumer and the idiots that voted for this giving even more power away where it will be welded and turned onto American citizens need to be voted out or expelled at this time. Shame on them
I am pretty disgusted by what Schumer and the other few Dems did to pass the CR (really an un-CR since it had a bunch of bad new stuff in it.) The message it sent of weakness and rolling over like a dog wanting a belly rub made me ill. I made my senator calls (they voted no) and messages to Schumer and I know he is aware of the displeasure, but he’s now positioning himself as making the hard decision that he says is actually the best one even though the majority of Dems said no. He’s got to go.
My senators unapologetically voted FOR the CR. My state legislature neutered our AG so he could not sue the POTUS.
Schumer can roll over, sit, and play dead. Maybe we should enter him into the Westminster dog show?
This was literally the final straw. The writing is most certainly on the wall and there is literally nothing the Dems will do to stand in Trump's way. Total capitulation.
Start building the catapults.
I can't help but wonder if most of the old-guard Democrats will even get the point when it's impaling them. They still think they can preserve the status quo by throwing 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 enough people under the bus... but the status quo they hold so dear has been dead in the ground for a decade, and all they're really doing is helping the GQP feed the most vulnerable among us, feet first, into a woodchipper.
I was going to ask a related question. Is this a generational problem with the older democrats refusing to recognize the real severity of the issues because they are so entrenched in the game that they grew up with? They refuse to see that this is an existential threat to anything even remotely resembling a democracy, seemingly more concerned about their own political futures while assuming that in two years we will still be holding free and fair elections.
The house is fully engulfed and they're worried about someone in front being double parked.
As a boomer, I am embarrassed that this is largely my generation. Embarrassed but sadly not surprised.
It's been a very, very long time since the US faced a threat from within as serious as Trump and his gaggle of goose-stepping goons. Since the Civil War, really. To some degree, I can almost understand how a Senator, insulated as they are from the need to interact with their constituents on a regular basis- and especially one who has lived out their entire career in the political stability we used to enjoy, even during our most corrupt and abusive Presidencies- might not realize how much things have changed, or how much worse they can (and likely will) get.
𝘈𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵.
And then I remember, a split-second later, that the perfectly obvious should be slapping them in the face every time they look at the news, or show up to work. Trump and his MAGAts aren't making any effort whatsoever to hide their corruption anymore; their eliminationist rhetoric is loud and consistent, and their actions put the lie to any claim that it's "just talk;" their assault on the separation of powers and the rule of law itself is brazen and unambiguous.
Senate Democrats- with the usual handful of exceptions- need to get their shit together, because I don't think we can afford to wait until Schumer and the rest of the Complacency Committee are up for re-election.
Bernie Sanders is the leadership our party deserved, but the old guard shit on him these last few rounds.
And he is the only one actively out there having town halls about what’s happening with people. The democrats aren’t doing that.
First, thank you again for the work you are doing.
I have to say that I am in my 50's and my patience is short for bullshit.
I'm really just ready to violently resist. I need to practice more self care.
I'm a federal employee and I would rather be furloughed than have had this budget pass. Heartbreaking, and it's just the start.
It's truly hard to accept that, when push comes to shove, people we've trusted to have our backs, will sell us out. But we have to face reality: Democrats with aspirations to national power, with very few exceptions, will not fight for us. This difficult truth is evident in the budget fight and also Gavin Newsom's recent actions on his new podcast. We need to unite with dependable allies and forge real power on our own.
Our list of allies grows thin. Dems have already shown a proclivity to throw trans folks under the bus.
Whether people realize it yet or not, we are all transgender now. We are all targeted.
People drunk on power push the line a bit, and when there are no consequences (and let's face it, how to do you levy consequences on billionaires?) they push further.
That's what we are seeing here. Illegally (in so many ways) firing federal employees? Impounding Congressionally approved budgets (which, btw, are law)? Deporting legal residents? Then a few days later deporting a young girl who is a US citizen by birth?
So far, zero consequences. Despite court tro's and injunctions, no consequence has been physically felt by the authors of these actions.
