LadyAutumn

I have recently become involved in the "Trans Housing Network" which was started by [email protected]. I am in the midst of restructuring this into a broader "Trans Solidarity Network", a network of mutual aid communities across the United States. Due in large part to a rapidly evolving political situation in the US trans people are going to have to rely more and more on community to provide aid to them. The government of the US cannot be trusted to provide that aid. Trans people in deep red states may need to escape from them, many of whom do not have the resources to do so on their own. Trans people arriving in blue states will need help finding their feet and accessing care in their communities.

In that vein I am interested in building communities of trans people in localities across the US. You do not have to have anything to be a part of a mutual aid organization. Mutual aid means the community coming together and providing for each other. It means support networks without hierarchy, where your action has a direct impact on the lives of others.

Those with means are important here. Cisgender people can also be part of our mutual aid communities. We need people with a spare room, people with cars, people who can invest a few hours of their week checking in on their community members and giving food and emotional support to those that need it. Don't bother if you're close-minded or you're not open to being corrected on transphobic behavior. We are creating these networks to liberate trans people and protect them from violence. It goes without saying that transphobic people are not welcome, and that a level of scrutiny will be applied to new comers.

This whole thing is an entirely new project that I have been working on since the results of the election were declared. I am following principles of mutual organization and assistance. This is not a charity organization by any means. It is a way for trans people and allies to come together in light of extraordinary circumstances and help each other to be safe and healthy and secure.

The plan I have is (eventually) for communities to be relatively cut off from each other, and to be based around region. Right now in our earliest stages people from all over will be brought together, and as numbers grow will be divided into smaller regional groups. Keeping people geographically close to each other in touch and building networks of communication that extend longer distances. Financial contributions would be person to person, not person to entity to person. If you have money and want to contribute the best way to do so is by joining yourself and becoming a part of this network. I do not have interest in making a formal non-profit or charity organization. This is about private individuals helping each other when the government will not help us (or actively tries to harm us). I am looking for ways that international aid can be provided as well. If you live outside the US you can join the broader mutual aid network but what we need most of all is those who can provide direct assistance.

I am also looking for people who have experience with mutual aid, people who have experience with self-hosted technology, and people who are connected with groups on other social media to promote and spread word about this solidarity network. We need diverse skillsets to provide support to those who need it. Nothing is categorically unhelpful in a mutual aid group.

If you are interested in joining my efforts (which are very early on in terms of development) please message me on Matrix @ladyautumn:chat.blahaj.zone or email me at [email protected].

Like in 2016 a rising tide of conservatives emboldened by the Republican victory are starting to crop up online. Hate speech and random attacks directed at the trans community in online spaces will continue and most likely grow louder in the coming weeks. For our safety and mental health I encourage everyone to avoid online spaces that are not strictly moderated. Avoid social media where transphobia and misogyny are tolerated. The effect of constact exposure to hate speech is profound and horrific. We need to shelter ourselves from it as much as possible. I know it doesn't sound very brave to say that but its the truth. We need to look after each other of course, but first of all we have to look after ourselves.

Like everyone here I've been through a chaotic mess of emotions over the past couple days. I am furious, heartbroken, terrified, and sick with anxiety. I have picked apart everything thats happened in the past few months and tried to make sense of how this could happen. The hows and whys of it dont matter though. This is the reality we are confronted with and we have to exist within it. There is no use in praying for a different world. There is no use in lamenting the reality as it exists.

Trans people have made it through so many eras of open hostility towards us. Our community is built on the foundations laid by those who came before us. We persevere because of our solidarity, our empathy and our unity. We must now turn our attention to how we can fight back against this system. We must move our focus to how we can persist within a new world. Trans people still need hormones. We need ways out of hostile communities. We need protection and we need security. Our focus must change to how we can provide those things without the help of institutions. We need networks of supportive cisgender people throughout deep red states. We need supply chains for bringing hormones to people who cannot access them. We need communities online oriented around supporting our most vulnerable.

I am committed to this community supporting all of those efforts, and am looking to become personally involved in organizing efforts as time goes on. Channel your anger and your fear into action. Process your feelings together, support each other, and remember that youre not alone. We are not alone. Things aren't okay. They won't suddenly be okay tomorrow. But we can look after our community. We can push back. It's our duty to do so, for trans youth and vulnerable trans people who can't advocate for themselves and are subject to the whims of the system.

I don't know what comes next. I don't know what to expect. It's serious. It's real this time. Prepare for the worst-case scenarios and do not assume anything. A lot has been said about how this administration plans to handle queer rights. It could mean anything. No level of institutional violence against trans people is off the table as of now. Medications can be banned, non-conformity with assigned roles can be criminalized, conversion therapy can be accepted as widespread policy. I don't know. The end result is it's not good. Whatever this change in power means for us, it's not good. I don't want to downplay the seriousness of what's at stake here.

That being said, as escape and resistance efforts materialize, this community will support them. We will persevere as queer people have always had to. When the systems fail us, we rely on each other. Grassroots efforts will come together in the coming weeks and months. I encourage people to do what they think is right and to do what they think will keep themselves and their families safe. We have to stay together and we have to love and protect each other. No matter what happens. Unity and queer power doesn't stop now. Today is a day to mourn the loss of a safe world for so many queer people. Tomorrow, we should begin to steel ourselves for resistance.

I hope the best for everyone. This community is here to support us all as this unfolds. I'm so sorry. I wish there was more I could say or do. The waves of anxiety and fear have been washing over me for the past couple of hours. Let's mourn together, I guess. And get ready for what comes tomorrow.

There's some crisis lines in the sidebar I encourage anyone to make use of if you're unsafe right now. Those are all explicitly trans affirming support lines.