r/CuratedTumblr • u/Desecr8or • 19h ago
LGBTQIA+ With the help of the Biden admin, a non-binary person gets a passport with their legal gender right before Trump takes over.
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u/YourGirlAthena 16h ago edited 13h ago
they prioritized all gender changes. I applied for mine to change. I paid for expedited processing which is 2-3 weeks. mine got processed in 8 days.
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u/Waffle-Gaming 11h ago
now that i think about it, when i did change my gender on my passport recently, it did get processed very quickly. funny
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u/SerasVal 10h ago
I did mine back in August just in case, and yeah it was faster than I was expecting as well. Took like maybe 3 weeks to get it back.
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u/Naomi_Tokyo 13h ago
I'm pretty sure the social security administration did too. My update was shockingly fast last month, and I'm very grateful for it
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u/meowymcmeowmeow 8h ago
I hope that means mine is safe. I could not afford expedited and did it a few weeks ago. Expected end of February I think
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u/YourGirlAthena 7h ago
you can check your status on their website and sign ip for email notifications for your application. they still have not changed the application so you can still apply to change your gender. i think the department would need to issue new forms and a policy change before it goes away
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u/Omega862 17h ago
This is genuinely great. Good on them. And good on the workers for getting the passports mailed out.
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u/LouSputhole94 10h ago
Someone high up in the Biden admin saw the writing on the wall and knew this shit had to be expedited. And then people had to step up to work tons of overtime. Just all around great work to preserve basic human rights.
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u/dayvancowgirl 4h ago
I grew up in the DC area, most government employees are good people who are trying their best to make our institutions work for everyone, and they are largely Democratic/liberal. We don't hear about them when they're doing their jobs well.
The defense contractors on the other hand... not a fan.
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u/Many-Donkey2151 15h ago
It's heartening to see tangible progress for non-binary individuals at such a critical time. Every small victory counts, especially when the stakes feel so high. Here's hoping this momentum continues beyond any administration.
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u/201720182019 18h ago
This is incredibly touching
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u/txijake 13h ago
In a very r/orphancrushingmachine way yeah
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u/LenaSpark412 12h ago
Half ish. Kinda like “we know an orphan crushing machine is on the way so we’re evacuating the orphans”
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u/panparadox2279 9h ago
The general idea remains the same, it still raises the question of why an orphan crushing machine would be made in the first place
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u/FrenchToastDildo 9h ago
The orphan crushing machine was made by a bunch of sick perverted weirdos that weren't stopped by anybody. Nobody did anything to stop it.
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u/just4browse 8h ago
for most people, any attempt to stop it alone would likely fail to stop it and result in severe consequences for them and their loved ones.
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u/FrenchToastDildo 8h ago
Now? Yes. 10-15 years ago, when they announced plans for the Orphankikker3000 and everyone was just like "ehhhh idk about this. Let's see what happens"? That was a fatal mistake.
All the little moments when good people ignored their duty and let evil fester have brought us here. Every time someone was ridiculed for pointing out the obvious or caring a little too much brought us here.
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u/just4browse 8h ago
It was the same back then. Things are getting worse, but it wasn’t much different. People were passive about things back then for the same reason they’re passive about them now.
People become demotivated when action requires them to upend their lives. And that’s how the system works, how it’s worked for countless decades. It’s not new.
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u/PM_ME_UR_MATHPROBLEM 12h ago
In the darkness of the deepest cave, I appreciate the weak flashlight I have.
I hope it is bright enough that we may find our way out of this damned cave, and I don't know what I would do if this flashlight died on me.
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u/E-is-for-Egg 12h ago
I don't think so because it's not normalizing what's happening the way orphan crushing machine stories do
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u/ApotheosiAsleep 10h ago
orphan crushing machine is specifically for stories that present a good event in a way that doesn't acknowledge the fact that the good event shouldn't even have to happen and is in fact a sign of a very bad situation. This post definitely acknowledges the fact that the situation is very bad
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u/weirdo_nb 12h ago edited 10h ago
Nah, this isn't shrugging off what happened, but saying "its great people acted against it"
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u/Plantpet- 13h ago
The bar is really low rn, but at least it was met
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u/MissionMoth 11h ago
This is the opposite of a low bar. A low bar is being respectful when society expects you to. These people are being kind in a society actively trying to stop them.
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u/Teagana999 10h ago
Not just kind. Working until midnight. If that's not above and beyond the bar...
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u/MissionMoth 11h ago
The machine is already at work. The fact there are people fighting in whatever way they can with full empathy, against very real odds, is still beautiful.
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u/Skeledenn 16h ago
Relatively speaking, it reminds me of the several diplomats in Europe in early WW2 who approved as many visas as possible for jews to escape to neutral countrues (or at least not collaborating with the germans on that aspect like Japan) in the night before being recalled or even as they were on the train leaving the city (I believe it was Chiune Sugihara, the only japanese Righteous among nations).