Musk is starting to feel the pressure due to the Tesla takeover and the damage he is doing to that brand worldwide. Enough pressure that he is trying to shore up brand perception and stock value with a sad performance in front of the Whitehouse. (And Trump showed just how ineffective and useless he is to Elon during that debacle.) Trump buying an electric car he cannot charge is pure Kabuki theater. Can't charge it on federal properties because Trump shut down all of those chargers. Can't charge at public chargers because his government credit card has a 1.00 limit. I guess he could install a charger at Mar-a-lago, but then how do those optics work?
They are also feeling the pressure a bit due to reporting on changes at SSA. Back tracking on their plans to eliminate telephone service entirely, and then backing out again on just eliminating specific features that are widely used by seniors.
But pressure only slows their roll, not their intent or goals. There is nothing yet that makes them fear to take harmful action against others just to feed their egos.
Not even fear for their lives is enough. Elon is well aware of the death threats he receives, and is reported to wear ballistic vests when in public. Wearing his child as a helmet to protect his head may be the most craven act of parenting imaginable.
A shutdown would have stopped the implementation of any existing or future executive orders, at least protecting the status quo while challenges played out in courts.
It would have drawn the venom from the viper, for a while at least. A shutdown was the thing they truly feared because it would render them powerless for a time.
The betrayal by senate democrats is therefore far worse than just preventing a shutdown. It was explicit approval for Trump and Musk to keep pushing forward into deeper and deeper lawlessness .
In terms of consequences, our environment grows more target rich by the day.
When I say consequences I am most explicitly not advocating for violence. While it's been proven over and over again that those who live by the sword die by the sword, we are not judge, jury, and executioner.
But we can frustrate their lawlessness, we can block their illegal acts. Each in our own way.
We can stand on laws like religious freedom laws, basic constitutional rights, and even other more obscure laws.
Did you know it's legal to create your own currency? There are restrictions, but within those perfectly legal.
Personally I believe it is time that we move beyond support groups and protests (while of course staying active in those). I believe it is time we acted on belief. The belief that everyone is not only deserving of respect and equity, but is owed those things simply by virtue of their existence. Our existence.
For my part, I am working to build production capacity in my tiny little corner of the world. 3d printing (did you know you can print shoes? It's not all knick-knacks.), knitting, distilling, brewing, making essential pils and balms with medicinal (and unregulated) value, growing food for trade, baking bread and cooking meals to share.
In hopes that we can create a parallel economy that is based on our most fundamental beliefs.
Because when people fear for their immediate future, they become desperate, and desperation saps our strength. We can provide more certainty for the future, to give each other room and strength to engage in the battle to reclaim our rights, our liberty, and our happiness.
We can all contribute, in small ways and large. Each contribution makes a tangible difference.
The old saying is "Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind." Conversly, "Sow compassion, reap Love.", and Love Wins. As proven by our Montanan legislators and heroes last week.
Eloquent as ever, Erin. I marvel at your grace and precision. Thank you.
I joined Indivisible and will be out on the streets.
No Erin- You are exactly right. That Was The Line. It was the first one the Democrats have been given since Trump has taken office this time that depended upon their cooperation to pass. It was the litmus test for their courage and willingness to uphold the rights and values of Democracy. Those 10 senators failed. We need to let them know we expect better from them.
I feel like the game that the Dems are playing is to let the right upset people and make things worse. It’s total politics but if Trump and the Republicans destroy social services and tank the economy they will be welcomed back. I don’t think it’s right but it be where we are. We’re just not big enough of a voting block and they’re going to closely follow opinion polls on trans issues. Minors transitioning and Sports don’t tend to be that popular in polls. So while I disagree I think they’re working towards punting certain issues. I don’t agree to clarify but it seems to be the perception
We do have a chance to be a big enough block when the issue is viewed as human right for everyone. Framed as a side issue, we're fucked!
Totally, I just don’t feel the majority feels that way. The Republicans have been very effective in their messaging. Even the suicide argument only plays with people that are sympathetic. I like where you’re going there though and I think we need to frame it as a medical choice issue. They want ivermectin that’s fine but we want hormones. It’s about individual rights.
I don’t think we can rely on national Democrats to protect us. We have seen that already in the passage of the bill gutting trans care for children of service members last December. Also, some Democrats have voted to confirm members of the administration’s cabinet. Our only hope, really - and it’s a fading one - is for blue Democratic states to stand up and protect trans rights to the extent they can. I am not particularly hopeful even on that front.