The worst has happened. All of our most dreaded nightmares have come to pass. The unspeakable has been elected president. The rights and lives of millions are now at stake. What are we to do?
Obviously, Harvey Milk and Alan Turing would not want us to give up. Here are some ideas:
ONE: PROCESS
Spend the time you need to process the emotional fallout of this terrible news. Everyone is different. You may find yourself going through a wide range of emotions and sensations: dread, denial, shock, despair, fear, sadness, numbness anger, rage. All are valid.
Take care of yourself, in whatever way that works for you, especially, if like me (I’m bipolar) you have a pre-existing mental health condition. Enjoy nourishing foods and get as much sleep as possible. If breathing exercises and meditation help, do those. Go ahead and create art of all kinds to move the emotions if that appeals.
You may benefit from spending time in nature, reading or watching comfort books, shows, and movies, connecting with people and animals that you love, and being kind and gentle with yourself, your loved ones, and strangers.
Avoid imposing your coping strategy on others, such as by telling others that a) this happened for a reason and b) some deity is in charge when it is very well possible that a) the outcome could have been different and b) regardless of one’s religious beliefs, we are the ones who have to get us out of this mess. No one else is coming.
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, the following warm lines do not contact the police:
Blackline: BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Black Femme: 800-604-5841
Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860
Wildflower Alliance Peer Support: 888-407-4515
StrongHearts Native Helpline: 855-762-8483
Thrive Lifeline: Trans led: 314 662-8209
LGBT National Help Center: 888-843-4564
TWO: PROTECT
The most important thing to do at the outset is to protect the most vulnerable. This includes our trans family, our immigrant and migrant family, our BIPOC family, our LGBTQ family, people with disabilities and chronic illness, people living in poverty, labor unions.
What will this look like? It might involve mutual aid societies and having an Underground Railroad of sorts to move trans and queer people into sanctuary states like California and Colorado, both of which have recently removed heteronormative definitions of marriage. Black women are the greatest political geniuses in the US and we would do well to follow their examples, including their dedication to intersectionality, something that Harvey Milk also strongly endorsed.
There are also organizations like Never Again, Hip Hop Congress, Southern Poverty Law Center, Southern Equality for Trans Youth, the ACLU, Native Organizers Alliance, and many others who will have the strategic know-how and further ideas. Often, it is effective to create a local group affiliated with one of the larger groups.
You must also protect yourself. If you are in a same-sex partnership, get married now. Make sure your children are officially adopted by both partners. If you might need an abortion in the future, stock up on Plan B . I personally do not wish to own a firearm, but that may be something marginalized individuals and groups should consider. It is also legal to own a taser.
THREE: RESIST
The next step is to resist. Resisting in of itself is good for the soul, especially when finding the resolve to fight can overpower despair. Simply existing is a form of resistance. Another effective action, as Harvey well knew, is the boycott. If you can, cancel Amazon Prime. Try to purchase elsewhere when possible. Alibris, Bookshop, and Thriftbooks are good alternatives.
You may get some good ideas from 20 Lessons from the 20th Century to Survive in Trump’s America
Also some inspiration from 7 LGBTQ uprisings before Stonewall.
You may also find strength in reading the following books (thanks to Tom Snyder and Haymarket Books): You can currently get all of them free from Haymarket aside from the Havel book.
Angela Y. Davis, Freedom is A Constant Struggle.
Václav Havel , The Power of the Powerless.
Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba, Let This Radicalize You
Silky Shah, Unbuild Walls: Why Immigrant Justice Needs Absolution
Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities
A LAMENT
For those still in the mourning phase, I present this poem.
Qaddish for the World (Qaddish is the Jewish prayer for mourners)
We mourn for the world
For the immigrants who wanted a better life.
For the queer and trans folk who wanted to live and let live, love and let love.
For people with illness and disability who were already fighting to survive
For the poor of money—but not of spirit—thrown out, unsupported, hungry
For the people of color—Black, brown—and indigenous people—already being killed at will.
For people who can get pregnant who will die because of abortion bans.
For the living creatures of all kinds in an environment run amok.
For you and me and all humans that be, burdened by the spread of woe
And for the children, too young to know, that the world has given evil in which they are to grow.