so i’m pretty much a nobody on this site but it still felt important for me to post this. if u haven't noticed i’ve deleted all my posts from this thread, as well as some others. a lot has changed in my life recently and i no longer consider myself to be a part of this community. as such i will no longer be posting in this thread after this. i know this will earn me enemies but it would feel dishonest and disingenuous not to say anything. i hold no ill will toward anyone in this thread and i am grateful for the interactions i’ve had with you great and supportive people, but i’m just not one of you, and quite frankly, i’m beginning to doubt if i ever was. thank you for reading, and, i love you <3.
-
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
Social LGBTQIA+
- Thread starter dhelmise
- Start date
I don’t know why anyone of us would get mad at you for realizing that you’re not lgbtqia+ when we’ve gone through something similar just in reverse, I understand that it’s not the same but please don’t feel like you have done something wrong when you really haven’t. I’m not very good at comforting people but I hope this helps :(
sadly i get the impression she is quite evil re: foreign policy so not the biggest of wins.
So, with the aftermath of the election, things are not really looking good for LGBTQ folks.
We still don't know if Trump will have the house by his side, but if project 2025 has anything to say about his plans, antidiscrimination laws for LGBTQ people will be fought to be removed, the loss of workplace protections, HRT and any other healthcare for trans folks would no longer be available through Medicare and Medicaid, and schools will likely be FORCED to use birth assigned pronouns and inform parents of students transitioning.
Basically, it's extremely, extremely scary. And there's nothing we can do about it anymore. Unless Harris can pull 300k votes out of her ass in Pennsylvania and Michigan, Trump will win. And that's not the mention the senate has been long lost with Casey, Brown, and Tester all being defeated, Allred and Osborn not winning, and it not seeming good for Jacky Rosen atm either. (edit: Rosen has likely won in Nevada! Gallego also seems like he will win in Arizona. Casey may have a shot still as theres very few ballots left to count in Penn but the race is very tight so far.)
I know its scary to be queer at the moment. I'm terrified for my fucking life myself and I live in a blue state, so I can't even imagine how people living elsewhere feel, but I think its important to remember that we must not just stand down and we got to continue fighting. We can't give into the fear and despair of this outcome, because thats what the right wants. That's what they want us to do. Queer people have to simply keep up their fight and not back down.
Lastly, I highly recommended that to any transfem who does not live in a safe state I 100% recommend looking into potential DIY options if you have not already. It's unknown if trans healthcare will still be accessible, so please be informed of your options in case things go to shit.
Queer folks have gone through decades of total dehumanization from the outside world trying to just fight for equality. This may seem bad atm, but we can fight back. We will fight back, and we will get back up again. Stay safe, be informed, survive.
Godspeed everyone. Stay safe out there.
We still don't know if Trump will have the house by his side, but if project 2025 has anything to say about his plans, antidiscrimination laws for LGBTQ people will be fought to be removed, the loss of workplace protections, HRT and any other healthcare for trans folks would no longer be available through Medicare and Medicaid, and schools will likely be FORCED to use birth assigned pronouns and inform parents of students transitioning.
Basically, it's extremely, extremely scary. And there's nothing we can do about it anymore. Unless Harris can pull 300k votes out of her ass in Pennsylvania and Michigan, Trump will win. And that's not the mention the senate has been long lost with Casey, Brown, and Tester all being defeated, Allred and Osborn not winning, and it not seeming good for Jacky Rosen atm either. (edit: Rosen has likely won in Nevada! Gallego also seems like he will win in Arizona. Casey may have a shot still as theres very few ballots left to count in Penn but the race is very tight so far.)
I know its scary to be queer at the moment. I'm terrified for my fucking life myself and I live in a blue state, so I can't even imagine how people living elsewhere feel, but I think its important to remember that we must not just stand down and we got to continue fighting. We can't give into the fear and despair of this outcome, because thats what the right wants. That's what they want us to do. Queer people have to simply keep up their fight and not back down.
Lastly, I highly recommended that to any transfem who does not live in a safe state I 100% recommend looking into potential DIY options if you have not already. It's unknown if trans healthcare will still be accessible, so please be informed of your options in case things go to shit.
Queer folks have gone through decades of total dehumanization from the outside world trying to just fight for equality. This may seem bad atm, but we can fight back. We will fight back, and we will get back up again. Stay safe, be informed, survive.
Godspeed everyone. Stay safe out there.
Last edited:
I can't wait until four years later...
So I can drink to numb the pain.
