Dread and Fear

That is the emotion that I have been sitting with and experiencing for some time now, and it has only gotten worse since the election. As a trans nonbinary person I dread and fear what is to come for my community, especially the youth of my community who are so incredibly vulnerable. That fear and dread extends to the entire 2SLGBTQIA+ community as a whole, to women, and to all other marginalized groups as well. I recognise how imperiled these communities are, and how easily the protections that we have fought for can be undermined by federal action.
I think that what really made it hit home for me was the announcement that Trump plans to nominate Matt Gaetz as the Attorney General. His selection for this role really drove home for me that EVERYTHING is at risk now.
This dread and fear is what has finally pushed me to get off of my ass and get this site up and running. The main reason for this site is to help people who want to help, and people who need to help know where to go.
We will survive, we will persevere and get through this. I do not know what we will look like on the other side, and I doubt that we will emerge unscathed. But, what I do know beyond the shadow of a doubt is that no matter how hard people try to get rid of us, we will always be here. There is nothing that they can do that will change who we are, there is nothing that they can do stop more of us from being born every day.
We need to be here for each other and to support each other. We need to be there and to support other marginalised groups as well, and we need to do that without speaking over them.
We do not need to label ourselves as doing this, or look for signs to show that we are safe. Remember, the label of ally is bestowed upon us by others, it is not a label that we can claim for ourselves. What we need to do instead of saying who we are is to show who we are.
To my fellow white people, we need to remember that we cannot force our support onto others. We need to recognise that those we wish to support and help may not trust us simply because of how we look. We need to not take that personally, and continue doing the work. We need to be culturally sensitive, trauma informed, and mindful of the boundaries of others.
I am not a Christian, but in this time I am reminded of Matthew 7:15-20:

¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Let us be known by our fruits.