What trans kids like me need to survive a Trump presidency
What trans kids like me need to survive a Trump presidency
Because we're all freaking tf out
This is not one of my usual advice columns…this is more like the congealed aftermath of my panicked thoughts over the last ~48 hours. Like most trans youth in the so-called US, and especially in the Midwest, I’m truly freaking out. About the reality of having a fascist in office for the next four years, about Project 2025, about state repression against anarchist movements. About the safety of the undocumented folx in my community, about gender-affirming care, and even about mundane things like whether there will be more infighting in my affinity group and how I’ll deal with Trumpy classmates at school and if I’ll be able to stop doomscrolling. I know a lot of my adult readers are probably feeling the same way—and wondering how to support your friend, student, co-organizer, or child who happens to be trans. Here are some things adults in organizing spaces can do that would tangibly help kids like me. <3
Understand our need for intergenerational care.
There’s nothing more alienating than facing ageism and transphobia at the same time—and a big part of that is the way some adults outright refuse to have equal, mutually supportive friendships with teenagers. We might have supportive relationships with adults who hold power over us, if we’re lucky, but the power dynamic is still there and deeply problematic. If you’re an adult, you can rewrite this ageist narrative by building friendships with the trans teens in your affinity groups, subcultural spaces, and other communities that are lacking in ageist power dynamics. This not only makes adulthood seem less scary for us, but allows us to build a broader and more intergenerational network of care that goes beyond just our school (or homeschooling group) and involves a broader community. And this is also a great way for you to unlearn your ageism, learn about the ever-evolving amorphous blob that is youth culture, and maybe even heal your inner child.
Spread reasonable information rather than fearmongering.
A lot of us trans kids weren’t following politics in 2016—I personally wasn’t, because I was eight years old and found it all overwhelming. So this is the first Trump victory we’ve actually paid attention to, and there might be gaps in our knowledge about the electoral process, political history, or other related information. If you encounter election info that seems dubious, feel free to fact-check it with a politically knowledgeable friend—but please don’t make it our problem. We’re just getting started on our political education regarding Trump, and this will just confuse us more. (But feel free to share legitimate sources and information!)
Empower us to organize and participate in community.
Nothing is more healing for us than feeling like we have some sort of (anti)political power in a system where we can’t even vote, are denied bodily autonomy, and are under the thumb of the school system and nuclear family. So if you’re at all involved in the anarchist community, arts spaces, etc.—please do everything you can to make it accessible for trans kids. Invite your local middle school GSA to your protest for trans liberation. Put out an open call for trans teen writers at your lit mag. Start an affinity group—and invite your friends of all ages. Choose event venues for trans meetups that are explicitly age inclusive. Get involved in a local LGBTQ+ center and advocate for them to include teens in their work. We don’t just need youth organizing groups—we need to be included in a broader organizing community.
Respect our freedom of movement.
Some of us want to leave the country or move out of our red states. Some of us don’t. Whatever it is, this is up to us, based on our personal safety and needs. Regardless of your safety plan, please listen to the trans youth in your life—even if we’re in a red state and opt to stay and fight, or live in a blue state and still want to flee to Canada. Our concerns are broader than just what the laws are on our state; we also need trans community, and a city with problematic laws might have a great trans scene (or vice versa). Many of us don’t necessarily want a fixed location. Still others prioritize where they’re most needed as an organizer. We are not a monolith; we are different beings with different needs.
Embrace the skillshare model of community support.
If you’ve done any kind of antifascist organizing, or been trans, before, you have skills that a trans kid you know needs. Do you know how to navigate abortion access in a red state? Do you know how to self-advocate for gender affirming care? Do you know how to deal with street-level harassment (or online trolling)? What about safe use of binders and packers etc, gender-affirming fashion and makeup, or navigating a name and pronoun change? Or even more quotidian stuff such as college applications, skills of independent living, and the like? Reach out to a trans youth (or mutual aid group) and offer this kind of support—many of us are too embarrassed to ask, but it could change our lives.
If you have capacity, help us through our trauma.
In a world where therapists, helpline workers, and school counselors are usually mandated reporters—and being a trans youth (especially a trans anarchist youth) is increasingly criminalized, many of us have to DIY our trauma recovery. We’ve all lived through fascism now, and many of us are also navigating bullying at school, controlling dynamics at home, and/or the pain of dysphoria itself. If you have any background in peer support, or even if you’ve navigated trauma yourself, please offer your support to trans kids in your life.
This is going to be controversial, but vote if you can.
A Harris presidency, as awful as it would have been in so many ways—such as genocide in Palestine, continued colonization in the so-called US, and support for incarceration and policing—would have had marginally less anti-trans legislation than a Trump presidency. (And Trump has all the same colonial biases, so is in no way better, regardless of what some might be saying online.) For trans kids, in swing states and really everywhere, your vote is an act of harm reduction. So if you can legally and safely vote, make sure to do so, especially in local and school board races that directly effect us. If you can’t—whether because of being undocumented, having felony charges, being too young, fears about doxxing, or voter suppression in your state—remind your friends to register. And then…move on, and do other things, because voting is not the only way to organize.
Financially support us if you have the means.
No, I don’t just mean my Substack and my sort-of-Patreon—although I always appreciate support for my organizing and radical media. I mean trans youth as a whole. Many of us are gearing up to flee red states when we’re 18 and legally can, and even if we’re not, we may need financial help for other reasons (such as social and medical transition, leaving an unsupportive household, etc). So if you have some measure of class privilege, or you’re part of a mutual aid organization with financial resources—go ahead and click through your local mutual aid chat and contribute to a few asks. Or commission a young trans artist or writer. Or if you aren’t able to help financially—teach the trans kids in your life how to apply for jobs or find freelance work online.
Educate yourself on anarchy (so we don’t have to educate you on anarchy).
A lot of cis adults seem to think that Trumpism is a self-contained problem driven by…well…Trump. The truth is, it’s a systemic problem driven by social hierarchies such as statism, capitalism, patriarchy, and all forms of control and governance. The trans kids in your life will deeply appreciate it if you learn the basics of anarchism, even if community organizing isn’t your thing. Pick up books like Queer Ultraviolence and the rest of the Queers Bash Back ouvre, or read anarchist Substacks (shout-out to the amazing
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We’re members of community, not political footballs.
Being a trans kid is about so much more than having dealt with state-sanctioned hate. It’s about queer community. About intergenerationality. About organizing for a better life, about delighting in our unruly genders and our transformed bodies and the unshakeable weight of our desires. We don’t need anyone to “protect trans kids.” We just need a network of care that empowers us to protect ourselves.
Thank you soooo much for this. I'm on campus right now doing my best to both validate the fears of my trans students and also remind them that there is a history of resistance that can give us hope. Really appreciate you and this. <3 Bookmarking this to return to....