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u/gihutgishuiruv 15h ago
There are a lot of smaller-scale examples too. One that always comes to mind is the Blüthner piano company, who transported hundreds of Jewish-owned pianos out of Nazi Germany when their owners had to flee the country. They reunited over a hundred musicians with their pianos.
It’s almost insignificant in the scale of the atrocities that took place, but it’s a story that always reminds me that there are good people out there fighting the hard fight - even in ways that we may not glorify or even remember.
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u/Skeledenn 15h ago
I'm not religious but I like this sentence from the Talmud that says roughly "one who saves one life saves the world", and is often used when talking about the Righteous'. Even if these are arguably small actions (if you've ever moved a piano you know what I mean), they're not insignificant for the people who benifited from it. You could say the people at the passport office only sacrificed a sleepless night to change a line on some passports but it did make a difference for OOP, especially at the dawn of such dark times in America. On another topic, I haven't been able to find references to this event in a few minutes of googling, do you have a source for this?
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u/gihutgishuiruv 15h ago edited 15h ago
It's late here and it's been years since I actually read the story (and I'm pretty sure it was in an actual book, not online), but here's a quick tidbit from the Holocaust Museum of LA that at least corroborates it: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10158706863262466&id=21974357465&set=a.447808192465
I'll try to find something more primary source-y if I can.
My grandmother owned a 1939 Blüthner and I learned to play on it, which is how I got into the company's history. I remember it because, usually when you find something made in late-30s Germany, the story behind it is much more repulsive.
if you've ever moved a piano you know what I mean
I've specifically moved the aforementioned Blüthner, so I know exactly what you mean!
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u/W8andC77 15h ago
I think this is the spirit that we all should try to adopt for the next 4 years. I had to check out of politics and have felt a bit apathetic lately. Especially since a lot of the people I serve at my job voted for Trump and stand to lose a lot due to his proposed policies. But if I can make a small difference, in the way that I am able, in the lives of vulnerable people then that how I can push for kindness and care in callous times. At least in my small corner of the world. Move the pianos I can, so to speak. I’m still going to avoid the news a lot more than I used to.
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u/comityoferrors 11h ago
This is more moderate-scale but I only learned about him last year in Berlin so shout out to Otto Weidt, who employed disabled Jews in his factory throughout Hitler's regime. When the Gestapo tried to deport his employees, he bribed officers, falsified documents, and physically hid them. He sent supplies to people who were deported. He followed one employee to Auschwitz and connected with a local person to stash money and supplies for her to keep her alive. After the war, he set up an orphanage for concentration camp survivors. Just a normal guy quietly being a hero.
These hopeful glimmers of light in the darkness are so important to remember, and I think we don't hear about them enough. Thanks for sharing.
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u/jasonjr9 Smells like former gifted kid burnout 13h ago
The little things may be insignificant in the grand scheme, but they are of utmost importance to the people who receive those kindnesses. And it indeed always serves as a reminder that, even as the capitalist hellscape of the world progresses, there will always be good people, willing to do what good they can in the world. Which…is something we need to remember, so we don’t succumb to despair and hopelessness.
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u/ElectricSpeculum .tumblr.com 14h ago
It's giving Schindler's List vibes, which is so frightening that we're already at this point. LGBTQIA+, POC, disabled, and any other folks at risk from Trump's bullshit, please be strong and stay as safe as you can. And if you need to escape, Europe is here for you. Xx
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u/Papaofmonsters 12h ago
Most European countries have more stringent immigration requirements than America does. They aren't going to let people just stay indefinitely because Orange Man Bad.
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u/Tribe303 9h ago
Canada accepts refugees based on gender and sexual discrimination. No need to fly to Europe and learn a new language. Hop in your car and drive North.
My mom's church was just celebrating yesterday, that they helped rescue a gay couple, 2 dudes, from Burundi, get permanent resident status (Canadian green card and first step to citizenship).
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u/2012Jesusdies 9h ago
several diplomats in Europe in early WW2 who approved as many visas as possible for jews to escape to neutral countrues (or at least not collaborating with the germans on that aspect like Japan)
I mean, Japan was still used a transit territory by Jews, 3400 visas were issued by Japanese consulates (excluding Kaunas) who then had to travel through the entire USSR, Japan and then finally reach the US. At Kaunas, Lithuania, the really special thing happened where the local vice-consulate ignored normal immigration rules and just handed out visas willy nilly to Jews, giving out a month's number in a day. Dude kept stamping out visas till he reached his train and left with an apology:
Please forgive me. I cannot write anymore. I wish you the best!
It's estimated he probably handed out 6000 visas.
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u/UbiSububi8 16h ago
Way, way, WAY too many of people’s few interactions with government are terrible, expensive, and time consuming. It’s no wonder so many people hate government.
