The Official "Support Lexi" (and others affected) Thread

[Lexi Darling]

Isn't this all a bit melodramatic? Lol.  People say they're going to flee the country every time the wrong person gets elected.  I'm not saying I don't expect an eventful 4 years but I don't really see the sense in treating this as some kind of personal catastrophe where you are fleeing gestapo and internment camps just yet.  Assuming you're not an undocumented immigrant,  that is.
 They don't like us bro. We are plastic paddies in their eyes.  That's why I support the British Empire instead. 

I mean it's kinda hard to read this and not sound at least a few alarm bells.
https://glaad.org/fact-sheet-trump-transgender/
Trump will be going in with all three branches of government on his side, with Elon Musk, a very active participant in anti-trans rhetoric, involved in the govt as well. He's probably not going to try a federal all-ages HRT ban, but his "investigations" are threatening clinics that prescribe HRT, and if we can't get it by prescription we have to pay out of pocket, and not only is that impossibly expensive for the average trans person's income, testosterone is a controlled substance so trans men are fucked outright. Clinics in Florida, Texas and the UK have already begun stopping HRT prescriptions for adults. It's hard not to think that this will probably get worse and more widespread.

You're basically saying to not take Trump, Musk, Vance, Project 2025 and the literal billions of dollars they spent on ads that specifically attacked trans people at their word. And that's just the HRT thing, there's plenty of other devastating things that will come from their announced plans to attack legal recognition and protections for trans people. Plus the amount of violence against us on an individual level will most assuredly be emboldened.

Also re:immigrants, a govt official mentioned 'denaturalization' re: immigrants, which means that even immigrants who are legal citizens will be targets.

Like, I guess theoretically there's a chance that Trump completely drops all this or is otherwise unable to get any of it done, sure. I don't see how it's 'melodramatic' to be afraid and seek support, sympathy and refuge when people like me have spent the past 3 years of our online experience being disrespected, misgendered, called pedophiles, told to kill ourselves, having our rights and dignity being treated as disposable, as an 'issue', and a political entity emboldening all of that hateful, cruel and unusual treatment just being elected to US government office with barely any oppositional power left that would even be brave enough to advocate for us.

But each to their own of course.

[Jwb]

Maybe I did speak too generally.  I can understand moving for the purposes of Healthcare if that were to come to pass. It's just I see a lot of catastrophizing happening not only in this thread but more generally on social media etc and I guess I just have an inclination to think some of that is really just unhelpful doom spiraling that isn't really helping anyone prepare for anything. But that doesn't apply across the board.

[Trollheart]

I think in fairness, unless you're in one of the groups that this will affect, it's not helpful (and perhaps a little hurtful) to say "don't worry" essentially. I'm well removed from it, and as a straight white male with just the one head currently, would not be a target anyway, but even I can see how terrifying this can be to those who are affected. Which is why I posted, and stickied, this thread. Of course you're entitled to your opinion, jwb, but honestly, to shrug and say "probably won't happen" or "you guys worry too much" is, I think, not to take seriously the way people like Lexi and others must be feeling right now, an uncertain future ahead of them and a very dark cloud moving with rather too much rapidity towards them. If it doesn't happen, or isn't as bad as we think it will be, great. I'm sure they'll be the first to say thank god or your favourite deity or lack of one. But until it doesn't, I think we owe them all the support, understanding and sympathy we can give.

[Jwb]

I'm sorry but that's nonsense.  The leader of the free world does affect you even as a straight white male and even in Ireland.  I'm not saying don't worry. The two options are not either ignore it or catastrophize it to the point of a personal crisis.  There's a range of possibilities for what Trump's 2nd term might look like,  and it's best to be clear eyed about what they are and perhaps prepare for the worst but not just assume it as the default.  I think that leads to certain conclusions when you start to think that way.  And a time when the boundaries are being tested is the most important time not to let yourself run away with certain narratives.

I guess there's nothing in principle wrong with a Trump victory support group thread but it's laying it on a little thick imo lol. Why you so sympathetic to Lexi that you had to make a thread personally apologizing to her for Trump's win and yet you're gonna tell me I'm "not in the groups affected" by who becomes president. Seems pretty insensitive for the leader of the support group to say.

[DJChameleon]

I'm sorry but that's nonsense.  The leader of the free world does affect you even as a straight white male and even in Ireland.  I'm not saying don't worry. The two options are not either ignore it or catastrophize it to the point of a personal crisis.  There's a range of possibilities for what Trump's 2nd term might look like,  and it's best to be clear eyed about what they are and perhaps prepare for the worst but not just assume it as the default.  I think that leads to certain conclusions when you start to think that way.  And a time when the boundaries are being tested is the most important time not to let yourself run away with certain narratives.

