Personally Political...

I've written about this before. That I don't understand people who cry about losing friends over politics. "I don't understand why everything has to be so political!" or "I have a lot of friends with different points of view and I would NEVER break that friendship over politics."

Good for you.

I mean it. 

How lovely for you to not believe in anything enough for it to matter.

Must make life a lot easier. 

Because that's really what that is. It's knowing that no matter how someone votes you are going to be fine. I know it drives conservatives crazy to hear the word "privilege" but that's what it is. If nothing on the ballot is going to personally change your life, or the lives of someone you love, then you have the privilege of not being bothered by it all. Of not having to care about it very much. Of being just completely puzzled over friends dropping friends over how they vote. 

How lovely for you.

My life is not that life. Especially right now. Trans people (let's be more blunt; trans women, trans men are rarely mentioned) are the target of the conservative machine right now. They do not want you to pay attention to their actual policies and ideas so they've given you a scapegoat to target. They've added to their ongoing list of immigrants, socialist, marxists and satanists as scary things we should focus on instead of the fact that we are dismantling all of your safeguards and stockpiling money and resources in to the hands of fewer people than you need two hands to count...But look over here! Trans woman! Boo!

Hundreds of anti-trans bills have been put up and passed in conservative states. More are waiting in the wings. And a lot of liberals aren't fighting against them. It's so much like the anti-gay bills and anti-marriage equity fight that it puzzles me when people can't recognize the rhetoric and automatically reject it. Or when people can't recognize the rhetoric and know when they are finished coming after trans people the rest of the alphabet family is next. You think gay marriage is settled law? So was Roe v. Wade and for a lot more years than Obergefell. 

Once the uber conservatives start this slide going their way they aren't going to stop. It's all part and parcel of their plans. Roe, Obergefell, the Voting Rights Act, it's just going to keep going. 

The vote this November is important. I know every vote is important but this one is one more vote along the pathway to do we keep our republic or is our grand experiment over? If the slate of republicans out there that are election deniers and promising to reform the way voting works and who gets to decide the electoral votes are confirmed are elected the next time we face a challenge to our entire system, it won't hold firm. It will fall. It was awfully close to falling last time. 

And I get it, there are a lot of you out there that aren't worried about that. Because it won't make a difference for your life. It's not that important. I mean white, Christian, cis, straight, mostly male being in charge isn't that big of a deal, is it? It won't change your life. 

It will change mine. 

It will change my family's lives as well.

It will change my beloved friend's lives. 

We become targets (bigger targets) for hate and denial of rights. 

So yeah, it's personal. It's only political because politicians have made it so. And you've followed along with it. Letting politicians decide who gets medical care. What type of medical care people can have. Which consenting adults should have the right to get married. Which kids can play sports. What books our kids have access to. Who gets treated as a full citizen in our country and who doesn't. 

And this next part is super personal. Like deeply personal. Because it's one I hear all the time. "I vote republican because I'm pro life." And I've shared all of the stats about how gender affirming care for trans kids prevents suicide. I've shared how making sure that there are anti-discrimination laws on the books keeps LGBTQIA+ folks from getting fired or evicted. And you voting for a transphobic candidate endangers people. Higher rates of suicide, higher rates of poverty and houselessness and those also lead to death. And you say again...but I'm pro life.

No. No you aren't. 

And you can fuck right off with that. And keep fucking off until you think you can't fuck off any more. Then keep fucking right off until you reach the edge of our ever expanding universe and keep fucking right off even more. 

Fuck off. 

It's personal. 

You better fucking believe it.