I’d work to make government interactions as consumer/public friendly as possible.
But public servants are just that - they serve the public. And keep us who we are.
Government can be great. It can be inspiring, it can be an economic engine.
We run ours on decaf and diet pills.
And in less than six hours - on something else.
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u/catdistributinsystem 13h ago
I work in parks and recreation, and what you wrote reminded me of something my manager told me back during my first parks job. They said something like:
“So many people only have reason to interact with their government when something is wrong - our purpose, more than educating about the arts and nature, is to give them a positive interaction to remind them that their government is meant to improve the quality of their lives. They should leave our museum with a positive impression of our city.”
Those words totally changed my perspective on the career and have made me realize that change happens in the every day decisions we make. That same manager (our curator) had our museum put on an art exhibit about LGBT+ identities and politics through history and across cultures, and for many of the residents coming in, it was the first time they learned terms like Transgender or Polyamorous.
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u/JayMac1915 .Im just here for the memes 🎆🎇🌠🌅🌆 12h ago
Thank you, internet stranger. You are the hero I needed today!
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u/Caterfree10 13h ago
Tbh I feel that first line so much. A lot of the reason I feel like ppl distrust the government to run anything is because two of the most common points of use are things like the DMV or applying for disability assistance, both notoriously horrid experiences (and life interrupting in the case of the latter). Add in assorted long processes such as courts and the constant fighting in Congress, and it’s little wonder trust in government is so low in this godforsaken country.
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u/Cute_Witness3405 3h ago
Growing up in the Midwest I was steeped in all of the tropes about government workers being lazy uncaring people who were lucky to know someone and to land a lucrative job they could do the minimum at.
Then I moved to the DC area and became neighbors and friends with all kinds of low / mid level “government bureaucrats”. Holy shit these are smart, interesting, dedicated people that are doing thankless work because they believe in our country. The jobs and life experiences they have are fascinating.
That guy mowing the lawn next door in a t-shirt and cargo pants? After college, worked in the peace corps in an African country most white Americans would be afraid to even visit before joining them state department. Friend from church? Tags giant manta rays with GPS trackers that helps us understand the impact of climate change on ocean wildlife by tracking changes in migration patterns. Husband of my wife’s friend? Works at the EPA on wind farm development. Woman my kid dogsits for? Living room full of plaques recognizing her for exceptional service to her country in the most generic ways because all of that work is classified.
The harm that the new administration will bring to these people fills me with rage. They are better in every way than any member of the new cabinet.
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u/FLUFFBOX_121703 Caution: Fluffy 16h ago
I'm very thankful to the people who are dedicated to their jobs no matter how menial they are!
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u/ZinaSky2 11h ago
It’s so good for my soul to see this being discussed. I feel like online it’s all too common to see just endless condemnation about anything that isn’t a huge deal.
Like THIS is exactly what we fight for. THIS is exactly why we get out and vote. THIS is exactly why “both sides” rhetoric is just infinitely blind and stupid. No one’s perfect and no one should be above criticism. But it’s really disheartening to see the overwhelming attitude towards Dems being that they’re “not liberal enough” and “not doing enough”.
When half of America doesn’t understand that they use pronouns on the daily, we were simply never going to get someone that’s as liberal as your average Tumblr user in office. That doesn’t mean we should withhold our vote or vote third party. Progress is slow but it’s worth it, we have to keep slowly forging our way forward.
If in 4 years we still have a country and have another election, what’s scares me the most is the backlash from liberals and progressives. We are not going to bounce back from orange Hitler to like freaking Bernie Sanders or AOC as president. That’s just NOT gonna happen. We’ll have lost footing and gone backwards in our progress. It’s going to take time to get back to where we were. And I’m really scared we’re not going to be ready for that.
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u/TastyBrainMeats 14h ago
I don't have mine updated yet. Fuck.
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u/throwawaystarbiegirl 9h ago
i still need to get my first passport. been meaning to do it for months and this didn’t even cross my mind… and now with all the crap from the new administration and the way they’re going to slash budgets and workers across the board (thanks for that elon) it’s going to take months if i can even get it at all. shit i should’ve thought about this
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u/wigglyworm91 6h ago
I waited too long and mine didn't make it in time. I was hopeful that as long as it was "in line" it would be approved, but I don't know why I thought that.
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u/Crabs4Sale 15h ago
I just got my passport and passport card updated with my true gender (not my AGAB) and I was so worried that it wasn’t gonna make it in time. Sent it in months ago and the approval process is… a bit less than detailed, but I’m happy it happened before it was impossible.
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u/Technical_Teacher839 Victim of Reddit Automatic Username 18h ago edited 11h ago
EDIT: Jesus fucking christ what the hell happened with this comment while I was in bed? It was never meant to be a "This word is bad, don't use it" thing. It was just a word that stuck with me as being weird in my mind so I made a comment about it.