In all seriousness, as part of a minority that I don't think is being targeted by project 2025 (autistic), and 2 minorities I don't think most people even know exist (aromantic and agender, especially the latter), I am making it out of this relatively well. But I know a lot of people who would be vulnerable to discrimination because of this. The good news is that I don't think he will come back for a third term, as even if he managed to be able to run a third time, him coming back would surely cause even many of his supporters to riot in the streets. The bad news is I am not sure if we can survive four more years of Trump. Even as someone not targeted by the policies, I am very concerned for my life. For one, taxes will increase on the middle class. But far worse than that is the potential that four more years of Trump could have on the climate crisis. This madman could very well make the planet itself uninhabitable. But for now, we just have to wait and hope he gets cocky and does something so incredibly stupid that he is removed from office.
So I can drink to numb the pain.
In all seriousness, as part of a minority that I don't think is being targeted by project 2025 (autistic), and 2 minorities I don't think most people even know exist (aromantic and agender, especially the latter), I am making it out of this relatively well. But I know a lot of people who would be vulnerable to discrimination because of this. The good news is that I don't think he will come back for a third term, as even if he managed to be able to run a third time, him coming back would surely cause even many of his supporters to riot in the streets. The bad news is I am not sure if we can survive four more years of Trump. Even as someone not targeted by the policies, I am very concerned for my life. For one, taxes will increase on the middle class. But far worse than that is the potential that four more years of Trump could have on the climate crisis. This madman could very well make the planet itself uninhabitable. But for now, we just have to wait and hope he gets cocky and does something so incredibly stupid that he is removed from office.
I am going to wade in to the stress of it all right now, because the amount of (understandable! No judgment!) doomering I am seeing in my communities is difficult to idly watch. I want something here that is firmly rooted in the positive, in what we Can do, for eyes feeling hopeless. I am going to do an absolute classic of online queer spaces actually: I am 21 years old and I am telling all you “kids” who are scared right now to breathe and calm down.
I promise to do my best to leave the tongue in cheek comments there.
Alright, I’ll admit, I’m pretty shaken up. I never imagined in my worst scenarios what played out Tuesday night for the United States, the wide ranging support for nominally fascist policies is horrifying on every level. In my own home town, which is a very small rural community, we’re all pretty disturbed by how things went even at an alarmingly small scale level. Absolutely without a doubt things are going to get harder from here, it’s an unfortunate reality that we now have to face. For trans people especially this is the nightmare scenario, and I know I’m anxiously staring down the barrel of what’s to come, wondering how to get through it.
There is nuance to all of this, though. Things are going to get harder now, but they already were getting harder, with the bulk of anti-trans legislation across the country being passed in the past four years. We have always faced challenges in waves, and we have always survived as a community. We have survived across centuries of complete social ostracization. We have survived the twenties, thirties and forties. We have survived the eighties. We have survived the first Trump administration, and we will survive the next one and what comes after it. You cannot tamp out a fire with boot heels that keeps burning under the surface of the ground - it will always resurge and burn like it did before, or brighter.
Right now we have unique dangers but we also have unique opportunities to come together as a community to protect and support one another. We survive not because governments and politicians legislate our ability to, we survive in spite of their unwillingness to. Now more than ever we need to be fostering positive relationships with those around us, seeking to support those who need it, and making plans for the next years to come. The common refrain in times of stress like this is “I don’t know what’s going to happen.” The next part of that statement now needs to be “but I know what I’m going to do.” Build your bridges, create your community resources, band with others to do the same, and be ready to face what needs to be faced together rather than alone. Ask people what they need. Ask yourself what you need. Let this be a motivator rather than a reason to abandon hope.
And that goes most of all for younger queers. There are a lot of genuine queer children on this website, as well as people younger than me in the sense they’ve only found themselves or come out more recently. There is a LOT of that in the real world too. I think that it is far too easy right now to feel deeply scared, to wonder if you should continue on this path or if you’ll be able to, and my answer to that is Please. Please don’t let this unfortunate moment hold you back from a lifetime. It will be hard but now more than ever you should fight for the life you want. The rest of us will be there to pull you up.
So forget “how are we going to get through four years” and instead ask “what are we going to do Tomorrow.” Instead ask “what do I need to get through this, and what can I do to help others do the same.” 2028’s politicians won’t save us - a bunch of dirty scrappy trans women and queers of all kinds will. Always have.
These are not empty platitudes. If any trans woman needs support or assistance, particularly in understanding and managing HRT, and also learning various means of accessing it, please contact me. Right now that is what I can do.
I promise to do my best to leave the tongue in cheek comments there.
Alright, I’ll admit, I’m pretty shaken up. I never imagined in my worst scenarios what played out Tuesday night for the United States, the wide ranging support for nominally fascist policies is horrifying on every level. In my own home town, which is a very small rural community, we’re all pretty disturbed by how things went even at an alarmingly small scale level. Absolutely without a doubt things are going to get harder from here, it’s an unfortunate reality that we now have to face. For trans people especially this is the nightmare scenario, and I know I’m anxiously staring down the barrel of what’s to come, wondering how to get through it.