I guess there's nothing in principle wrong with a Trump victory support group thread but it's laying it on a little thick imo lol. Why you so sympathetic to Lexi that you had to make a thread personally apologizing to her for Trump's win and yet you're gonna tell me I'm "not in the groups affected" by who becomes president. Seems pretty insensitive for the leader of the support group to say.

It's easy to have your non caring it's not gonna be that bad attitude when you aren't in any of the groups with a bullseye on their back. You pretty much came into a support thread to be unsupportive and make fun of the general idea of having a support thread. Why did you feel the need to post in this thread in the first place?

[Jwb]

Because it's hard for me not to make fun of a thread like this.

[Trollheart]

I'm sorry but that's nonsense.  The leader of the free world does affect you even as a straight white male and even in Ireland.  I'm not saying don't worry. The two options are not either ignore it or catastrophize it to the point of a personal crisis.  There's a range of possibilities for what Trump's 2nd term might look like,  and it's best to be clear eyed about what they are and perhaps prepare for the worst but not just assume it as the default.  I think that leads to certain conclusions when you start to think that way.  And a time when the boundaries are being tested is the most important time not to let yourself run away with certain narratives.

I guess there's nothing in principle wrong with a Trump victory support group thread but it's laying it on a little thick imo lol. Why you so sympathetic to Lexi that you had to make a thread personally apologizing to her for Trump's win and yet you're gonna tell me I'm "not in the groups affected" by who becomes president. Seems pretty insensitive for the leader of the support group to say.

I have to say that's an odd question and I don't understand it. The thread is to support ALL people who will be/may be affected. I won't. Despite what you say, I'm 3000 miles away and while, yes, his policies with regard to trade, war etc will impact us all, nobody is going to be metaphorically knocking on my door to take me away. I started the thread when I saw how upset and scared Lexi - and others like her - were after the victory. I don't see any reason why I should not have, and I don't get your contention that I'm being insensitive by admitting it won't affect me. What: should I lie and say it will, pretend I'm as at risk as her and people like her? Or, conversely, should I walk away and say "nothing to do with me?" or "I'll allright Jack?" Well I won't. Lexi's my friend, and I think everyone here loves her and shares her fears for her future, so this thread will remain, and hopefully grow, despite your rather callous contention that there's no need for it. Sorry not sorry.

[Jwb]

Ok,  I didn't say you couldn't have your thread.  I just called it melodramatic.  Which I do think it is.  And there are specific posts I'd highlight that weren't even from Lexi that really prompted that response.  I wasn't initially even referring to her,  but since you want to hash it out,  I do specifically find it kind of funny that you dedicated the thread to a specific user,  and I also think she's fairly self indulgent in entertaining that kind of thing but that's really nothing new.  But Tristan's posts were really the catastrophizing kind of thing i was referring to though I wasn't trying to single him out.  Either way this entire support group enterprise just reminds me of leftists and liberals crying into their phones and I have a predictable knee jerk reaction to these kinds of displays.  I'm a product of my environment. What do you want from me?

Also lol at sorry not sorry. Didn't realize I was debating a middle aged white woman on Twitter.

[Trollheart]

I'll have you know, I passed middle age some time ago!

Oh, and not a woman. And never used Twitter in my life. 

I don't want anything from you, except to ask you not to come into a thread which is created for a specific purpose and start querying or even ridiculing that purpose. With your attitude here, JWB, this is one thread you won't be welcome in, so do us all a favour and go post in a thread where your usual intelligent political discourse will be more valued. It's not needed here.

I get it: you don't agree with the thread. Nobody's making you agree, or says you have to. But have a bit of simple human decency and don't make fun of it yeah? Plenty of other threads you can laugh at - pick any of mine, there's no shortage.

[Lexi Darling]

I mean being completely honest I didn't think I deserved to be singled out either, which is why I dedicated my post to other targeted groups as well. I didn't think it was worth it to bother TH about the thread title. And yes, I did appreciate his words of sympathy and kindness.

It feels like you calling it a "leftist and liberal" thing comes off as very dismissive; the stuff we're afraid of and sympathizing with each other over is not a an issue of political stance, it's a human rights issue, and I think saying things like that just feels needlessly divisive to me. I appreciated having the practical talk with you about the level of danger and I think that's worth talking about, but it seems to me like this discussion is devolving into a lot of unproductive talk right now.

[Jwb]

Well let's be clear.  "The things we're worried about" should not be conflated. There's a difference between worrying about losing your healthcare vs talking about people being rounded up into camps and contemplating the necessity to join the "resistance." Which one was I more referring to with my initial post? I think that's clear.

I tried to make it even more clear in my first response to Lexi,  but TH still decided to take the angle that I'm just a white guy who "won't be affected" by these things while people are simultaneously speaking about Trump's 2nd term as if it's the coming of the 4th Reich.  You really can't have it both ways.  It's an utterly incoherent virtue signal on your part. That's what I was poking fun of in that bolded section you cited which you apparently took as a serious question. Similar to me saying what do you want from me? That was just a rhetorical question.

