Dear Community.
We at the TransFamily Alliance and the Gender Health Training Institute had a lot of feelings regarding the election results. In the days immediately following, we’ve dedicated a lot of time for holding space to process all the emotions coming up.
We want you to know that we’re committed to do exactly the same for you.
It’s a difficult world we’re living in right now. It can feel like disinformation and hate are winning. It can be hard to tolerate that so many people either believe the negative information about us or are willing to risk the harm that will come to us as a result of the policies the new administration has promised to enforce. From where we sit, it appears we have learned nothing from history.
BUT FOR US, HATE HAS NOT WON. THAT’S NOT US!
Living in fear and hate exacts a toll; discrimination makes you weak. There’s strength in seeing things for what they are, for exercising discernment, and calling a spade a spade. Though it appears the collective was unable to reflect on what history has shown us, it does not actually indicate an end of history itself.
As a community, we have encountered hate, fear, oppression, and resistance before, and it made us stronger. Our progress is undeniable!
WHEREAS HATRED SEPARATES, LOVE UNITES.
History has taught us well: sometimes the apparent villain wins, and sometimes from playing dirty. But nearly always in the end, their kryptonite is people united, in love and truth. We were here before, we are here now, and we will be here tomorrow.
Let’s take each day as it presents itself.
It’s important to deal with feelings of defeat, incredulity, fear, and anger. and I can think of a dozen more feelings. Let them flow; don’t avoid feeling, crying, yelling, talking, writing…
Also, hugging each other, and feeling proud of who you are, and what you stand for.
It’s also important now to stop vilifying each other and work together for change. We need to keep talking to people and showing them who we actually are, not the characterizations and rhetoric. We need to do this both within our community and with those unfamiliar with us.
Find your motivation in all this, just like our predecessors who said, “that’s enough!”
The path is never linear. We must expect to course correct for the winds and storms that throw us off our path, and be ready to fall back on tried and true navigational skill.
More than ever, we must gather all our resources, talk to each other, have each others’ backs, and build new alliances. We don´t counteract hate with more hate, but with love, and wisdom. We must take the high road, because…
WE CAN’T FIGHT DARKNESS; WE MUST TURN THE LIGHT ON IT.
We’re the generation that will pave the road to a better world, for our kids and grandchildren.
Our team is here for you, more than ever before, and we´re not going anywhere.
History calls us and we’re answering the call.
WE’RE BETTER TOGETHER!
POST-ELECTION SELF-CARE RECOMMENDATIONS & RESOURCE LIST
Self-care in the aftermath of the US election results is incredibly important, especially given the heightened stress and anxiety that often accompanies political change.
Here are some tips and resources for helping you cope with the aftermath, and prepare your next steps.
Trim down your doom-scrolling.
Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are designed to dazzle and engage us, but can also bring unexpected confrontations with transphobic ads and comments. Unhooking yourself can be tricky.
Here are a few tips for helping you manage your social media consumption…
- Use phone apps like Screen Time (iOS) or Digital Wellbeing (Android), along with browser plugins, like BlockSite, to help curb, limit, and manage your time on socials..
- Read and subscribe to LGBTQIA+ affirming content, like the Archer Magazine newsletter, Trans Reads, Erin in the Morning, or by visiting positive subreddit threads, such as r/asktransgender or r/lgbt, which are spaces for sharing experiences and offering mutual support.
- Retrain the algorithm by reporting hate speech, unfollowing toxic accounts, and interacting with trans-positive content. The more you engage with inclusive content, the more likely it is to show up in your feed.
- Use the time you would be spending on social media on grounding activities, like going for a walk, visiting green spaces, or deep breathing.
Bonus: Read the LGBTQIA+ Guide to Facebook and Instagram, ACON Safe and Strong, and learn some new ways of safely navigating the virtual jungle.
Find solidarity with national and boots-on-the-ground local advocacy.
Find the nearest LGBTQ+ community center, or Google for a list of advocacy groups and nonprofits in your area, and find out about volunteer opportunities. Offer to assist with events, help organize fundraisers, or participate in outreach efforts like providing education and resources to local schools, healthcare providers, or community centers.
You can also start dropping into town council meetings, school board meetings, and town halls, and voicing support for trans-inclusive policies. Start or join petitions, write letters to local officials, or work with school administrators to push for trans-inclusive curricula and support services.
Talk to people who want to support trans people yet voted for the new administration. Help them work from the inside by voicing their disapproval for anti-trans policies and progressing bodily autonomy while not demonizing them for their choice.