There is nuance to all of this, though. Things are going to get harder now, but they already were getting harder, with the bulk of anti-trans legislation across the country being passed in the past four years. We have always faced challenges in waves, and we have always survived as a community. We have survived across centuries of complete social ostracization. We have survived the twenties, thirties and forties. We have survived the eighties. We have survived the first Trump administration, and we will survive the next one and what comes after it. You cannot tamp out a fire with boot heels that keeps burning under the surface of the ground - it will always resurge and burn like it did before, or brighter.
Right now we have unique dangers but we also have unique opportunities to come together as a community to protect and support one another. We survive not because governments and politicians legislate our ability to, we survive in spite of their unwillingness to. Now more than ever we need to be fostering positive relationships with those around us, seeking to support those who need it, and making plans for the next years to come. The common refrain in times of stress like this is “I don’t know what’s going to happen.” The next part of that statement now needs to be “but I know what I’m going to do.” Build your bridges, create your community resources, band with others to do the same, and be ready to face what needs to be faced together rather than alone. Ask people what they need. Ask yourself what you need. Let this be a motivator rather than a reason to abandon hope.
And that goes most of all for younger queers. There are a lot of genuine queer children on this website, as well as people younger than me in the sense they’ve only found themselves or come out more recently. There is a LOT of that in the real world too. I think that it is far too easy right now to feel deeply scared, to wonder if you should continue on this path or if you’ll be able to, and my answer to that is Please. Please don’t let this unfortunate moment hold you back from a lifetime. It will be hard but now more than ever you should fight for the life you want. The rest of us will be there to pull you up.
So forget “how are we going to get through four years” and instead ask “what are we going to do Tomorrow.” Instead ask “what do I need to get through this, and what can I do to help others do the same.” 2028’s politicians won’t save us - a bunch of dirty scrappy trans women and queers of all kinds will. Always have.
These are not empty platitudes. If any trans woman needs support or assistance, particularly in understanding and managing HRT, and also learning various means of accessing it, please contact me. Right now that is what I can do.
THE ONE PIECE! THE ONE PIECE IS REALLLLL
not real shes a zionist
We didn't meet one goal of "trans representative who is anti-zionist". Bigger picture, we didn't meet another goal of "trans representative who is all of anti-zionist, anti-racist, anti-inequality, pro-prison reform, pro-drug decriminalization, pro-environment, and holding (and acting on) each other very important moral position." I agree that is unfortunate. If that makes you unhappy, I don't hold that against you. I'm not here to complain at you or judge you for feeling that way.
However, this community has received a heavy dose of bad news. When it has found a piece of joy in that storm, I think a dismissive one-liner of "your source of joy is fake" is not empathetic or helpful, regardless if it's correct or not. From a strategic point of view, psychology tells us that happiness makes it more likely for people to get off their butts and do stuff, while sadness does the opposite. From a less-strategic point of view, I stand for hope, calm, and even joy in the storm. It's an ideal I certainly fail to meet sometimes–stretches of the past couple days included, but it's what I believe in.
For my part, I acknowledge the limitations of the victory, but as a trans person, the knowledge that someone who shares my experience represents me in government (the broad sense of the word – I don't live in Delaware) is wonderful. I don't expect her to be a particularly virtuous human – even if she was not a zionist, she is a politician – but I am still very happy we have a transgender member there, when we did not have one before.
After the election results, one of my trans discord pals said that they were upset that half of America are bigots. I thought that was a bit melodramatic, as I was sure people voted for Trump not because they hate trans people, but because of other reasons in conjunction with the rights propaganda. But then I started thinking about it more, and I realised how many openly transphobic political ads I have seen (For reference, I live in a swing state), and it got me thinking. How much of America is transphobic? I'd always assumed that transphobes were at most 1/100, but if transphobic ads hit enough people to have them be, at least in the right's eyes, a large enough demographic to risk appealing to, then there might be more than I thought. Does anyone here have a good idea of how much of America is transphobic?
would talk about it more but this isn't the politics thread. tl;dr not all of trump's voters are transphobic, and his voterbase (the silent majority) are people who think he can improve the economy. It's just that all of the open trump voters online are all wildly racist and homophobic and transphobic.
Not sure about the specific numbers but it can't be more than like 10% of trump voters.
It depends immensely on how you define and use "transphobic."
By a definition of "transphobes disrespect trans people's pronouns", probably about 25% to 50% of the US is transphobic. Per a 2022 Pew Poll, about 55% of Americans think it is very or somewhat important to respect a trans person's pronouns, about 25% think it basically doesn't matter whether you respect them, and about 20% think respecting a trans person's pronouns is actively bad.
