Girling

So, I’m back.

I haven’t written since Trump was elected because, as liberal teary-eyed as it sounds, I have simply felt too overwhelmed to write something intentional, coherent, and thoughtful, which I hope this blog usually is. 

In the days following the election, I read countless think-pieces about what a second Trump term means for the country and specific groups within the US. I filled pages of my notebook with quotes that succinctly described how I was feeling or offered some scrap of hope and it made me feel less alone in my feelings. It felt silly to have such strong feelings about a political decision, to not want to get out of bed because one person was promoted over another. I’m an adult, after all.

But Trump isn’t a regular Republican.

And maybe I wouldn’t have felt so devastated if the winning conservative candidate was someone else. But Trump isn’t a regular Republican. He’s not a politician I feel comfortable calmly disagreeing with. He is a figurehead whose views go against my very moral code, who represents the darkest corners of the country and spins his thinly-veiled hate as forging a greater nation. He is dangerous, even more so because the people who oppose him often underestimate him and the puppet masters behind his policies. Now, a month into his second term, I think he has demonstrated how dangerous he can be. 

I’m not, nor do I pretend to be, an expert in politics, policy, law, or economics. I won’t comment on geopolitical alliances or the price of eggs. I don’t want this blog to be a predominantly political space; I know that my sphere of knowledge is largely concentrated in health and gender issues. I do, however, have to acknowledge the political influence on the things I blog about. 

I do, however, have to acknowledge the political influence on the things I blog about. 

I have to acknowledge how cutting DEI programs, barring trans folk from participating in sports, and attempting to erase the existence of gender fluid and nonconforming people sets our country back decades in terms of equity and equality. I have to talk about how those types of actions are related to cutting foreign aid and the impact that has on women across the globe. I have to address how cutting medical research funding will directly, and negatively, impact women’s health outcomes. I have to stand up for the humanity of people who are not, by nature of their being immigrants, criminals nor the source of economic suffering but are instead hoping for the same equality, equity, and opportunity that I advocate for through this blog.

As one person with little to no political influence beyond her vote, I think the only way to manage the anxiety of our nation’s descent into fascism is to address the things that I can in the best way I can. I’m a writer, a feminist, an ally, and an advocate. I still feel overwhelmed, but as some friends have told me lately, continuing to write about issues that are important is something I can do, however small, to inspire hope and change from within my own sphere of influence. 

I encourage others to similarly find strength and hope in the power of their voice and their individual sphere of influence.

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