Hey fellow white gay men — be good allies, stop appropriating real fear about Trump.
Since the news of Trump being elected the 45th President of the USA, I have been wading hip deep in oceans of white tears from a lot of people who look very like me.
I’m a cis, white, masculine presenting, hetro passing, middle class queer man and I don’t live in the US, I live in the UK. I am the epitome of white privilege. If you look like me (and the majority of gay men in the US and the UK do) then you are at the top of the societal tree because these two countries are built on systems of power and oppression that keep white men in control at the expense of black and brown bodies.
Surprise! Trump’s election is not going to cause you any particular personal discomfort, indeed, its entirely possible you are going to benefit from Trump’s presidency.
When you talk about the impact that Trump will have on LGBT rights you don’t actually mean that. You mean gay rights. And more specifically you mean you are worried about your recent right to get married. That’s it. That’s what you are wailing and gnashing your teeth over. I know – you think your concern is far more altruistic but I’ve yet to see what LGBT rights any white gay man can articulate that they will lose as a direct consequence of Trump as President.
The people who Trump and his allies will go after don’t look like me. They are brown, they are black, they are the fem, non-binary, non-gender normative queers and faggots, trans men and women, people who don’t know quite what the fuck which gender they are or how to present, those with mental health issues, those with chronic life threatening illness. These are the people who will be picked on and targeted and will suffer in the USA that Trump wants to create. Oh and if you live in the UK and are panicking you REALLY need to take a good fucking look at yourself.
If you really want to do something, find a group that works with young trans people and volunteer or donate; do something that helps young trans people not have to whore their bodies for food, a roof, a drink or perhaps that life-changing top surgery. Go and stand with BLM when black bodies are out on the streets pushing for change and really laying their bodies on the line to make the world a better place for them and for me. Do everything you can possibly do to make sure that Trump and his administration can’t follow through on their promise to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and take away the little bit of additional help that gives some people. Work with groups that are trying to get the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act 1994 amended, modified or repealed [Sidebar: its that Act that was part of why HRC was such a flawed and poor candidate, but that is a story for another day].
I’m gonna stop this rant, but I hope you get my point. People are going to suffer because Trump is going to be the next President. You aren’t one of them and you can exercise your power, your privilege to help those who don’t have it.