That is one definition of transphobic, but even if we accept it, we immediately face questions in how to use it. Are the "doesn't matter" (paraphrasing) 25% transphobic because they don't care about trans pronouns, or are they not transphobic because they had an option to say "don't respect trans pronouns" (paraphrasing) and refused to take that option? Maybe some people said "doesn't matter" because they're very laid-back and will do whatever trans people ask of them, because like who cares, and maybe others said "doesn't matter" because they're deep transphobes but don't want to admit it to themselves or others? How do we classify these people? How committed are the "somewhat important" types to avoiding transphobia?
It gets way more complex when you try and pin down what "transphobe" means. This is a question that some people have very strong opinions on, and I do not have very strong opinions on, so I'll refrain from chiming in with my own two cents. As you think about this question, though, some good questions to think in mind are: How do we categorize people that are okay with some types of trans people but not others? What about people who act one way in public but think a different way in private? What about people who say something but don't really act on it? Are there different degrees of "transphobe"? How does "what constitutes a transphobe" compare and contrast to other types of bigotry (and other types of beliefs at large)?
Also, I would like to throw my hat into the ring of the matter of the trans congress member. Is it unfortunate that she is a bigot? Yes. But unfortunately, we live in a world where half the politicians are bigots. But her being appointed makes her voice a mere 1 in 535, so her views are ultimately not that impactful. While this still very well could cause a regression in some areas, her mere existence will outweigh it. Her becoming a member of Congress is an official declaration that trans people aren't just an irrelevant minority that the right can crush under their heel as they please. Now the right knows that trans people have power, and if they want votes, like it or not, they will have to respect that power.
I'm not religious anymore but I'm wishing every single one of you in the States the best. I'll also advise you guys not to come to Canada until you see what the outcome of the 2025 election is - people are tired of our current PM, and a lot of the provincial leadership has been from the conservative party. Pierre Poillivier or however you spell it is a huge fan of Trump, and the conservative party here is notorious for being horrible to LGBTQ+ people and specifically trans people. I can't tell you all where to seek refuge and you have every right to disregard what I'm saying here, but it'd feel wrong for me to not mention this when so many people are wondering where to go next and looking at Canada as a safer option.
On a more personal note, I'm getting my ass into gear and learning how to organize so others do so as well. Us Canadian queers are gonna do what we can - and I'd love to promise you guys that we'll succeed, but the American election demoralized so many of us and invigorated the people who want our rights gone. It's an uphill battle, but our queer elders didn't spend their lives fighting for our rights for us to give up now. We'll do our best o7
On a more personal note, I'm getting my ass into gear and learning how to organize so others do so as well. Us Canadian queers are gonna do what we can - and I'd love to promise you guys that we'll succeed, but the American election demoralized so many of us and invigorated the people who want our rights gone. It's an uphill battle, but our queer elders didn't spend their lives fighting for our rights for us to give up now. We'll do our best o7
How to take care of your community in the next 4 years:
aka: gay woman rambles about being kind
Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone for the wonderful posts and reassurances in this thread. It's undeniably a very scary time both and out of the United States, for marginalized people of all walks of life, but all the strength and kindness in this thread has really helped me get a grip on things and think rationally about what these next years will look like and how to make the best of a bad situation.
I'm not in any position to tell anyone how to live their lives, especially from my relative position of privilege in a safe blue state. I don't have the answers or the life experience to give you every answer you might want, but that's why we have to live: to find these answers ourselves. This is just going to be a few rules I'm going to be living by in the next few years, and that I hope you will, if not follow, at least read and think about.
1: You need to live.
That's it. There's no if, ands, or buts about it. You need to live. Even if HRT gets harder to access or even restricted, you need to live. These next years will be difficult for all of us. We can only get through this together.
You need to not just survive, you need to continue living however you can. Keep an interest in your hobbies. Keep spending time with friends even if you have to meet up far away to do so. Keep learning new things about yourself and about your field of study. They can take a lot of things away from us, but the one thing you have that they can never take is your own willpower.
2: Your loved ones need to live.
We need to unlearn every bit of misconstrued therapy-language telling us that you need only prioritize yourself. This is increasingly becoming a generational issue, where people get this idea in their heads that the only person important is themselves. We're all guilty of this a little bit. We have to rid ourselves of that. Staunch isolationism isn't going to help you. It's going to hurt everyone, including yourself. From this moment on, your community has to be important to you and you all have to work together to live.
Your friends need your kindness. We have to be kind without a reward, or without needing the favor returned. We have to have an open ear, an open heart, an open door. We need to help our friend find that apartment, help them find healthcare or work opportunities. Drive them to the airport. Come over and have a drink just because they need your company. Share the resources we can afford to share.
3: Everyone has to live.