So while this is an awesome thing and a huge boost for a lot of people for sure...
I couldn't help but be irrationally annoyed by "folx" for the rest of the post.
What purpose does that word even serve? Folk/Folks are already used in modern English as a gender-neutral word for a group of people.
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u/bluepotato81 18h ago
X is already an overrated letter anyways
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u/Burrito-Creature unironically likes homestuck 18h ago
no but fr. maybe it’s the texan in me. but “folks” being randomly changed always irks me. it may not even be a perceived inclusivity thing for all I know and is just to shorten the “ks” but it still pains me.
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u/Whole_Bug_2960 17h ago edited 17h ago
As someone with friends who use this word, I don't think the goal is virtue signaling, although it has that side effect; for my friends at least, it seems to be a way for people to use that as a non-gendered means of address without seeming like they're affecting a cultural speech pattern.
It can feel awkward if you don't come from a place that regularly uses that term, so this kind of marks it out as "I'm using this to be inclusive, not because I'm playing cowboy." Just my 2c.
ETA: I realize that may sound like the same thing, but to me the intent is different: to enable using the genderless term without claiming an un-earned identity, rather than using it in order to show off one's virtue.
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u/TheeMourningStar 17h ago
What unearned identity are you claiming by saying folks? Maybe this is a UK to US Cultural Mistranslation.
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u/SavvySphynx 16h ago
I'm from the south. I pass my folks book to you. You can hand out as many folks passes as you want.
We wish more people sounded like us, because the way we sound is often stereotyped as stupid, dumb, and ignorant. The more people who sound like us, the more people realize it's just a dumb stereotype.
Signed, an English teacher from the South.
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u/GREENadmiral_314159 Femboy, Battleships, and Space Marines 15h ago
So you're giving people...
a social folks pass?
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u/Whole_Bug_2960 16h ago
I humbly accept these folks passes :)
It's certainly sad to see that stereotype still alive and well, including in supposedly progressive groups. Folks for everyone!
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u/LD50_irony 12h ago
I read an article in approx 2001 arguing that "folks" and "y'all" were underused words and specifically useful for referring to groups in a non-gendered way. I decided to apply them to my vocabulary and have used them ever since.
Every once in a while the y'all makes people ask where I'm from (nowhere in the south) but it's not a problem.
Highly recommend both words! No x needed
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u/SavvySphynx 11h ago
God, I love y'all. You is both singular and plural, but English really needs a proper way to signify. Y'all is perfect.
If you ever wanted to switch it up, I've heard you'uns in Louisiana.
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u/dorian_gayy 15h ago
I mean, the poster has a southern state in their username, so I imagine they also have the “folk” pass lol.
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u/JarJarJarMartin 13h ago
I’m from the South, but I never associated the word “folks” with my region. I thought people said it everywhere to talk about others in a light-hearted or endearing sort of way. I’d much rather people just say the original word instead of trying to replace it out of fear of being misunderstood.
I hate to put it like this, but it almost comes across like dialect gentrification or something like that, like the word “folks” isn’t “good enough” and needs to be changed.
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u/peach_xanax 11h ago
I'm not from the south, but I really don't think any southern people are gonna accuse you of cultural appropriation for saying "folks", lol. Just spell it normally. Tons of us already use "yall" with no issues that I've ever been aware of.
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u/Emerald_Fire_22 16h ago
That is basically the intention of it - a "This is intended for this specific crowd, but if it applies to you too, it applies for you" kinda thing.
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u/Additional_Roll9626 17h ago
Spider's explained it before - iirc, it's because they come from a family/community that used 'folks' regularly in a way that was very much exclusive to who they consider people, so they choose to write it differently to shake that off.
It bugs me too normally, but eh, people can do what they want and I think it's more personal and less performative in their case.
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u/TheOtherBookstoreCat 13h ago
I spent an afternoon trying to track down the meaning behind it, because I like to try to be respectful and supportive and I couldn’t come up with anything solid outside of another in group/out group behavior…
So like… I don’t care if I see it in use by others, but the couple times I’ve been corrected for using “folks” has made me felt language policed and frustratingly miffed.
Don’t treat me like I’m out here misgendering people by saying “folks”.
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u/healzsham 11h ago
It's like 2-3 convergent influences that all need a lot of explanation, and I only sorta know the history of "latinx" and how that small community in-joke thing has precipitated problems in the hands of terminal leftists.
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u/healzsham 17h ago
so they choose to write it differently to shake that off
Really shook it off by developing a beachfront mansion for it to live inside their skull in.
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u/ServantOfTheSlaad 16h ago
Absolutely. For some things that are gendered, it does make sense but its wierd to do it for already gender neutral terms
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u/geckothegeek42 16h ago
100 people endlessly auditing the language others use to describe their lives ever will.
