In his first two weeks, among many troubling things, Trump declared that trans and nonbinary people no longer exist. All mention of us, and of gender identity, are to be erased from federal documents.
This hurts. On one hand, removing the language is largely symbolic compared to other steps he's taken, like stopping gender
affirming care for minors (plus egregious steps on a whole host of other issues, this is not the newsletter for that).
But as George Orwell knew when he wrote 1984, the words we use matter. Sex and gender are not the same thing. Gender is not a binary, not a pair of checkboxes. (Neither is sex, actually.) But taking away the words to express a whole rich spectrum of identity does make it harder to be
yourself, if you don't fit into one of those tidy boxes. I was in my 30s before I found a word to describe my gender: nonbinary. It's not a perfect word, but it's a hell of a lot better fit for me than "man" or "woman." Taking away those words is an effort to make people who don't fit into their tidy, claustrophobic boxes disappear.
Trans and nonbinary people exist. No one can change that. But Trump and his
Project 2025 friends can make existence really hard for us.
If you're LGBTQ+ on any axis, know that I see you. You exist. You matter. Hold onto your truth, and to each other. It's going to be a rough ride, but we're in this together.
If you're not LGBTQ, please be the best ally you can. Your queer friends and loved ones, especially trans and nonbinary folks,
need you right now. Use the names and pronouns that they ask you to use. Introduce yourself with pronouns, too, to normalize the practice. Support trans organizations in your community by donating or volunteering. Ask your legislators to stand up for trans rights.
As a little dose of queer comfort, I wanted to share this story that I wrote a few years back. "Top Reviews of the Sweet Beauty Bakery, Home of Extraordinary Gender Reveal Cakes" messes with the cult of gender normativity and the ridiculousness of gender reveal parties, giving instead something sweet. May we all find the cupcake that's right for us.
Editor Julia Rios created some lovely art for this piece (above) and even had them made into stickers! I still have 3 spares of these, and I'd like to share them with you. If you're trans, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, or questioning (yes, if you're questioning, you matter too!), hit reply and tell me you'd like one. If I get more than 3 takers, I'll pick at random.
