Illustration by Gren Bee
The second Trump administration is coming, and things are about to get a lot scarier for women — especially for trans women and women of color — than they already have been. Nobody is more to blame than the men who voted Donald Trump back in office.
Specifically, 59 percent of white men voted for Trump, and 61 percent of white men voted for Trump in the 2020 election. Men in general voted 54 percent in favor of Trump, with only 44 percent of men voting for Harris. That the majority of men are voting against our interests shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but it especially doesn’t come as a surprise to women.
But it’s not just the usual boomer white guys we normally have to worry about, because in the 2024 election, Gen Z men are just as much to blame. Young men in swing states (largely defined as men between 18 and 29) surveyed 13 points above 50 percent planning to vote for Trump, whereas their female counterparts surveyed 38 points above 50 percent for Harris. So no, unfortunately, we are not just “waiting for the older generations of men to die”; the problem has spread to the new generations of men as well.
There is no reason to think that the Republican party won’t do everything it can to attack trans people on a national level — especially trans women and children. Project 2025, a template of policy designed by former Trump staffers and spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation, aims to dismantle democracy, women’s rights, and trans rights, and essentially make living under the incoming Trump administration as difficult as humanly possible, especially for marginalized people, and more specifically, Black and brown women of color.
In areas like Texas, access to reproductive care and safe abortions are at an all-time low, and the deaths of young pregnant women like Nevaeh Crain are on the rise. Remember, the incoming presidential administration is only a small part of what we’re fighting against, and we need to work hard to defend ourselves against the Senate, House, and Supreme Court as well.
The Trump administration also aims to dismantle and destroy the little protections and access to gender-affirming care that trans women do have on a national level and make it impossible and illegal to live a dignified life as a trans person, let alone access hormones. Vice president elect JD Vance already introduced a bill in July 2023 as a senator in the state of Ohio to prevent trans youth from accessing gender-affirming care with punishment of up to 12 years in prison for health care providers.
Among other restrictions posed by Project 2025, such as the reduction of social welfare programs, the dismantling of affirmative action, and the mass defunding of public education, all of which threaten to rollback decades of civil rights progress, there are also a litany of anti LGBTQ and anti-trans restrictions being posed. Anti-trans goals include reversing Title VII’s workplace protections for queer and trans people, reversing the Affordable Care Act’s protections against sex discrimination in health care, and restricting access to hormone therapy and gender-affirming care for trans youth.
Anti-trans legislation begins with targeting children, but trans adults are the next course. As a trans woman from Texas, a state with some of the most egregious anti-trans legislation, I can confirm and say with confidence that living under Greg Abbott’s regime worsened my life dramatically. As a trans performer, my practice was impacted by the Texas drag ban. As a trans woman in the dating scene, my life was put in harm’s way by the “trans panic defense.” And as a trans woman trying to update my ID to reflect my chosen name and gender marker, Texas made it illegal for me to do so, putting me at risk. And if this can happen in Texas during a Democratic administration, then there’s no reason to think it won’t happen in your state next no matter how blue.
So where do we go from here? How can we organize to protect ourselves and the women and trans people in our lives who will be impacted by this administration the most? Because at the end of the day, patriarchy is what we need to resist, no matter who gained control of the White House. In preparation for what’s to come, I suggest that we follow this five-tenet plan that even has a catchy acronym; for the next four years, we SHOVE no matter what.
Here’s how to SHOVE:
- Ship and Synthesize
Distribute and create networks for Hormone Replacement Therapy and emergency contraception.
The first of SHOVE’s principles comes from the good folks over at Boobs Not Bombs, an unofficial coalition of trans women who have found a way to create their own transdermal estrogen. After finding and testing a formula that worked for them, they distributed it locally to trans women who needed it in their community, and made their research accessible to all.
If you are someone who needs access to hormones or other life saving medicine, it may still be possible for you to have certain medications mailed directly to you no matter what state you live in, and there are still ways to access emergency contraceptives by mail in states where access to reproductive care is very difficult to obtain like Texas. If you live in a blue state and have friends or connections that need access to these kinds of resources, you should see what they need and consider how you might be able to help them. At the very least, you can send them links to people and organizations who can help them in their state.