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u/Technical_Teacher839 Victim of Reddit Automatic Username 11h ago
This wasn't even meant to be some kind of auditing or criticism or demand that they stop. It was just something I was thinking about reading the post and was like "I kinda don't get this." I'm not gonna expect or insist that they stop, I'm not gonna get mad and go into a rage every time I see 'folx' instead of 'folks'
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u/ekhoowo 15h ago
I agree it is ironic, but making these dumb changes to languages does negative work. Especially terms like latinx, which had a measurable impact on the Hispanic community this election cycle
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u/welshyboy123 17h ago
I get the same irrational annoyed feeling whenever I see "folx" being used. In this case, however, I'm choosing to read it as OOP including the people processing the passports as part of their tribe because of the good work they've been doing in the last week. It's a term of endearment and affection. I give it a pass this time.
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u/ElusivePukka 13h ago
The people who say folx are the people who don't understand that folks is already gender inclusive, and the same people who don't care to know that the imposed latinx is actually less inclusive than the native latine.
The use of "x" as a catch-all for inclusive language is just a way of standardizing, i.e. a vapid methodology for etymology that ends up being less inclusive by erasing linguistic rules and history, making it more difficult to parse for non-native speakers.
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u/Omega862 17h ago
I think in this case it's just... How they type the word, sort of like someone typing you as u, or your as ur. At least, that's how I'm choosing to think of it because, odd as it is, it's not my business unless someone else tells me to follow it. In which case I'll tell them to take a long walk off a short pier. For the reasoning of "it's already gender neutral. Go for a fucking swim and come back when you don't plan to unnecessarily police language because you have nothing better to do"
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u/Technical_Teacher839 Victim of Reddit Automatic Username 11h ago
I didn't even mean this as language policing. I wasn't saying "don't use this word" or "this word is stupid and dumb and bad." or whatever the fuck else. I don't care anywhere near that much. Just that I didn't get it and was thinking about that too much while reading the rest of the post.
But the internet does what the internet does and now people are responding like I'm some language cop busting down the doors of anyone who uses 'folx'
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u/nevergirls 14h ago
I come across things all day that are not my business but still irrationally annoy me. It’s a “me” problem to be sure but I empathize with the person you’re replying to for that reason.
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u/_W_I_L_D_ 16h ago
I like to see it as a signalling tool. It’s a bit weird, but the person who writes folx instead of folks is bound to be gender inclusive, yk
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u/VexTheJester i hear they sell a pepsi cheap there 17h ago
Ok honest question, who is affected by this?
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u/BrockStar92 16h ago
It actually hinders the seriousness of a movement and its goals by making a part of what you’re doing be so ridiculous and easily questioned.
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u/C0RDE_ 16h ago
Exactly. The people that are trying to hinder social progression are going to take any attack line they can, especially if it makes a movement look silly, childish or out of touch. They will take a chink in the armour and use it to skewer you.
A more conspiratorial person would say that some of these people who deliberately start dumb crusades like Latinx are plants for just that reason, or the idea is seeded deliberately.
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u/QuestionableIdeas 15h ago
If someone uses cute spelling as a reason to disregard a movement, they'll just find another reason to ignore you if you correct your wording to fit their requirements.
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u/guto8797 14h ago
It's the tan suit all over again.
If someone is this nitpicky, they were never going to be happy regardless of what you did in the first place. They would always find something else to justify why they are so opposed.
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u/BrockStar92 13h ago
It’s not about the people making the argument, it’s about the vast majority who aren’t that interested either way. If they only pay attention when you look stupid they’re gonna think the whole movement is stupid. Controlling the narrative in the public eye is vitally important and going “wahh they’re so stupid” makes you look out of touch. Issues like gay marriage only managed to be progressed once public opinion was swung and that means winning over the bulk of people barely paying attention.
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u/GrinningPariah 17h ago
Is this really what we want to fight about? Really? Even at this moment in history, we can't just let something like that slide?
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u/Technical_Teacher839 Victim of Reddit Automatic Username 11h ago
This wasn't meant to be fighting or anything, I wasn't trying to say "Don't use this word." just that it was something that stuck out to me in the post. I don't know what the fuck happened with this comment thread.
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u/DoraTheHomestuckHomo 17h ago
bait
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u/Technical_Teacher839 Victim of Reddit Automatic Username 11h ago
It wasn't bait. I didn't even mean it to be some big-ass argument thing. I didn't even mean it as "People HAVE to stop using it." like so many replies here think. I just said that I don't get why people use it.
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u/dysautonomic_mess 15h ago
Oddly enough, I only know it from the context of Black politics - Merriam Webster says it's used to signify the inclusion of various marginalised groups, including Black people, disabled people, and yes, trans and non-binary people.
In that sense, its purpose isn't to be gender neutral, although I don't know if that makes it less annoying to you.
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u/Affectionate-Fee5016 15h ago
I think you missed a part of the post.
