A little over a year ago, I launched The Trans Guide with the intent of documenting the modern history of trans individuals in their own words, in my local community in DC and beyond. When this site launched, things weren’t looking great. All over the country, Republicans launched targeted legislative attacks on trans people and trans youth specifically. Incidents of physical violence against trans people continued to rise. In large swaths of the country, it became actively dangerous for trans folks to seek healthcare, use the bathroom, or just exist as themselves. Conservatives have stated they want to “eradicate transgenderism” and have some pretty in-depth plans for doing so in their little fascist manifesto.
I’m acutely aware of all of this surrounding context going into the election, along with the other issues beyond the scope of just the trans people in my immediate community. The US is funding a genocide in Gaza, police violence against people of color (particularly Black people) is a constant, health care is out of reach for so many, and there is a housing crisis basically everywhere. And oppression is a kaleidoscope of unfortunate things, so there are people here and everywhere at the intersection of all those problems and dozens of others.
I know all of this and I also know that though I’m tired of voting for the lesser of two evils, I have to do it just to stave off the inevitable collapse of this failing nation. I know that if I even think about a Democratic win in 2024, I will feel like we might have a chance at a marginally better sense of safety, and if that outcome does not come into fruition, I will break. So I’m assuming the worst, preparing for the worst, and hoping for nothing.
I want to leave the US. I want to leave the US with every ounce of my body and spirit. I want to leave the US and get those who are continuously harmed by both the conservatives running this country (and the Democratic party fumbling down their mythical “high road” in response) get to safety.
Practically, I know that can’t happen. I’m stuck here, and realistically, so are you. But I will not go gently into whatever comes next. Do what you need to in order to secure your personal safety and that of your community. Chosen familial bonds are undeniably strong. I will fight to keep my loved ones safe. I might not be strong, but I am annoying, and anything I can do to make a bigot’s day a little less comfortable is worth the effort.
It is literally impossible to eradicate transgenderism. Fascists have tried that before, and it didn’t work then, either. That would be like eradicating left-handedness. Sure, go ahead and force every lefty to use their non-dominant hand. That doesn’t make them right handed. That just makes them angry. The next generation of left-handed people, who will inevitably be born regardless of the state’s attempts to prevent that? They will know they’re left handed long before anyone can tell them otherwise. And they will continue our fight until we have achieved liberation for left-handed, right-handed, ambidextrous, one-handed, no-handed individuals.
That doesn’t mean that I haven’t been buried under a pile of anxiety and depression for the last year, and it doesn’t make me feel better about tomorrow. It just brings me a little bit of happiness to know that those expensive and extensive efforts to snuff out an already marginalized community are, at their core, Sisyphean jokes of political goals.
This week, I invite everyone to think critically about their safety and their plans for surviving what is certain to be a difficult future, regardless of who becomes the next US president. Here are some resources with practical info that you may find helpful. Not everyone will find all of these useful, but they’re there if you want them. There's also our own state-by-state guide, and you can submit more resources so we can grow and improve the database.
I'll try my best to keep up with this project, but as per usual, I'm at the mercy of my mental health, which is at the mercy of the world. Please continue to be patient with me as I keep things slowly, slowly moving along.
No matter what, I love you.
- Cooper