Your kindness does not stop at your immediate circle of friends and accepting family. Your kindness can not stop here. Get rid of the idea that you don't owe anyone anything. Like it or not, you do owe people things. You owe your fellow queer and disenfranchised people, even the ones you aren't friendly with, understanding and kindness. You owe your elderly neighbor help carrying in their groceries. You owe houseless people the basic decency that the world deprives them of.
Selfishness won't get you anywhere. You still can and should be your first priority, but you can't be your only priority anymore. We have to be in this together. Find a queer support group. Find a gay bar. Hell, find a hobby space you think might have a lot of queer people and allies within it. We need to strengthen these existing communities, be there for strangers and acquaintances just as we would our friends. In communities with solid support systems, we are much harder to conquer. This isn't exclusive to cities/blue states either! I promise, these support systems and spaces for marginalized people still exist as long as there's people there to find them. And if there isn't, you have to help make one.
4: We can not be divided.
Little squabbles are no longer the most important thing in your life. Right now, we all have to be united against the fascists in power. We all have to fight against oppression and violence. We have to be united against genocide, war, and the oppressive systems that keep us down. None of us can become complacent and none of us can let ourselves become divided. We will all crumble apart if we allow cracks to form between each other. Put down your petty differences for now. Survival is more important than labels or ideology right now. Always, always continue to be intolerant of hate, but make an effort to be tolerant towards each other.
5: Legality is not morality.
We have to rid ourselves of the idea that the law exists to protect us. We have to rid ourselves of the idea that breaking the law is inherently immoral. The legal system is being and will continue to be used to steal autonomy from all marginalized groups. The legal system is being used to separate families, to force detransition, to encourage police violence against minority groups and to let the police get away with it. The law is not your friend. The law is not a moral guidebook. When the law does not exist to serve you, you do not exist to serve the law.
If you see someone shoplifting baby formula or hygiene products, no you didn't. If you see someone shoplifting anything, no you didn't. If you see an unhoused person sleeping on a bench, no you didn't. If you see someone DIYing their HRT, no you didn't. If you see people distributing their leftover testosterone, no you didn't. You didn't see anyone jaywalk, or skip the train fare, or punch a nazi. You didn't see someone at that protest. Your lips have to be sealed.
I'm done rambling now. I'm sending so much love to you all, we'll get through this <3 Take care of yourselves, take care of your communities.
aka: gay woman rambles about being kind
Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone for the wonderful posts and reassurances in this thread. It's undeniably a very scary time both and out of the United States, for marginalized people of all walks of life, but all the strength and kindness in this thread has really helped me get a grip on things and think rationally about what these next years will look like and how to make the best of a bad situation.
I'm not in any position to tell anyone how to live their lives, especially from my relative position of privilege in a safe blue state. I don't have the answers or the life experience to give you every answer you might want, but that's why we have to live: to find these answers ourselves. This is just going to be a few rules I'm going to be living by in the next few years, and that I hope you will, if not follow, at least read and think about.
1: You need to live.
That's it. There's no if, ands, or buts about it. You need to live. Even if HRT gets harder to access or even restricted, you need to live. These next years will be difficult for all of us. We can only get through this together.
You need to not just survive, you need to continue living however you can. Keep an interest in your hobbies. Keep spending time with friends even if you have to meet up far away to do so. Keep learning new things about yourself and about your field of study. They can take a lot of things away from us, but the one thing you have that they can never take is your own willpower.
2: Your loved ones need to live.
We need to unlearn every bit of misconstrued therapy-language telling us that you need only prioritize yourself. This is increasingly becoming a generational issue, where people get this idea in their heads that the only person important is themselves. We're all guilty of this a little bit. We have to rid ourselves of that. Staunch isolationism isn't going to help you. It's going to hurt everyone, including yourself. From this moment on, your community has to be important to you and you all have to work together to live.
Your friends need your kindness. We have to be kind without a reward, or without needing the favor returned. We have to have an open ear, an open heart, an open door. We need to help our friend find that apartment, help them find healthcare or work opportunities. Drive them to the airport. Come over and have a drink just because they need your company. Share the resources we can afford to share.
3: Everyone has to live.
Your kindness does not stop at your immediate circle of friends and accepting family. Your kindness can not stop here. Get rid of the idea that you don't owe anyone anything. Like it or not, you do owe people things. You owe your fellow queer and disenfranchised people, even the ones you aren't friendly with, understanding and kindness. You owe your elderly neighbor help carrying in their groceries. You owe houseless people the basic decency that the world deprives them of.
Selfishness won't get you anywhere. You still can and should be your first priority, but you can't be your only priority anymore. We have to be in this together. Find a queer support group. Find a gay bar. Hell, find a hobby space you think might have a lot of queer people and allies within it. We need to strengthen these existing communities, be there for strangers and acquaintances just as we would our friends. In communities with solid support systems, we are much harder to conquer. This isn't exclusive to cities/blue states either! I promise, these support systems and spaces for marginalized people still exist as long as there's people there to find them. And if there isn't, you have to help make one.