Also get involved in local marches, protests, or awareness campaigns that support trans rights and gender diversity. Whether by attending or helping to organize, your presence can amplify the message of equality and justice for trans communities.
A couple notable national organizations to also check out…
🌐 National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE)
NCTE works to change laws and policies that affect transgender individuals, along with advocacy and resources for coping with political challenges. Find ways to TAKE ACTION.
The largest national, trans-led legal organization championing the rights for trangender and gender non-conforming people. Find out more about PROGRAMS.
Counteract despair and isolation by creating Check-In Circles & Events.
Gather a small group of trusted friends, either virtually or in person, for weekly or monthly check-in’s where everyone is welcome to just vent their heart out, and then laugh, relax, and reconnect with who and what’s important. Host a dinner, movie, or game night, or–for far-off friends–a Zoom party.
For the far-off friends, you could also create a WhatsApp group, where members link everyone to the events or articles they’ve found that are helpful, or else drop a positive, uplifting, or hopeful experience from that week.
This would be a good way to bring your friends and beloveds into the loop if you start getting involved with advocacy–let them know about the events and programs you’re part of, and where / what they can do to also be proactive against the political ire.
Or, if you’re just too busy to really organize a thing, just try staying in touch and boosting morale by sending funny memes and videos (this is a good one).
Finally, and perhaps most important–start preparing important documents.
We’ll have another article coming out in a couple of days outlining all the documentation you’ll want to start putting together, as well as relevant resources for where to go for more info, and how to to make sure it’s done as well as it can be.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to find out when it’s live!
Join the TransFamily Alliance Community and Resource Center – Open Enrollment for Premium Membership Until November 15th, 2024.
Finally, remember that the TFA offers a safe, vetted online community and learning space dedicated to helping you support and empower your family and trans or gender-diverse child as you navigate the complex terrain.
Our community is carefully curated and every member is thoroughly vetted to ensure a safe and supportive environment for learning and exploration. We’re here to help you make informed, healthy decisions for your family, with science-backed resources developed by experts who have lived the experience as trans or gender-diverse individuals.
Enrollment for premium membership is open until November 15th. Go here to learn more.. Free membership is open year round.
Dear Community.
We at the TransFamily Alliance and the Gender Health Training Institute had a lot of feelings regarding the election results. In the days immediately following, we’ve dedicated a lot of time for holding space to process all the emotions coming up.
We want you to know that we’re committed to do exactly the same for you.
It’s a difficult world we’re living in right now. It can feel like disinformation and hate are winning. It can be hard to tolerate that so many people either believe the negative information about us or are willing to risk the harm that will come to us as a result of the policies the new administration has promised to enforce. From where we sit, it appears we have learned nothing from history.
BUT FOR US, HATE HAS NOT WON. THAT’S NOT US!
Living in fear and hate exacts a toll; discrimination makes you weak. There’s strength in seeing things for what they are, for exercising discernment, and calling a spade a spade. Though it appears the collective was unable to reflect on what history has shown us, it does not actually indicate an end of history itself.
As a community, we have encountered hate, fear, oppression, and resistance before, and it made us stronger. Our progress is undeniable!
WHEREAS HATRED SEPARATES, LOVE UNITES.
History has taught us well: sometimes the apparent villain wins, and sometimes from playing dirty. But nearly always in the end, their kryptonite is people united, in love and truth. We were here before, we are here now, and we will be here tomorrow.
Let’s take each day as it presents itself.
It’s important to deal with feelings of defeat, incredulity, fear, and anger. and I can think of a dozen more feelings. Let them flow; don’t avoid feeling, crying, yelling, talking, writing…
Also, hugging each other, and feeling proud of who you are, and what you stand for.
It’s also important now to stop vilifying each other and work together for change. We need to keep talking to people and showing them who we actually are, not the characterizations and rhetoric. We need to do this both within our community and with those unfamiliar with us.
Find your motivation in all this, just like our predecessors who said, “that’s enough!”
The path is never linear. We must expect to course correct for the winds and storms that throw us off our path, and be ready to fall back on tried and true navigational skill.
More than ever, we must gather all our resources, talk to each other, have each others’ backs, and build new alliances. We don´t counteract hate with more hate, but with love, and wisdom. We must take the high road, because…
WE CAN’T FIGHT DARKNESS; WE MUST TURN THE LIGHT ON IT.
