I’m trans too. I’m still closeted, though, and now I’m getting scared that I’ll never be able to transition. They’re restricting gender-affirming care for minors right now, but it feels like a small step for them to ban it for adults too. And I have ADHD and take antidepressants- I’m starting to be genuinely worried that they might put me in a camp. What do we do? Where can we go that is safe?

I am trying to ignore it. It’s like all the worst fears I could have coming true. The richest man in the world, a naked fascist and virulent transphobe, is gobbling up all the sensitive data the government has and is feeding it to AI so he can tear down the government and usher in techno-feudalism.

Meanwhile, I still have to go to work and pretend that everything is fine and normal, while the government is trying to define trans people out of existence, help Israel ethnically cleanse Palestine, and threaten every ally we’ve had.

I want to leave, but it’s extraordinarily difficult to uproot your life, and there’s no guarantee that finding a viable way to move elsewhere is going to happen.

So I’m just trying to imagine myself as a tiny individual, trying to hide from the brutality and eke out a good life with my little resources and community, and pray that whatever happens doesn’t happen to me directly.

Maybe I should be out protesting - I feel like I should - but there isn’t a mass movement right now, and there’s no leverage in government to stop them. So things are feeling pretty bleak right now.

I am very aware. What’s fun and good, though, is my complete inability to do anything about it.

Ah, then the answer is definitely smoking weed for me. It’s not for everyone, and I have no judgement for those that don’t partake. But it is really much less harmful than most people are led to believe, and I find that joint of a good strain at the end of a long day is a great way to relax and have a nice chill evening.

I smoke a lot of weed, so I guess that. But I also don’t really believe in feeling guilty for pursuing pleasure - I spent too long doing that as a Catholic, and I have no desire to go back.

If you don’t mind my asking, where did you go and how was the process? I haven’t left yet, but I think it’s well past time I had a plan. I have a passport and all my documents have the same (although not my preferred) gender markers. So my current thought would be to look for a remote work job and then try for a digital nomad visa somewhere in the EU.

I’ll echo the other reply - red states will not have them, blue and some purple states will. I suspect we will continue to have the facade of democracy for a while, and may see the Democrats take the House and maybe the Senate in 2026.

The real question is, if there are elections in 2028, and the Republicans lose, will there be a transfer of power? I don’t have a good feeling about the answer, but only time will tell. Four years is a long time for an obese old man with a very stressful job to live, and I don’t think there is anyone who can easily take over Trump’s cult of personality and take the reins of the fascist movement.

Ding ding! After the Proton fiasco, I got a domain and have started moving my accounts to that email, which connects to Tuta

Too late to stop it from happening, not too late for consequences (in theory)

It’s been a few hours. I’m confident that no one is forgetting this as a lesson in the danger of trusting the US going fares.

Continued to support Democrats after they fucked him in the 2016 primary, I’m guessing?

I don’t know, I still like him

Are you fucking kidding me? Governments should be moving toward systems that make information easily accessible to every person in the country.

I mean, I’m not surprised, because America is The Bad Place. But they continue to find new and creative ways to disappoint and infuriate me

Yeah, I was in a mood this morning. Seasonal depression is a doozy this time of year.

I’m actually planning to do some containers on my balcony this year. I do miss having an outdoor garden, though

Spend lots of time gardening, reading, writing, and painting. Unfortunately, it seems like I’m going to have to spend the next forty years as a wage slave before I can enjoy that life