4: We can not be divided.
Little squabbles are no longer the most important thing in your life. Right now, we all have to be united against the fascists in power. We all have to fight against oppression and violence. We have to be united against genocide, war, and the oppressive systems that keep us down. None of us can become complacent and none of us can let ourselves become divided. We will all crumble apart if we allow cracks to form between each other. Put down your petty differences for now. Survival is more important than labels or ideology right now. Always, always continue to be intolerant of hate, but make an effort to be tolerant towards each other.
5: Legality is not morality.
We have to rid ourselves of the idea that the law exists to protect us. We have to rid ourselves of the idea that breaking the law is inherently immoral. The legal system is being and will continue to be used to steal autonomy from all marginalized groups. The legal system is being used to separate families, to force detransition, to encourage police violence against minority groups and to let the police get away with it. The law is not your friend. The law is not a moral guidebook. When the law does not exist to serve you, you do not exist to serve the law.
If you see someone shoplifting baby formula or hygiene products, no you didn't. If you see someone shoplifting anything, no you didn't. If you see an unhoused person sleeping on a bench, no you didn't. If you see someone DIYing their HRT, no you didn't. If you see people distributing their leftover testosterone, no you didn't. You didn't see anyone jaywalk, or skip the train fare, or punch a nazi. You didn't see someone at that protest. Your lips have to be sealed.
I'm done rambling now. I'm sending so much love to you all, we'll get through this <3 Take care of yourselves, take care of your communities.
I dont think people realize how far kindness goes, we've been told all our lives that it is weak, yet when you pull back the curtain, you realize all of our triumphs came because we were kind, because we worked together. its easy to hate those who let this happen, but there is nothing to gain, and everything to lose, if you try to solve things the violent way. it may sound corny, but sticking together, standing strong, living life in spite of it all; this is how you change hearts, not by force, but by making them realize how much we have in common, imo.
Hello good people of the smogon forums 
The doomerism here is insane but just in case someone loses access to a specific type of treatment, the Pokémon Amoongus has told me that you can place "hrtdiy", then a dot, and "wiki" on your browser which can help.
Also just for the one person insane enough, do NOT make your own at home unless you have a very, very good understanding of chemistry. The most minimum of mistakes or oversight in dozens of things like reaction speed, molar ratios, reaction efficacy, purity, etc WIILL cause irreparable damage or death. And if you have very, very good understanding of chemistry, you know not to consume anything you've synthesised. Please stay safe <3
The doomerism here is insane but just in case someone loses access to a specific type of treatment, the Pokémon Amoongus has told me that you can place "hrtdiy", then a dot, and "wiki" on your browser which can help.
Also just for the one person insane enough, do NOT make your own at home unless you have a very, very good understanding of chemistry. The most minimum of mistakes or oversight in dozens of things like reaction speed, molar ratios, reaction efficacy, purity, etc WIILL cause irreparable damage or death. And if you have very, very good understanding of chemistry, you know not to consume anything you've synthesised. Please stay safe <3
Does she represent Palestinian trans ppl in the government? Representation means to make present that which is, in fact, not present i.e your interests as a trans person in the congress of the American legislature. It (representation) is extremely limited and varied in terms of what it can deliver and trying to naturalize and make out to be innocuous celebrations of the inclusion of a trans person in the government of an empire actively engaged in many ethnic cleansing projects or to make it out as if ppl questioning this 'victory' are kill-joys in this moment is simply to have learned nothing, imo, about how we arrived here in the first place. It's easy to say "I stand for..." and invoke 'psychology' and various platitudes, in fact happiness is about what happens, but it's much different and more difficult to actually stand on a principle beyond posts on a forum or votes in an election.
If this moment in electoral politics where a trans person is in congress gives someone the hope or strength to go on bearing that which is unbearable by all means, far be it from me to take away the grounds of whatever allows one to persist in their routine long after that routine has ceased to sustain their flourishing. But to be grounded in that unreflective, seemingly explicitly purposefully myopic way is very far from a universal perspective and it is apt to continue to point out the shortcomings of this representation so we are able to actually coordinate on confronting the dangers and challenges ahead and achieving long-term security.
TW: Suicidal Thoughts
Sorry if I’m just rambling, but I have a quick intro for you guys
My close family (parents and siblings) are very open when it comes down to coming out as gay, lesbian, trans, bi, etc. So I grew up knowing about this stuff and that everyone should be accepted. It’s not until I got older that I realized that other people aren’t necessarily fond of this concept (I live in the US). I’ve personally always thought that it’s okay to come out, but so many people in my life (including some of my extended family) have pushed different views onto me. But, it hasn’t shaken me. But sometimes, I feel off about it. So many people say that it’s not okay, so is it really? It has been a jumbled mess, but don’t worry I side with yall.