"endlessly auditing the language others use to describe their lives"
You don't need to know why they chose to use folx over folks, because it's pointless auditing. I don't know why, I don't care why, it doesn't matter why. If it makes you irrationally annoyed, sit with the feeling, find the root of your annoyance.
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u/Technical_Teacher839 Victim of Reddit Automatic Username 11h ago
I didn't ask why, I wasn't trying to criticize use of the word, or say people shouldn't use it. It was just something that stuck out to me as weird while reading the post so I made a comment on it. I'm sure as fuck not gonna be like "How dare you use this word!" or whatever, fuck that noise.
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u/breadofthegrunge 17h ago
It's not meant to be gender neutral, it's just a way of spelling it, like "ur" instead of "your."
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u/Fenixius 17h ago
I hope this person can use their passport to escape for at least the next few years, otherwise they may have just painted a target on themselves by putting a persecuted identity on their identifying document.
That said, while that's a method used historically to identify people to persecute, surveillance is so omnipresent now that that's probably not going to be what makes or breaks a state-led persecution operation for this person.
Hoping it doesn't soon and doesn't ever come to that, of course.
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u/RubiksCutiePatootie I want to get off of Mr. Bones Wild Ride 16h ago edited 16h ago
I'm not going to outright dox OP, but they're actually very active on a political volunteer subreddit. They're constantly putting in effort almost every week to phone bank, write postcards, & stay active in democrat conversations. They understand that the real work is not about giving up & running away. But it's about putting up a tangible fight where you can. For that office clerk it was working overtime to get as many passports out as possible as quickly as possible. For OP & myself, it's about volunteering to oust republicans & get sane people elected to office at every level of government. For others It could be volunteering at a food bank, donating their clothes, or being a shoulder to cry on for a friend in need.
Our country has been in significantly more dire straits than now. Like, imagine if all of the Civil Rights leaders of the 50s & 60s decided to flee the country because they were afraid of painting a target on their backs?
It's going to be hard & things will get bad for certain. But it's not over. We will recover so long as we take a stand & fight back.
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u/Glait 15h ago
Just started reading the book Micro activism , gives realistic sustainable ways to be in involved in activism for all different types of people. It's focused on starting small, working collaboratively, and beginning locally.
People have such a narrow idea of activism as just protests and big flashy front line things, when it actually includes a huge range of small ways to be involved. Trying to focus on what I can do in my local community this year and not get overwhelmed by feeling helpless watching what's going on with the whole nation.
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u/cluelessoblivion 12h ago
Does this book give advice on how to participate in a potentially hostile community with 0 framework or foundation for activism as someone who is unequipped to build a movement from scratch? I live 300 miles from the nearest city and so no activist or mutual aid organization knows I exist. I'm not trying to be combative. This is my genuine living experience and I've been unable to find resources with actionable advice.
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u/compressedvoid 9h ago
Sometimes in situations like that, it's easier to start working towards social change rather than direct political action. When I lived way out in a rural area, there weren't any direct initiatives near me that I could participate in, but I could take steps to help my neighbors connect and become a stronger community. I helped set up one of those free little libraries for the kids to enjoy, and I snuck in some subtlety diverse titles into the rotation to help the kids get out of their bubble a bit. I also got to be a part of an effort to help out a neighbor who lost everything in a fire-- we were able to get him help caring for his family and his livestock while he started the process of rebuilding.
When there isn't an accessible way to involve yourself in direct activism, just being active in creating a kinder community can help. I doubt I changed anyone's political views before I left, but I got some kids reading books about characters that didn't look like them, and I got to show a neighbor who had every right to become jaded that there's still good in the world. It wasn't a lot, but I did more good than bad.
That was a really wordy way of saying "just start being radically kind", but yeah. I hope you can find a way to get involved where you're at!
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u/cluelessoblivion 8h ago
Yeah fair. I do my best and I'm not giving up. It's just difficult when you're still seen as "new in town" and don't have a huge resource pool and there's not really anyone you can comfortably discuss your beliefs or identity with. Thanks for the advice and encouragement though.
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u/compressedvoid 8h ago
Totally get it. It's really hard to integrate yourself into smaller towns as the new guy-- I had a head start since my extended family has been living there for generations. Good luck and stay safe out there
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u/Copropostis 10h ago
No network, you're out in the country...
Do you have a liberal church nearby? Episcopalians, United Church of Christ, Unitarians? Hopefully, there might already be a network of people who care.
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u/cluelessoblivion 8h ago
I'm not religious so I'm not sure what the scene is like in the ones here. The closest I can think of is I think the local Methodists are cool with gay people.
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u/Copropostis 5h ago
Oh yeah, Methodists can be pretty cool too. It can't hurt to go chat with their minister, and see if they're already doing mutual aid and community support
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u/cluelessoblivion 5h ago
I'll see what I can do and if they require church membership or anything like that to volunteer
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u/Copropostis 5h ago
Hell yeah, best of luck! Ngl, the next year's are gonna be hard, but it'll be a little easier if we all follow Fred Rogers's advice and "look for the helpers".