I cannot stress this enough: please do your own research and seek medical professional guidance before trying to make your own HRT. Boobs Not Bombs has principles that can help you even if you don’t plan on making your own HRT, and even if you’re not someone who takes it.
If you do not require HRT or emergency contraceptives, then you should still be doing this research, aiding in the shipment, synthesis, and distribution of life-saving medication to those who need it.
2. Homosexualize
Break up with your Republican boyfriends!
Currently, many South Korean women are participating in the 4B movement to fight against patriarchal issues such as sexual harassment in the work place, and domestic abuse from men at home, and the movement is catching on in the US. The 4B initiative is as follows: Bihon, the refusal of marriage. Biyaeonae, which means no dating. Bichulsan, which is the refusal of childbirth. And lastly, Bisekseu, which is the rejection of relationships with heterosexual partners.
According to a report by Gallup, as of August 2024, 20.7 percent of Gen Z women identify as bisexual, and 5.4 percent identify as lesbians. That’s over a quarter of an entire generation that does not need to centralize men in sexual and romantic relationships, and we should encourage this.
If you have a boyfriend, talk to them. Ask them if they would support your decision to have an abortion for any reason, and ask if they would do anything to help you prevent an unwanted pregnancy. If they say no, or even try to make conditions, break up with them right then and there. There is no excuse for dating men who don’t support you and your bodily autonomy 100 percent.
3. Organize
No matter the office, today, tomorrow, always.
Winter is coming, and people are going to need clothes, food, and warm shelter, especially with the destruction of encampments, like the tearing down of one of Chicago’s larger encampments in North Park. There are thousands of unhoused people in this city, and hundreds of thousands across the country, and they need our help and have needed our help, no matter who is in the White House.
The fight against displacement doesn’t stop in our cities, either. Families in Gaza are constantly having to evade attacks from the Israeli State, and as of Nov. 5, Israel has officially announced that Palestinians will not be able to return to their homes. So organize for the people of Palestine. Raise money for Palestinian GoFundMes, and donate eSim cards to the people of Gaza so that they can contact their families and people in the West Bank who can organize aid and get them evacuated.
Remember, support of the people in Gaza is a women’s rights issue too. Palestinian women and children deserve to live a dignified life and they need access to medical care and attention.
And organize for your communities. Remember that the Trump administration is specifically targeting trans women, reproductive rights, immigrants, and Muslims. So, when you organize, organize for these folks specifically.
4. Vasectomize
You heard me right. If you have a penis, it’s time to do your part in standing up for reproductive rights by taking control of your own autonomy.
I’m a trans woman, I have a penis, I am already seeking consultation for a vasectomy, and you should too! Remember, a vasectomy is reversible, and having one doesn’t automatically mean you can’t plan for a family in the future. But right now, depending on where you live, an accident could mean life or death. With emergency contraceptives at legislative risks, there’s no telling what might happen to access to other contraceptives including condoms, birth control, and IUDs. So do your part for the people you love, and get those tubes cut, blocked, and sealed. If your partner has a penis, talk to them about getting a vasectomy, and talk with your insurance provider about options if you have insurance and a penis.
5. Emote
Now is not the time for Nihilism.
There is so much work to be done, but you also need to allow yourself to feel your feelings. Part of organizing and community building is just being there for each other, so have hard conversations, hug each other, go to the movies, and eat some damn soup. Revolution doesn’t happen in a day, and it doesn’t happen any faster if we ignore our bodies, our needs, and our families. So reach out; be there for each other, be there for yourself, and most importantly, be there. Plain and simple.
So that’s my plan. I’m going to do it, and I hope you do it too, or that you deconstruct the whole thing and come up with something even better and twice as effective. I sincerely hope you do something and you put this grief to good use.
If SHOVE works for you, spread the word! Make some infographics, and get people you know to shove back against the patriarchy!