It all started about a year ago, where I thought “is this right?” I was thinking this because at the time I felt attracted to people of the same gender. I felt I wasn’t the right gender. But I pushed those thoughts deep until recently.
There was this girl I liked for a while, and a week ago she came out as lesbian. I didn’t think much of it, since you can’t change how people feel. And at this point, I was almost certain I was bisexual. I just didn’t say anything. I was scared. So I was walking home with my brother and a friend, and my friend said, “oh, so that’s why she’s friends with boys”. Like what? Then a couple minutes later he straight up says it’s not ok to be part of the LGBTQ community.
My friend says this because he is a die-hard Christian. He says it violates the Bible. Ok, keep that to yourself. You didn’t have to voice it!
Other people in my friend group are also pretty homophobic. They always make fun of the kids in my school that are part of the community, and always say it isn’t alright. This made me super scared. I wanna come out as bi, but now I’m not too sure. Shows how much peer pressure can do to you.
After school at about 7, we went out to a community center to play pickleball, and before you say anything, it’s a lot of fun. And there, my “friend” was just openly homophobic. He also just was throwing stuff at me, and one hit me really hard, leaving a mark (I have to see a doctor for it). He doesn’t say anything. He goes back to making fun of the girl I liked. I was so scared. My friends would joke around about all of this, but I realized that they are actually serious.
They are kinda the only friends I have besides my siblings, so losing them is losing everyone really, and these thoughts have made me feel alone. Like I don’t belong
I’d just like to shoutout my parents, siblings, and you guys for keeping me going
I’m currently trying to take steps in the right direction (therapy and removing the friends from my life, maybe coming out, idt I’m ready for that), and I love you all <3. Have a wonderful day!
I sure do sound like a little kid…
Sorry if I’m just rambling, but I have a quick intro for you guys
My close family (parents and siblings) are very open when it comes down to coming out as gay, lesbian, trans, bi, etc. So I grew up knowing about this stuff and that everyone should be accepted. It’s not until I got older that I realized that other people aren’t necessarily fond of this concept (I live in the US). I’ve personally always thought that it’s okay to come out, but so many people in my life (including some of my extended family) have pushed different views onto me. But, it hasn’t shaken me. But sometimes, I feel off about it. So many people say that it’s not okay, so is it really? It has been a jumbled mess, but don’t worry I side with yall.
It all started about a year ago, where I thought “is this right?” I was thinking this because at the time I felt attracted to people of the same gender. I felt I wasn’t the right gender. But I pushed those thoughts deep until recently.
There was this girl I liked for a while, and a week ago she came out as lesbian. I didn’t think much of it, since you can’t change how people feel. And at this point, I was almost certain I was bisexual. I just didn’t say anything. I was scared. So I was walking home with my brother and a friend, and my friend said, “oh, so that’s why she’s friends with boys”. Like what? Then a couple minutes later he straight up says it’s not ok to be part of the LGBTQ community.
My friend says this because he is a die-hard Christian. He says it violates the Bible. Ok, keep that to yourself. You didn’t have to voice it!
Other people in my friend group are also pretty homophobic. They always make fun of the kids in my school that are part of the community, and always say it isn’t alright. This made me super scared. I wanna come out as bi, but now I’m not too sure. Shows how much peer pressure can do to you.
After school at about 7, we went out to a community center to play pickleball, and before you say anything, it’s a lot of fun. And there, my “friend” was just openly homophobic. He also just was throwing stuff at me, and one hit me really hard, leaving a mark (I have to see a doctor for it). He doesn’t say anything. He goes back to making fun of the girl I liked. I was so scared. My friends would joke around about all of this, but I realized that they are actually serious.
They are kinda the only friends I have besides my siblings, so losing them is losing everyone really, and these thoughts have made me feel alone. Like I don’t belong
Then the thoughts settled in. Maybe I don’t belong. Maybe I should disappear and go away. Maybe I should just fade and end it. I was eyeballing knives, just wondering. And in my mind, I just imagined slitting myself. I decided to shower and clear my mind.
Even during the shower, I thought about drowning myself. And I was actually going through with it. But then I heard the voice of my brothers from downstairs, and then I realized what I had to live for. So I stopped
Even during the shower, I thought about drowning myself. And I was actually going through with it. But then I heard the voice of my brothers from downstairs, and then I realized what I had to live for. So I stopped
I’d just like to shoutout my parents, siblings, and you guys for keeping me going
I’m currently trying to take steps in the right direction (therapy and removing the friends from my life, maybe coming out, idt I’m ready for that), and I love you all <3. Have a wonderful day!
