Typically, at this time of year, I would write about the Transgender Day of Remembrance and the dozens of transgender people who have been killed at the hand of anti-transgender violence. It's an issue that has driven much of my work since 1998.
There is something bigger that needs to be discussed right now, however, and that is the recent 2024 presidential election.
Now, I'm not all that interested in discussing why former President Donald Trump was elected for a second time or whose fault it was, aside from noting that it wasn't transgender people who caused it.
The Republican Party, Trump's campaign, and related forces did spend big on anti-trans issues, with Trump-supported ads running during major sporting events nationwide. Yet the ads themselves were not effective: only 4% of voters said that preventing trans surgeries or stopping trans kids in sports drove their vote, according to an analysis from GQR, a woman-owned polling firm, and the Human Rights Campaign.
Indeed, the only people really talking about transgender issues this election were the right wing, as the left largely remained silent. Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz did speak on it a bit, but presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris — and the rest of the Democratic Party — avoided the issue as much as possible. Even as Delaware state Senator Sarah McBride (D) became the first out transgender woman elected to Congress, it is worth noting that the party did not have her on stage at the Democratic National Convention this summer, nor was her historic campaign touted during this election season.
Post-election, some Democrats are also seeking to throw transgender people under the bus — even though we never had a seat on it in the first place.
Meanwhile, it was LGBTQ voters who made up a huge part of the support for Harris-Walz: 84% of LGBTQ people who voted supported the Harris/Walz ticket, and those votes made up 8% of the overall vote in 2024, per the analysis from GQR and HRC.
But what is done is done, and no matter what Trump and his administration does, we all will be harmed. The right has pushed hard on demolishing transgender rights for years now, and this is its chance to bring it all to fruition.
Trump has vowed to end President Joe Biden's "cruel policies" on gender-affirming care on "day one," though, as with anything that tumbles out of his mouth, it is unclear what that means. In many of Trump's speeches, he claimed he was ending trans surgeries performed in schools, which is a thing that simply doesn't happen.
Trump can, however, push to see trans identities stripped from our government documents, he can push for schools that include recognition of trans identities be stripped of federal funding, and he can make it vastly harder for people to acquire needed medications. Of course, any anti-discrimination protections will also be on the chopping block, both from this incoming administration and from a strongly conservative U.S. Supreme Court.
Beyond this, of course, Trump's victory will embolden anyone who seeks to harm transgender people. This will only encourage our attackers and aid those who take our lives. Since the first Trump presidency, the issue of anti-transgender violence has only continued to grow, and it is surely poised to get much, much worse.
Further, the reluctance of the left to even mention transgender people — even McBride, the Democrats' soon-to-be member of Congress — makes it clear to me that there's no help on the horizon. No one within this country's halls of power will be coming to save us. We're on our own.
So, it's up to us to stay safe. Now is a time for us to come together like never before.
We need to set aside our petty arguments and join together in purpose. We need to watch over each other, provide for each other, and work to keep us all safe and well.
With that in mind, I want to suggest a few things you should be doing right now to watch over your needs.
If you need a supportive voice, please remember that the grassroots Trans Lifeline exists, and it is there to help. Hotline officials also won't out you to law enforcement. You can reach it at translifeline.org or 1-877-565-8860. We need you to remain in the community.
Get your identity documents updated now, before Trump returns to the White House on January 20. U.S. passports are valid for 10 years. The Biden administration approved gender-neutral passports in 2022, and these may be at risk. I assure you, however, that getting your identity down on paper is worth doing right now. Keep these documents in a safe but easy to access place.
Talk to your medical provider, too, about extending your prescriptions, and stock up on your medications. They could become a lot harder to obtain, so research do-it-yourself options for hormone replacement therapy. You can find some tips on that at diyhrt.wiki. (Note that the site is not intended as medical advice.)
If you can, get a durable power of attorney and an advance health care directive. Those, too, should be kept in a safe, accessible spot. The state of California has a downloadable form.
The San Francisco Office of Transgender Initiatives has a list of community services.
Consider now your emergency plans. Make a physical list of contacts and information, and prepare what you might need with you in a case of extreme emergency. I hope it doesn't come to this, but being prepared is always better than not. Especially now.
If you need a safe place, and if you are a trans person of color, please reach out to Garden of Peace Project at gardenofpeaceproject.org — and if you can, consider donating to it. The organization works to uphold and affirm the lived experiences of queer and trans people of color.
And finally: understand that if you need to detransition, go into the woodwork, or go stealth — that's OK. If you can get out of the country that may be something you'll want to consider. The important thing to do here is survive, and a retreat is a better option versus many others.
Finally, hold onto hope. I'm not going to tell you this future is easy, but we can survive. We have to.
Stay safe and stay well.
Gwen Smith has already sent in her passport renewal. You'll find her at www.gwensmith.com
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