We’re the generation that will pave the road to a better world, for our kids and grandchildren.
Our team is here for you, more than ever before, and we´re not going anywhere.
History calls us and we’re answering the call.
WE’RE BETTER TOGETHER!
POST-ELECTION SELF-CARE RECOMMENDATIONS & RESOURCE LIST
Self-care in the aftermath of the US election results is incredibly important, especially given the heightened stress and anxiety that often accompanies political change.
Here are some tips and resources for helping you cope with the aftermath, and prepare your next steps.
Trim down your doom-scrolling.
Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are designed to dazzle and engage us, but can also bring unexpected confrontations with transphobic ads and comments. Unhooking yourself can be tricky.
Here are a few tips for helping you manage your social media consumption…
- Use phone apps like Screen Time (iOS) or Digital Wellbeing (Android), along with browser plugins, like BlockSite, to help curb, limit, and manage your time on socials..
- Read and subscribe to LGBTQIA+ affirming content, like the Archer Magazine newsletter, Trans Reads, Erin in the Morning, or by visiting positive subreddit threads, such as r/asktransgender or r/lgbt, which are spaces for sharing experiences and offering mutual support.
- Retrain the algorithm by reporting hate speech, unfollowing toxic accounts, and interacting with trans-positive content. The more you engage with inclusive content, the more likely it is to show up in your feed.
- Use the time you would be spending on social media on grounding activities, like going for a walk, visiting green spaces, or deep breathing.
Bonus: Read the LGBTQIA+ Guide to Facebook and Instagram, ACON Safe and Strong, and learn some new ways of safely navigating the virtual jungle.
Find solidarity with national and boots-on-the-ground local advocacy.
Find the nearest LGBTQ+ community center, or Google for a list of advocacy groups and nonprofits in your area, and find out about volunteer opportunities. Offer to assist with events, help organize fundraisers, or participate in outreach efforts like providing education and resources to local schools, healthcare providers, or community centers.
You can also start dropping into town council meetings, school board meetings, and town halls, and voicing support for trans-inclusive policies. Start or join petitions, write letters to local officials, or work with school administrators to push for trans-inclusive curricula and support services.
Talk to people who want to support trans people yet voted for the new administration. Help them work from the inside by voicing their disapproval for anti-trans policies and progressing bodily autonomy while not demonizing them for their choice.
Also get involved in local marches, protests, or awareness campaigns that support trans rights and gender diversity. Whether by attending or helping to organize, your presence can amplify the message of equality and justice for trans communities.
A couple notable national organizations to also check out…
🌐 National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE)
NCTE works to change laws and policies that affect transgender individuals, along with advocacy and resources for coping with political challenges. Find ways to TAKE ACTION.
The largest national, trans-led legal organization championing the rights for trangender and gender non-conforming people. Find out more about PROGRAMS.
Counteract despair and isolation by creating Check-In Circles & Events.
Gather a small group of trusted friends, either virtually or in person, for weekly or monthly check-in’s where everyone is welcome to just vent their heart out, and then laugh, relax, and reconnect with who and what’s important. Host a dinner, movie, or game night, or–for far-off friends–a Zoom party.
For the far-off friends, you could also create a WhatsApp group, where members link everyone to the events or articles they’ve found that are helpful, or else drop a positive, uplifting, or hopeful experience from that week.
This would be a good way to bring your friends and beloveds into the loop if you start getting involved with advocacy–let them know about the events and programs you’re part of, and where / what they can do to also be proactive against the political ire.
Or, if you’re just too busy to really organize a thing, just try staying in touch and boosting morale by sending funny memes and videos (this is a good one).
Finally, and perhaps most important–start preparing important documents.
We’ll have another article coming out in a couple of days outlining all the documentation you’ll want to start putting together, as well as relevant resources for where to go for more info, and how to to make sure it’s done as well as it can be.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to find out when it’s live!
Join the TransFamily Alliance Community and Resource Center – Open Enrollment for Premium Membership Until November 15th, 2024.
Finally, remember that the TFA offers a safe, vetted online community and learning space dedicated to helping you support and empower your family and trans or gender-diverse child as you navigate the complex terrain.
Our community is carefully curated and every member is thoroughly vetted to ensure a safe and supportive environment for learning and exploration. We’re here to help you make informed, healthy decisions for your family, with science-backed resources developed by experts who have lived the experience as trans or gender-diverse individuals.
Enrollment for premium membership is open until November 15th. Go here to learn more.. Free membership is open year round.