[Trollheart]

You see, for some reason, jwb, you tend to want to or have to see political motivation in everything. It's really quite simple, and I know you know it is, and are just having fun by being the "batlord" to by thread, but as Sherlock Holmes often said, it won't do. Here's the situation in bullet (sorry) points, as I see it.

Trump coming to power scares and pisses me off, but in the most basic way it won't affect me, unless he declares war on Ireland or something. Yes, the political ramifications of what he does or may do will have an affect on me, but no more than any other Irish or European person.

Lexi is my friend, or I like to think she is anyway. She was and is scared about how these next four years are going to aversely affect her life.

I wanted to support her, but more if possible than with a "there there it'll be all right" post. I wanted to set this up as a practical resource which, in the next year or so, can be used by her and others to perhaps get advice, if anyone has any, or if not, then a place she and others can air their fears and tell their stories (good or bad) and where, if nothing else, she and others can come to get support, know that people care about her, or them.

I didn't set it up to make any political point. It's a simple common human decency thing called compassion.

You can see it as "virute signalling" or even smoke signalling if you want, I don't care. I'm not out to be seen as anything other than someone who is worried about his friends and wants to do any small thing he can to help.

I said I wouldn't be affected (and I've said this already) because of whom I am and where I am. That's not a boast, or an "I'm all right Jack" thing, it's just the truth, and acknowledges that I don't have a clue how she or anyone else feels about this coming term.

Lexi, I put your name on it because you were the one so upset that day, you've been the one who has been the most vocal about your concerns, and I thought it would help. I'm not so au fait with the vulnerabilities of others here, but I did include any others affected, so that it would NOT look like you were being singled out (Poor Lexi, let's help her) so I guess you could see yourself as maybe the poster girl for the thread, but not the only one. If you want your name removed from the thread title I'm happy to do that. I don't want you feeling uncomfortable or being used as anything or to make any point, which was never my intention.

That's it. I'm done explaining. The thread is being pulled off course like a Texan in a pickup chasing the Biden campaign bus. I want to draw a line under it now. If you don't agree with the thread, just don't post in it. Like I said, there are plenty of others to post in, and plenty of other ways you can get on my tits.

Hopefully it won't be as bad as we think it may be, but that doesn't mean people who may be affected don't worry. That's just the reality. So can we leave all the theorising and playing it down until we know what actually does happen? I'd be delighted if it all turned out to be the usual Trump hysteria and hyperbole, but once he has his arse in that chair, who knows what his orders may be? You can say I told you so 100 days into his presidency, if it comes to that. For now, do us all a favour and just drop it. Nobody needs your "it's not so bad" and "it won't happen here" mentality. Nobody can see the future: pray for the best but expect the worst, especially with His Orangeness in the White House.

[Marie Monday]

having a point but being a bit of a dick about it: the jwb classic

[Lexi Darling]

Lexi, I put your name on it because you were the one so upset that day, you've been the one who has been the most vocal about your concerns, and I thought it would help. I'm not so au fait with the vulnerabilities of others here, but I did include any others affected, so that it would NOT look like you were being singled out (Poor Lexi, let's help her) so I guess you could see yourself as maybe the poster girl for the thread, but not the only one. If you want your name removed from the thread title I'm happy to do that. I don't want you feeling uncomfortable or being used as anything or to make any point, which was never my intention.

Oh no, I didn't feel uncomfortable, it's totally fine and I appreciate it. I am the most visible, vocally trans person on here so I absolutely understand and appreciate the sentiment. My only thought was whether drawing focus to me would make anyone else who is also threatened by Trump 2 feel left out. If everyone else is fine with it, no need to change. Thank you for all your support, and I absolutely consider you a friend. <3

[Guybrush]

My sympathy goes out to Lexi, Tristan, Jans', ISB and really everyone of you who fear that life will be harder with Trump as president.

I got unintentionally pranked by my wife just after the election and Trump's obvious win. I had overslept, so my wife asked the Google assistant to play an alarm in the basement guest room where I was sleeping. Google chooses an air siren, so I wake up and it's still dark as it's like 6:30 in the morning. I'm like.. Why the hell is the air raid siren going off? They sometimes have rehearsals, but not before the sun comes up in the morning. We share a border with Russia, so in my fogginess I was wondering if we were getting invaded by the russkis until I opened the window and finally realised the sound came from inside the house. It was a little unsettling.

This may also sound melodramatic, but I hope the coming years in the US won't be like Iran's revolution in the 70s where decades from now, people think wistfully of a time in the US when people were allowed to do things like have reasonable abortions and express their gender indentities.

I don't think it's that bad, more like a temporary backlash / response to some of the liberal winds that have been blowing for a while. I hope that's all it is.. and that things will have turned around by the next election.

And if any of you want to come here, we'll take you in ❤️