Times like these will test the fortitude of our community. Virtually overnight, the revamped federal government stuck a dagger through the hearts of LGBTQ Americans, with President Donald Trump signing one transphobic executive order after another.
President Trump’s second term is already off to a more aggressive start than the first one. This time, the president is particularly motivated to carry out his transphobic agenda as part of a broad slate of hate, having signed several times more executive orders after he entered office this time around.
Demonstrations coinciding with Trump’s second inauguration paled in comparison to the 2017 Women’s March, which was held one day after Trump’s first inauguration. The 2017 Women’s March was considered at the time to be the largest single-day protest in American history, as millions of people took to the streets — from New York City to Los Angeles.
And yet, as the same president returns to the Oval Office, the nation’s most vulnerable populations — including immigrants, LGBTQ individuals, people of color, and women — are facing enormous threats. Immigration policies have been upended. Trans rights are vanishing at the state level in many red states and, now, the federal level. Attempts to address racial equity in the wake of the 2020 George Floyd movement have been drowned out by radical right-wing plans to reject diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. We are more than two years into a post-Roe v. Wade world.
Trump already appointed three conservative justices to the nation’s highest court — arguably his most consequential contribution to the presidency thus far — and he could have further opportunities to shape the court in his image during his second term.
The threats posed by the new president are especially worrisome when many of the nation’s corporate leaders have fallen in line with his vision. A prime example of this is the way in which the most prominent social media platforms in the country — key sources of information for millions of Americans — have dismissed safeguards meant to protect the LGBTQ community and other groups.Many Americans are feeling exhausted, even defeated, in the face of a daunting four-year presidential term that will undoubtedly bring pain to many marginalized communities. That’s understandable — the Trump era has persisted for nearly a decade, after all — but as a community, we must double down on our commitment to a better future. For some, that means activism; for others, that means supporting LGBTQ rights in the courtroom or the boardroom.
In the words of the late, great, out lesbian New York native Audre Lorde, “Your silence will not protect you.” No matter how we contribute, we all play a role in shaping the future.
