The Secret to Resistance Without Burnout
And the End of the Everything Activist...
Hi friends! Happy Friday! With the rebrand this week, I felt like I didn’t really give you a proper piece, and so in order to rectify that and give you a taste of what this new cadence will feel like, here’s a special Friday edition!
Trump signs executive order banning trans women and girls from playing in female sports. According to the N.C.A.A., out of the 510,000 collegiate athletes, fewer than 10 are Trans. This is the fourth anti-Trans executive order he has signed so far.
However, Lambda Legal has already filed three lawsuits against the Trump administration for their treatment of Queer folk.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said Monday that New York hospitals "would be in violation of New York's anti-discrimination laws if they stop offering trans healthcare."
This week, a podcast from New York Times columnist Ezra Klein has been making the rounds, simply titled "Don't Believe Him." After enough people reshared the piece with sentiments of hope, I gave it a listen, and it's the first thing I've consumed recently that has made me feel some measure of calm. So, I wanted to summarize and give you my take on it because I think its messages are important. And even if you have listened, I think you'll get even more from this take.
If you're new here and looking for more calming yet actionable takes, hit the subscribe button below!
The piece starts with an interview with Steve Bannon from 2019, in which Bannon says, "The opposition party is the media. And the media can only...focus on one thing at a time. …Every day, we hit them with three things. They'll bite on one, and we'll get all of our stuff done... We've got to start with muzzle velocity."
Muzzle velocity is the speed with which a bullet leaves a gun. Or, in this case, it's the speed with which Trump can sign executive orders.
This chart shows us exactly how intentional the speed of his EOs is. They're designed to be overwhelming and demoralizing, which is exactly what they have been. We can't figure out whether we're supposed to be outraged at him leaving W.H.O., declaring there are only two genders, pardoning the insurrectionists, ending birthright citizenship, or the funding freeze, or the I.C.E. raids, etc... There are too many things to focus on, and therefore, we can't focus on any of them.
But there are people who can. In the last few weeks, Trump has been hampered left and right in moments like these:
The spending freeze was an absolute shit show that ended up getting rescinded before it could go to court.
The birthright citizenship order was frozen by a Reagen-appointed judge.
The Department of State declared on Twitter(X) that "U.S. government vessels can now transit the Panama Canal without charge fees, saving the U.S. government millions of dollars a year." Panama had to issue "The Panama Canal Authority communicates that it has made no adjustments to these fees."
Canada's 'concessions to Trump were a part of their already planned government changes.
JB Pritzker, governor of Illinois, has frequently challenged Trump on multiple fronts.
And as I write this, a judge has just hindered Musk's DOGE efforts.
These obstacles would be even more visible if Trump tried to take things legit. One of my favorite points that Klein makes is, "There is a reason Trump is doing all of this through executive orders rather than submitting these same directives as legislation to pass through Congress." It's all another play to look stronger than he is. If he acts like a tyrant, then we are more likely to believe he is a tyrant. Klein tells us simply, just “don’t believe him”.
With a razor-thin House majority and a Senate unable to bypass the filibuster, Trump has to invoke power through very limited means. If he moves slowly and methodically through Congress as he would have to, then he looks weaker than if he just signs a bunch of EOs and throws the pens into the crowd, even if those EOs don’t have staying power.
"Trump is acting like a king because he is too weak to govern like a president."
-Ezra Klein.
Not Just Trump
Even the actions that Musk has taken echo a similar style of improvised chaos. On January 28th, Musk sent an email to over 2 million federal employees with the subject line "A Fork in the Road." This is the same subject line and content as the email he sent to Twitter employees after he bought the company. The email outlines a future for employees and gives them the option to keep working or resign. If federal employees choose to resign, the email says they'll continue to get paid until September 30th (the Twitter employees never saw the money they were promised). Since that email, many federal workers who were looking for ways out have been galvanized to stay and resist. If you want to smile, just look at this Reddit thread, "This Non Buyout Really Seems to Have Backfired."
Now, I'm not saying that nothing is happening, but it is supposed to look worse than it actually is. The damage that this administration will do is vast and long-lasting. The damage it has already done to Trans kids, immigrants, and anyone benefiting from USAID around the world and the global impression of America is vast and insidious. But the change it's inspiring is of equal measure.
Around the country, protests have already begun taking shape what feels like daily. With every group that Trump attacks, a base begins to build. The week after the election, I went to a town hall at The (NYC LGBTQ) Center, and the resilience and passion there were palpable, and those connections are ones I've nurtured in the months since. People around the country are learning about the many things that our government does, how vital they are, and how much they actually want them around. Trump may be attacking everything he can in order to sew chaos, but he’s also giving birth to just as many resistances.
There’s a revolution coming.
What Can You Do About It?
I had coffee with a dear friend of mine last week (shoutout to Kate), who said that these past few weeks have made her focus on what is important to her and what is actually in her control. In order to combat the chaos in the news, I think that this is the most important thing that any of us can do right now.
It's taken me a few years to find my lane. I am hyper-vocal about Queer Rights; that is the fight where my voice can be loud. On everything else, I try to elevate other voices and listen. I don't know enough about abortion rights, immigration rights, Israel/Palestine, the climate, gun control, education, etc, to feel as though I'm adding anything to the conversation with my own words. I add my support, but those are not my spaces to lead, and there’s a big difference between supporting a cause and taking up space in it.
Admitting this is not easy, and even writing it feels wrong. It is vulnerable to admit a shortcoming, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried that people would take this and assume I don't care about these issues. I do. Deeply. It's because I care about them so much that I want to elevate those who have more of a reason to talk about them than I do. I'd rather talk well about one cause than dilute the message of ten. So when I see the news, I focus on the stuff I know about, how it’s affecting the Queer community, and I trust that there are others out there doing the same with everything else.
Because of this mentality, I believe that the era of the everything activist must end. The past few years have made people feel like they have to be perfectly versed and just the right amount of outraged; otherwise, their activism is not enough, not right. We’ve gotta let this go because not only is it an impossible pedestal to aim for, but it's also exhausting and unhealthy.
People need time to find their lanes and grow into the activists they can be. So, give yourself the space to look at what's happening and sit with which things are making you most upset. Then, follow those feelings. Imagine what would happen if we let people be inspired to action rather than shamed before they have the chance to do the right thing.
So, when you feel overwhelmed by the news, remember that they’re running an intentional game plan. They want you to give up your focus, don't. Instead, go out and find your passion and give it all you can. Are you passionate about education, the climate, women’s rights, immigration, or foreign affairs? There are so many options, but just start with one. You have so much more power than they want you to think, and remember, there are so many other people out there fighting, too.
Protect your peace. Find your lane. Cultivate your community. That's how we survive.
P.S. If you want to read or listen to the entire piece (and you should), it's here.
Today’s sweet treat is a song from Semler. I was reading about Semler in this great Substack, Hankycode, this week and then remembered listening to this song a year or two ago. The people in the music video are Semler, their wife, child, and mother, and I love how it shows such a perfect slice of queer life, which we need to hold onto so dearly right now.
Coming up next week: A sumptuous new feast….
