Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

CN: Satire, Trump, disturbing images

Everywhere that I turn this week I find advice, demands, and grief over the direction 73,455,333 American voters have steered us. It is a dark hour, but it is not the only dark hour. Our elders and ancestors have walked through dark times, so I asked some of them to share their perspective.

From a Presidential perspective, Nixon and Reagan wrought great pain and spilled much blood. What did adults experience waking up to a Nixon/Reagan victory? Every President has benefited from racial oppression, demonizing marginalized groups, and controlling the bodies of women and nonbinary people. What also resonated with me was all of the content created by Indigenous people and Black Americans about their ‘thrival’ for centuries, content and lessons they share about how they create culture in this time. And I think about my friends who resist capitalism, looking to different models of organizing and governance. We have lessons to learn and many neighbors who can teach us.

So I asked if they would share their thoughts. No questions from me, no editing, no limits on what they can write. Just asking for their help. I’m just here to amplify their voices.

This will likely be an occasional series as folx find time to contribute. ~ Sue

Name: Caiolinn * Pronouns: she/her * I’m just an old woman.  

As an old woman, some say “transwoman” since I did transition some decades ago, I remember the days when news were facts, not opinions, and only lasted a blessed 30 minutes a night. These past few years of seeing so many anti-trans bills passed have broken my heart knowing the damage it does to trans- youth. In recent months this horrible waste of space, this Orange Miscreant soon to be the 47th President and the 1st Fascist head of state of what is now the Fascist States of America has spewed lies and misinformation about trans issues saying one’s son goes to school in the morning and comes home a daughter. Added to that lies about legal immigrants eating pets, calling the opposition enemies within, and so many other horrible statements that it’s too long to list. 

Since Regan allowing the likes of FoxNews to grow unregulated the left has been under attack and of course they go after the most vulnerable. After their success overturning Roe trans came under their cross hairs. Just recently white supremacist bots targeted Black Americans so once more the racist, homophobic, transphobic have risen from under their rocks empowered by this Orange Miscreant and his minions. In recent months and years I have been treated rudely in red states once anyone even suspected I was trans. My psychologist, who is a cis-woman but tall like me, has been targeted by transphobic persons. The right has gobbled up many news outlets (Sinclair Media I’m speaking about) and demand that they tote the MAGA line. No facts reach those viewers, only the lies that foment hate and prejudice reach their ears and enable more hate. The willfully ignorant remain ignorant, the stupid just swallow it all up, and those that know better welcome anything that further’s their agenda.

The once great Republic had politicians with at least some integrity and worked toward the greater good but now it’s all about power and money. The Orange Miscreant can be so easily manipulated that those in powerful position are quite pleased he has the keys to the nuclear weapons. SCOTUS is under the spell of MAGA, and now both houses in Congress are in MAGA control with nothing to hold them back from doing whatever they want. Think about a national abortion ban, gay marriage over turned, trans medical treatment outlawed, outlawing gay sex, outlawing drag, changed free speech, and on and on. Could concentration camps be erected for immigrants, for gay, and for trans folks? Surely someone would say, “Stop”.  

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

—Martin Niemöller

As a Jew, I am afraid. As an atheist I am afraid. As a trans-woman I am terrified. Out of 244 million voters about 140 million voted leaving about 104 million eligible to vote but did not vote. A minority of the country has taken over.  So I justifiably fear there will be no one left to speak for me. I am 65 and I worry about Medicare and my Social Security being taken away. There is talk about making vaccines illegal, removing fluoride from the water, and of course Project 2025 will be coming. Government institutions built to protect will be gone to be followed by pain, suffering, and death. We said goodbye to polio but that will come back, typhoid possibly, and who knows what else and it could be worse than Covid-19. 

The climate crisis will be ignored and given we have already passed the tipping point, in my estimation, climate catastrophes will increase to a point where it will impact more and more people and property that the economy will likely collapse. With no effective  federal government more lives will be lost and society could easily collapse.  There are not checks and balances in the coming administration, so he’ll do what folks want him to do, and he’ll do what he wants to do. We have a petulant narcissistic, sociopathic, 8 year old child at the helm and it’s scary.  

Will we ever have fair elections again?  Will the coming mid-term election happen or be fair? Will wars break out because the stabilizing effect of the USA is now gone since the Orange Miscreant will leave NATO?  The world is already unstable and he’s just going to exacerbate that enormously.  

In this country Native Americans will be under further attack with pipelines and more land grabs. Remember him saying they were “poisoning our blood”?  Hitter’s words and if you aren’t a straight, white, Christian you’d best watch out. 

My survival tactic is to keep my friends close. Pittsburgh is a pretty safe city and I shall remain here and travel outside blue areas as little as possible. I shall be avoiding the news, which for me is only The Guardian, Der Spiegel, the London Times, and the New York Times.  I don’t do any social media nor watch television news.  There are some other periodicals I read so I try to get a good world view but after this election I cannot emotionally handle all the news about that horrid man.  I don’t know how to thrive now, and haven’t for the last few years. My anxiety has been very high since 2016 and has only grown higher over the last few months. I find it difficult to even leave the house. Since the election I am alternatively in complete despair crying, or full of intense anger and I’m exhausted. 72,000,000 + people voted for this criminal, and I accept that results. I am deeply saddened that the nation is so stupid, or ignorant, or just selfish. I’ll be OK, maybe not mentally, but otherwise I’ll be fine. It’s the vulnerable that I worry about, the deaths he will cause, and the suffering the world will likely be treated with in the coming years. We deserve whatever comes and that’s a sad and scary feeling.

I have no hope for the human race as a whole. We are a violent selfish species bent on self destruction and maybe that’ll be best for Mother Earth. Maybe we are the virus that needs to be eradicated for her to survive.  So I’ll survive, but certainly not thrive. I’ve had a good run but I weep for my children, and for younger folks because the future looks very bleak indeed.

Other posts in this occasional series

Guest Post by Lenore Dingus: Haudenosaunee-Seneca Perspective on Resiliency and Persistence