I'm going to state the obvious and note that most of our community is very upset today. I'm transgender, too, and I share your trepidation. If nothing else, the results of yesterday's election begs the question, "Now what?"

I am also a historian, though, and a reporter. And I try to look at events in the cold light of day, after pushing emotions aside and looking at the facts that remain. I often don't like what is left, but pleasing me is not the goal of the universe. If you're not yet ready to talk about the election, I get it. Skip this post and find something else to take your mind off it. I'll pause here to let you decide...

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But if you're prepared to discuss the election of Donald Trump and how it came to be, it can be succinctly summed up by the opening line of Shakespeare's "Richard III."

"Now is the winter of our discontent"

Plainly put: Americans are pissed off. For many reasons, in many ways. And the accumulated frustration and anger manifested in a groundswell of support for the most disruptive candidate running. Trump's outsider status is what led to his election back in 2016, and in 2024, even more voters feel disenfranchised, unrepresented and ignored.

Some number north of 70% of Americans polled say that the country is "on the wrong track." Of course, that means different things to different people. But it also indicates a vast near-consensus that something has to change. Trump, for better or worse, represented the better chance of change from the status quo than did Harris.

That is the most simplistic way to understand the results of the election. Drilling down reveals a more direct reason.

Once again, James Carville's oft-quoted adage, "It's the economy, stupid," proved correct. Everyone has felt the effects of the high inflation we've experienced over the past few years. WHY we experienced that inflation matters far less to the average voter than HOW can we fix it. Memories are short, but most people remembered that when Trump was President, inflation remained low. Under Biden, it surged, especially in the first years of his presidency. And Harris was/is part of Biden's administration. Hence, she received the brunt of the pent-up anger.

The state of the economy, particularly Americans' personal finances, was probably the major portion of the underlying discontent. But it wasn't the only one.

And we--the transgender community--were a part of that.

An overview of American history will show you that social progress happens verrrry slowly in this country. Ask any Black person if you're not Black yourself. The most fundamental of rights--voting without restrictions and obstacles--was denied to Black Americans for 100 years after they were freed from slavery. That's insane, and very telling.

In comparison, the advent of gay, and by extension, transgender rights, has happened relatively quickly. The Stonewall Rebellion took place in the summer of 1969, and since then we have seen gay and transgender discrimination in the workplace prohibited (at least legally), hate crimes against those groups criminalized, and same-sex marriage become accepted after the Defense of Marriage Act was struck down. Legal and real life progress.

Here is the most unsurprising thing you'll read today: The transgender community is a tiny section of America's population. I'm not telling you anything there that you don't already know, right?

Our status as such has been both a boon and a burden. Until the past decade or so, transgender people fell below the day-to-day consideration of the cis majority in this nation. Good, in the sense that most people just didn't notice us or care what we did. Bad, in the sense that our personal struggles, medical and mental needs and personal expression, were ignored and deemed deviant.

Thankfully, gradually, our visibility has grown. To the extent that virtually every adult in this country is aware of us and has an opinion about us. Again, both good and bad.

A January 2024, study conducted by YouGov.com, showed that "Majorities agree with existing protections in the U.S. for transgender people against hate crimes and discriminatory firings, but transgender inclusion in athletics, prisons, and public bathrooms all receive more opposition than support."

A generation ago we weren't even on the radar of most cis Americans. Now, we were a major point of contention.

If you watched any television or other media, you undoubtedly say the recurring clip of Kamala Harris' 2019 interview in which she expressed her support of government-paid gender affirming surgery for any imprisoned person wanting it. Or photos of a tall trans volleyball player standing next to a line of smaller cis girls, while a narrator intoned, "Kamala is for They/Them, while Trump is for you."

Your stomach probably knotted up, but those ads were effective and hit a nerve with many cis Americans. Unfortunately for us, it is a cis world, and we are just living in it.

Those are some of the reasons why Donald J. Trump is our President-Elect. So, as a transgender person today, what do we do?

I know many will need time to process this result. Go ahead, take your time. Refer back to my post the other day about embracing mindfulness to get you through. It's always worked for me.

The time will come, though, when you have to face reality and deal with what is. What then?

Part of the answer can be found in the result of the election of Sarah McBride for Delaware's lone Congressional seat. McBride is the first openly transgender person ever elected to the U.S. Congress and her example should serve for what our actions going forward should be.

U. S. Reprentative-elect Sarah Elizabeth McBride

Become more involved in politics. Both local, state and if possible, federal. Work on campaigns, even consider running yourself. Long ago, I dabbled in local politics and decided I didn't have what it takes to run for office. But it is a different time and you may be up to it.

Despite my disinterest in running for office, I still study policy and politics assiduously. I read everything, even opinions and arguments I don't agree with just so I can see what the "other side" is thinking. At some point you may be called upon to debate your position. Knowledge is the best weapon a debater has.

Protests are effective, if targeted correctly. A protest that is simply an outburst of undirected anger usually doesn't accomplish much and generally ticks off uninvolved onlookers. Pick your target carefully. Be it an individual, or a business, or a governmental edict. More people will be drawn to your goals and you need their support.

And employ social media and the reach of the internet. Blogs, podcasts, YouTube videos. Whatever is your preferred medium. Make your case RATIONALLY and coherently. Screaming into a camera and venting accomplishes little or nothing. Learn to express yourself, get your facts in order. People can be swayed by common sense (seriously) and calm words. Trust me on this.

You may not care to hear that right now. Your feelings are too raw and I respect that. But I come from a position that prefers action to inertia. If you want to inspire change, than do something about it.

--- Anni 🏳️‍⚧️