The Scene staff
By Coffee Clark
The Scene staff
In the wake of the Nov. 5 election, many people have begun to panic about what’s to come with the new, unified government.
It’s an understandable impulse. Many groups will likely be negatively affected by Trump’s presidency.
Immigrants, whether documented or undocumented, may be deported. Access to hormone-replacement therapy may become harder for transgender adults. Trump’s Agenda 47 indicates that vital health care for women may be further restricted.
We must work to move past our panic.
Panic can be helpful in certain situations, but in this one, it is best to focus on preparing and managing our anxieties.
The election won’t change things as much as people think.
That isn’t to say that the country won’t get worse, and it won’t be harder to be an immigrant, trans person or really anyone who isn’t a white cishet (cisgender and heterosexual) man. But people shouldn’t completely catastrophize around what could happen.
The both fortunate and unfortunate feature of our government is how long it takes to actually accomplish anything.
Features of the U.S. Congress, including the filibuster and committee system, often slow down or halt the legislative process. For that reason, very little gets accomplished quickly, even in a unified government.
Let’s try not to panic and instead focus on what we can do.
The first step in surviving is assessing your risk level. Are you queer, an immigrant or disabled? If so, your risk level is going to be higher. Are you rich? Then it may be easier for you to survive, regardless of risk.
Understanding your chances of being targeted is paramount to survival.
Make copies of documents
If you belong to a group likely to face increased scrutiny, make sure you have copies of all of your important documents. Get a passport if you are able. This will give you the flexibility to flee the country if that becomes necessary. Pack a “go bag” full of enough money and supplies to survive for a while if needed.
If you are undocumented, know that you are likely to be targeted first.
The Trump administration has indicated that it will pursue a mass-deportation policy. Rhetoric has been targeted specifically at people entering at the southern U.S. border, but policies may affect other immigrants as well.
Know your legal rights. You have the right to remain silent. You cannot be compelled to speak, other than by a court, so remain silent. You have the right to counsel, regardless of your citizenship. You have a right to refuse a search of your property and home.
If cops are at your door, ask for a warrant and refuse to step outside. If you step outside of the boundaries of your property, you can be detained.
Use community resources
Regardless of who you are, find and use community resources available to you.
You can learn how to do a lot of useful things and get access to many resources from different groups and organizations in your community. Most cities even have street medics who can teach you basic medical skills for free!
The International Institute of St. Louis provides services to immigrants. Other groups, such as the St. Louis Inter-Faith Committee on Latin America, offer support and advocacy.
If you are worried about getting pregnant, stock up on contraceptives and mifepristone (drug used for medical abortions). Access may become harder in the future.
If you are trans and undergoing hormone-replacement therapy, get as much estrogen or testosterone as you can.
Know that you can survive, even if you don’t have the ability to get out of your situation or don’t want to leave.
As I stated earlier, things may get significantly worse during the Trump presidency. But if you accept defeat, then you are already doomed. Work to prepare rather than panicking or allowing apathy to take hold.
More than likely, the system’s slow-moving nature will prevent what Trump has promised to do. But we still need to actively work towards protecting people in our society who are vulnerable.
You could become a volunteer with St. Louis groups that are already working to protect people in marginalized communities. This may help you build networks of care with other passionate people around you. These networks also might protect you and the people around you in the future.
Study Project 2025 proposal
We can survive this election, but it will require us to help one another, whether that involves sheltering someone in need or providing hormone-replacement therapy. Community support will become increasingly important.
Educate yourself on what’s happening in your government. Take time to study Project 2025, a set of guidelines created by The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, for the first 180 days of Trump’s presidency. He’s likely to try to implement many or all of them. Evaluate the potential impact on you and those around you.
Make other people aware of what’s to come and prepare as much as you can. If you do, then you may have a chance to survive until 2028.