“Queers Make Our Own Utopias” and Other Messages of Hope
On Tuesday, November 5, 2024, a person barely capable of tying his own shoes—who once suggested Americans drink bleach, led an insurrection, separated migrant parents from their children, and was convicted of 34 felonies (need I go on?)—has been elected President for a second term.
The Trump campaign and his Project 2025 BS thrives on hate, targeting the most vulnerable in the LGBTQIA+ community as well as immigrants, women, and BIPOC.
No doubt, this presidency will lead to the loss of rights, benefits, and sadly, many deaths. Families with trans children have already become medical refuges within their own country and this will only become worse.
However, the majority of Americans who voted for him would still be sharing a planet with us regardless of who won, outlining all the work we have to do. Our mentor Jennifer Levi says: “Win, lose, or draw, the struggle continues.”
But for right now, many of us are mourning, and we want to come together and provide some comfort. We want to remember that our community is strong and when we come together, we can do anything.
It’s because of the strength, resilience, and brilliance of communities like ours that those driven by fear and hate feel compelled to try and silence us. But we will not back down. We will never stop being ourselves.
To remind everyone of the power of community and the promise of a brighter world, we’ve gathered inspiring messages from a few activists and fashion icons.
Mindy Dawn Friedman, visual activist
“Queers have turned T into shade and made pink lemonade time and again. Every time we near the finish line, the gatekeepers insert a dead-end. I firmly believe that we queers make our own utopias. We somehow manage to turn dead-ends into glorious scenes, art, queer joy. WE are the culture makers. Consider the ballroom culture that redefined the rules and the games that arose from racism and homophobia. Our history is that of a glorious phoenix rising from the flames. Make no mistake about it. Flames burn. And still – we rise. We must rest and practice gentleness and self-care. As for me – I will NOT shrink back. My visibility is more important now than ever. My fight is in building intergenerational bridges, nurturing community, listening, sharing stories, delivering kindness. My authenticity is my vulnerability which allows me to fearlessly rediscover my queer joy – which often looks like wearing my heart on my bow tie.”
Dr. Roberto Che Espinoza, Transgender & Latinx public scholar
“While I’m shocked, I am unsurprised. Now is the time to nurture our visible & invisible ecologies for another possible world in the face of hegemonies of violence from a collapsing empire.
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“Since the election results came in, I’ve had a lot of mixed emotions and none have been good. Initially, there was a sense of shock. Ever since that wore off, I’ve really just been craving community. I’ve been prioritizing time with my friends and family and have found so much comfort in our shared sense of exhaustion. But I’m being reminded, by more than one loved one, that exhaustion doesn’t just mean tired. The gays who took to the streets following the Toronto bathhouse raids of 1981 were exhausted. The gays outside of Stonewall were exhausted. Sylvia Rivero and Marsha P. Johnson were exhausted. The road ahead won’t be easy but when we get a chance to raise our voices and fight for our rights, I have all the confidence in the world that we’ll lock arms and do what our exhausted predecessors did before us.”
Molly Kiran Girton, Financial Consultant
“What makes me me is my authenticity, which is my act of resistance to conformity. I’m leaning into what brings me joy, which for me is an act of resistance. I will not allow the hate out there to take away my brown queer trans joy. Each of us will deal with this differently and what’s most important is to support and love each other through the decisions we feel we have to make.”
Add your own thoughts in the comments!