I sure do sound like a little kid…
Last edited:
this would be basically impossible, and an attempt at such would only makes things worse. unless you can somehow convince the army to turn against itself (not happening), you will get nowhere.
ok so why is this impossible? well its simple, the game is incredibly rigged against you. in order to have a complete takeover, youd need to deal with the army, the secret service, root out every last person in the house, senate, white house, supreme court, etc. this isnt happening. i dont need to tell you the specifics since any entertaining of the idea ends at "how tf do we stop every last one of them without getting caught/stopped". and besides, the bad rep we as a people would get from such a stunt would just fuel the fire of hate, and be used against us. in this route, there is everything to lose, for a 0.00000000001% (i do not want to find out whether or not this is an exaggeration, as that would mean we have an modern example to compare it to) chance that lady luck smiles upon you and you barely get to the goal. but even still, gl keeping your new throne, cause the moment the word is out, your head is target #1. no matter how far you get, it will only end poorly, so i highly suggest not wasting time and effort entertaining an idea that will ruin you.
imo the only way to have things get better, is to just continue as you are. they want you to be afraid, to hide, to feel like there is no hope. but if you keep going, you will not be forgotten, what you stand for will not be forgotten, and they will need to face you. the more they demonize you, the more power they give to you, anyone who tries to suppress does it because theyre afraid of the suppressed.
its not easy to keep going, but simple, subtle, and smart acts of rebellion add up over time.
of course, you might be thinking "well if youre so smart, how am i supposed to deal with all the demoralizing shit out there, with people wanting me dead without even knowing me?" well, i hate to say it, but you dont have much choice there, you have to deal with it. i cannot blame someone for not being able to face the world every day, for not being able to speak out in such a hostile world, for not being able to put up with the stress. but you have to do smth. even if its smth simple, like just living your life as is, you are making progress, by refusing to die down, you state to the world that you exist. which no matter what state you are in, is the utter opposite of what they want out of you.
tldr; stopping being doomers about it all, doomposting makes it worse. try your best to live as best you can, so that when asked at the end of life, you can say you did all that you could. and that, is how steady progress is made, imo.
(edit: i realize that "just keep living" isnt exactly what people want to hear, but aside from like, protesting, which is very much a good thing, theres not rly any better alternatives imo. its incredibly rough, and not ideal, but if you do wish to try and make a noticeable impact, try going on strike, protesting, or even just trying to get people to understand you, even if its just a few. their hatred is born from a gap in knowledge, so to rid of it, you must fill the gap with real knowledge. its small, but you do whats within your reach.)
(edit 2: in hindsight the message of this post shouldve been "do what you can", rather than "keep going as is". i had the former in mind, but the latter seems to be what came out of it.)
Last edited:
Why do you hear 'revolution' and assume that means either violence or some kind of weird political subterfuge? This isn't the place for politics, but those are absolutely not the only two options. Revolution can (in my opinion, must) also come in the form of revolutionary unity. In an immediate sense, this means educating, agitating, and organizing. Educate both yourself and those around you about queer history, the issues queer people face, and the things they actually want. Get together and form community aid groups with other queer people. Do outreach directly in your community, if you feel safe doing so. We need to help each other instead of relying on a system that simply wasn't built for us.
You're right that living and being visible is important as well. Being a visible queer person who doesn't fit into the ugly hateful stereotypes used against us is so important for eroding the bigotry that drives them. Make people realize that they're being sold a lie and that queer people are not the reason why they're suffering and in fact want the same security as they do. I know that a lot of queer people feel like they can't do that right now, and indeed if you live in an area dominated by the far right and feel like keeping your head down is the best way to survive the next few years, nobody has any right to judge you for it. But don't ever buy into the lie. Don't ever let yourself think that maybe they're right, because they aren't.
I think 'educate, agitate, organize' is an outdated slogan especially for the queer community. We should be saying 'live, educate, agitate, organize', and that first one is the most important.
You're right that living and being visible is important as well. Being a visible queer person who doesn't fit into the ugly hateful stereotypes used against us is so important for eroding the bigotry that drives them. Make people realize that they're being sold a lie and that queer people are not the reason why they're suffering and in fact want the same security as they do. I know that a lot of queer people feel like they can't do that right now, and indeed if you live in an area dominated by the far right and feel like keeping your head down is the best way to survive the next few years, nobody has any right to judge you for it. But don't ever buy into the lie. Don't ever let yourself think that maybe they're right, because they aren't.
I think 'educate, agitate, organize' is an outdated slogan especially for the queer community. We should be saying 'live, educate, agitate, organize', and that first one is the most important.
i believe what youre talking about in your post is rebellion, which i agree is very important, but to say revolution isnt violent is uhhhh... not exactly well thought out.
think about every revolution youve been told of. were any of them peaceful?