Well, I hope things get better. I can suggest all the obvious things: find a local mutual aid group to raise the $200 for the passport fee, I think right now a lot of liberals would love to support a trans person in need. Maybe you have friends or family who would be willing to help, but even if not there might be a local trans community you could try to connect with and they might be able to help or know people able to help.

Either way, I understand if the challenges are too great - some things can remain perpetually out of reach.

is the issue money, or time, or both?

ah, maybe I had it backwards, maybe it was a 2 point lead that Trump had over Harris? Anyway, thank you so much for the link, that’s really helpful!

72 million voters voted for Trump, that’s not equivalent with embracing Trump’s hatred. Trump’s base is bigoted and hateful, but that doesn’t mean every voter is. A lot of them seem clueless, by all accounts. I think a lot of them were just voting against the incumbent because they were upset about price gouging and inflation.

I think Harris had a 2 point lead among male voters age 18 - 29. Where is the 2% stat from, I would like to learn more (if it’s convenient to share).

might be worth reading Susan Stryker’s Transgender History

I also found Stone Butch Blues provided some useful historical context.

that’s good ❤️

State violence is usually not a civil-war style showdown, instead it is often a slow and indirect process, and the worst forms of the violence are outsourced to police forces and prison wardens. This is the asymmetry between the oppressed and the oppressors, they can afford to maintain the appearance of moral righteousness while perpetuating violence indirectly.

I would encourage you to not assume votes for Trump were necessarily endorsements of what he stands for. My vote for Harris certainly wasn’t an endorsement of her policies (such as pro-Israel, pro-fracking, etc.). Like many people, I vote for the lesser evil.

Lots of people are voting Trump out of anger about inflation and price-gouging. Sure, his base is made up of bigoted individuals, but I’m talking about the people who voted for Obama, Trump in 2016, Biden in 2020, and Trump in 2024 - these voters are mostly working class folks, they are more diverse than you would think, and they are mostly upset about the economy and punishing the incumbent for not taking better care of them.

We can criticize these voters until we’re red in the face and there are plenty of legitimate critiques, but it’s helpful to remember the rage of poor people rarely gets channeled in healthy or constructive ways. I believe Frantz Fanon noted this about the violence that boils up in response to colonial imperialism, and while it doesn’t directly apply here, I think there are some similarities worth considering.

Might be a good time to check your documents, make sure you have a U.S. passport, that it isn’t expired, etc.

thanks - maybe consider contributing to their mutual aid networks so they can afford DIY hormones, so they can be housed when fleeing red states, etc.

been feeling this way my whole life

I’m just not motivated by that. Those people are my family, friends, and colleagues.

yeah, I dunno - that just sounds like detachment from the looming consequences, which can sometimes be easy (at least for me, dissociation seems to be a common coping mechanism for me) but it is unwise if it prevents you from taking the necessary actions to protect yourself.

I was in good spirits even after Pennsylvania was called for Trump early this morning, so I get it. Feeling worse after some sleep, though.

I guess that’s the potential payoff, but I am a bit pessimistic. Still, when you’re up against the wall, what is left?

hear it from his own mouth: President Trump’s Plan to Protect Children from “Left-Wing Gender Insanity”

tbh that’s just a round-about way to die (can’t call dying in a trench euthanasia, though)

Thank you 💙

Yes, I renewed my US passport when I had my name changed and was able to update my gender marker as well. Nothing special is required for the gender marker, you can just choose which one you want. I recommend not using the X marker since it makes air travel difficult. I did not find it that difficult of a process, just a matter of filling out the forms and providing the required documentation. I suggest providing a copy of your court order for the name change in addition to the official copy you mail in, so they won’t keep the original.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-passport/change-correct.html

uh, my brain is thinking the one about Slurms MacKenzie, I think there was a sewer in that one?

EDIT: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fry_and_the_Slurm_Factory