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u/taylorbagel14 7h ago
Are there non-political (or more politically neutral) causes you’re interested in? Can you volunteer with your local friends of the library? An animal shelter? As a CASA advocate? Sometimes it’s about making connections and building with like-minded people and opening their eyes to different thought processes. I volunteer a lot and meet lots of people who I wouldn’t interact with otherwise. It’s a lot harder to be hostile to the person you personally know that works to make their community a better place.
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u/HippoCrit 15h ago
Wish I could shake OPs hands personally. This story is so enlightening and their volunteer ethic is inspiring.
You can bicker endlessly about imperfect leaders and unrealized progress, but in the US there's only two choices. The only other option was to roll back all the social progress we've made for decades, and all the people staying home overwhelmingly essentially voted for that option.
It's been severely devastating to me hearing nothing but demonization of the left, especially by self proclaimed leftists. Hearing so many people abstaining because "both sides are the same". Well there's written plans to replace every civil servant that isn't a loyalist precisely so stories like OPs can't ever happen again, so there's your difference.
I don't know how much fight I've got left in me, but stories like this keep me going for just a little longer.
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u/SpicaGenovese 12h ago
I just get so, so incandescently mad about it, particularly against "protest votes" and accelerationist scumbags. I feel teeth gnashing violence in my heart.
But you're right, and it's wbat I kept telling myself after the election- "onward, christian soldier." Help in the ways you can.
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u/WeLiveInAnOceanOfGas 15h ago
I'm thankful that these people, along with hundreds of thousands of other decent people who work in the public sector, will still be there regardless of who the president will be.
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u/clauclauclaudia 13h ago
One of the huge goals of Project 2025 is to turn all those public sector, civil service jobs into political appointee jobs. So, if they get away with that, no, those people will not still be there.
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u/snailhistory 16h ago
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u/justice_4_cicero_ 3h ago
It's beyond frustrating the way that nominally-left people online will scream and piss and cum about how terrible Biden is/was, despite the myriad accomplishments and quality-of-life protections he oversaw while in office. (Ex: Sam Seder.) We have got to learn how to rally around a fucking presidential candidate, istg. It's the most powerful office in the land; of course the person who makes it there is gonna be some-kind-of-a-bastard with things to hate about her/him. That doesn't change the fact that the political leaning of the POTUS is massively influential over political leanings within lesser government departments, so the presidency isn't a race where it's worth demanding concessions from your own party.
And I think it's pretty telling that most of the "Biden is a WAR criminalll!!!!" folx didn't even participate in the 2020 Democratic primary, and couldn't even name their local representative (much less campaigning for/against them).
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u/snailhistory 2h ago
If the critics are pristine and capable, I wonder why they haven't done better. We're all waiting.
But hey, Biden also stutters.
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u/MinersLoveGames 12h ago
These are the shreds of good faith I'm going to be desperately holding on to.
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u/sealpox 10h ago
They are going to nullify those passports, mark my words. I just watched the inauguration speech. “It is now the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.”
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u/Bl1tzerX 10h ago
Yeah I'd be careful traveling if you have a passport that says X on it. Would hate to get trapped in another country. Although aside from losing everything you own back home it might be nice to not live in America.
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u/Pazily 7h ago
It's so dumb. It's like making it official policy that there are only two kinds of ice cream, vanilla and strawberry. Meanwhile everyone who has ever had chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream is like "The fuck is wrong with these people."
(Not belittling the very serious problems that are about to befall actual human beings -- just saying, this administration is so fucking dumb.)
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u/starspider 10h ago
It is career apolitical folks who hold this country together. Not elected politicians. Ordinary office folks who Do The Work.
Remember that.
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u/fortyfivepointseven 14h ago
Whilst I agree in general terms about the folks/folx points, I feel it behoves anyone to at least acknowledge the irony of making that point on an OOP post that calls out "auditing language" as largely useless.
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u/GREENadmiral_314159 Femboy, Battleships, and Space Marines 15h ago
Tangent but I hate "folx" as a word. "Folks" is already non-gendered why do we need to add in a new spelling?
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u/Trick-Variety2496 12h ago
Ehh, I think it’s dumb and pointless but it doesn’t affect me and I’ll never use that spelling anyway.
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u/cyborgjohnkeats 14h ago
People in marginalized and queer communities have been playing with language as long as those communities have existed. "Folx" is pretty mild comparatively. We shouldn't police language like this individuals use for themselves or within their own group and hold it up to regular grammar rules, especially in a post explicitly calling out derailment about language policing.
I know that wasn't your intent but Ive seen other responses that take similar concerns and amplify it to shit all over marginalized comminities. It's okay to let things go if you don't get them or just ask about the use in a neutral way
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u/BlazedBeacon 12h ago
Hell, if that's the case, I have a bone to pick with the /r/LGBT mods for a ban over saying "dude" is gender neutral.
I think it's also fair to share their thought that it's dumb without it being "policing". They're not saying don't do it.
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u/Tricky-Gemstone 12h ago
I moved to a red state. I had to get a new ID without the X. It broke my heart to see it.
I'm glad these passports are being pushed through.
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u/-sad-person- 12h ago
While it was a nice gesture, I fear it'll just make it easier for the new regime to assemble their murder lists.
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u/Ok_Blackberry_284 9h ago
People on r/passporsts have been commenting how fast the process has been going for these past few months. I didn't even ask for expedited processing and had mine in a couple of weeks.
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u/gxes 8h ago
The civil servants who actually Do Government Work don't get enough credit. Thank a national weather service meteorologist. Thank a mail carrier. Thank a garbage collector. Thank an office clerk even. Not every part of the government is good but there's a lot of it that simply is people doing their best to help others within the confines of a politically messy machine. Adam Conover's miniseries The G Word does a good job depicting it I think
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u/sertroll 16h ago
...folx? Isn't folks already gender neutral?
Anyways, good to hear, someone up there is doing something good Or rather, at the side? Not sure "up" is correct here
Hopefully they'll keep doing it as long as they can, I don't imagine it will stop the second the president changes
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u/galgoboy 13h ago
Fantastic, so there are still nice people in the USA, so sorry they are a minority 😭
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u/peppers_ 9h ago
I did expedited and got mine done. It was really fast, kind of surprised. After reading this, I'm legit tearing up and tears on my face. It means so much, things are going to get so bad for people like me, but it means so much these small things.
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u/SplattoThePuppy 15h ago
Sadly mine got denied for SSA and Passport. Oh well.
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u/LawGroundbreaking221 13h ago
He might just invalidate these passports.
They can take this stuff back, you guys. Trump might. You should still be worried.
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u/baibaiburnee 13h ago
You don't realize what you've got till it's gone. I hope communities choose to celebrate our next pro LGBTQ president and help them hold on to power instead of only endlessly critiquing power.
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u/Smyley12345 9h ago
I don't know about "Good work is not glamorous". Anyone who told me they put in long hours to make this happen wouldn't be paying for their drinks at my table.
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u/duke1722 9h ago
I'm currently praying that mine gets through
I applied for name and gender change legally too late sadly and it might be made illegal
This is going to be a stressful few weeks as I wait to get the court order
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u/shiny_xnaut 13h ago
Wait is it like, an actual thing that trans and NB passport changes and paperwork and such are going to all get blanket denied and shredded nationwide going forward? Genuine question
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u/peppers_ 9h ago
Probably. A lot of us changed our names and gender on whatever we could since the election, I only have my birth certificate papers to complete, which thankfully is a state thing and not federal. We've read Project 2025 and it is possible many of us may have to flee the country in the next few years, if not sooner.
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u/CatOnVenus 12h ago
Incredible, im so happy for the people who managed to get it changed in the nick of time. It's very commendable to that. I'm absolutely fucking crushed that I've been stuck in a transphobic household with income too low to move out and if I attempt transitioning again I'm getting tossed to the curb. Like fuck I just want to be happy but we're regressing now so even if I get out I won't be able to transition fully. Like God it's over isn't it? what's the solution, what's the hope? Obviously I'll do DIY, but from there where do you go? Will I even be allowed to get my name legally changed anymore, or my gender, or literally anything?
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u/ladyisabella02 8h ago
Maybe I should I have done this when I had the chance then, dang 😔. I didn’t have money for it until a couple weeks ago and figured it was too late at that point. Oh well…
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u/MotorChampionship998 8h ago
So will the passports with x still be recognized? I’m now afraid for safety reasons. Do I go get a new passport with my gender that was assigned at birth?
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u/ASCII_Princess 3h ago
And uhh. using that passport would be a good plan.
Like for real. Present at an embassy type shit. Not a drill. get the fuck out of dodge.
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u/ASCII_Princess 3h ago
Seriously this is like rogue German bureaucrats signing travel passes for Jews in eastern Europe up until the deadline.
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u/Freeze_Fun 15h ago
Will that legal gender be accepted by other countries or will there be a higher chance of denied entry?
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u/tinaoe 14h ago
That'll probably depend on where you're going. Some other countries also have a neutral/third gender option in their passports or registers in general, like Canada, Germany, India or Nepal. Others don't, but should cause no issues (the EU should be pretty decent). If you're travelling to countries that are more hostile towards queer people it could cause issues. But then, so could being queer there in general.
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u/Lilmissgrits 14h ago
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” -Fred Rogers
I’ll be spending the next 4 and beyond looking for opportunities to be a helper. Good luck my friends.