Unfiltered 2 - Take Action
Immediately after the November 2024 election, our On Guard crew gathered for a casual unfiltered “Time to Resist” https://youtu.be/9hupTOZnWq8?si=vh7QVlxjgILr342z recording of our honest and raw shock and anger. Emotions were high. We must hold on to the anger, but anger without action is hollow and useless. In this Unfiltered episode, our crew discusses some tangible action items we can all do to resist the extremist right-wing forces taking aim at our civil rights and democracy itself.
Immediately after the November 2024 election, our On Guard crew gathered for a casual unfiltered “Time to Resist” https://youtu.be/9hupTOZnWq8?si=vh7QVlxjgILr342z recording of our honest and raw shock and anger. Emotions were high. We must hold on to the anger, but anger without action is hollow and useless. In this Unfiltered episode, our crew discusses some tangible action items we can all do to resist the extremist right-wing forces taking aim at our civil rights and democracy itself. RESOURCES: Use these resources as a starting point for your own resistance efforts. This is by no means an all-inclusive list. If you have good resource suggestions, we’d love to read them in the comments.
Race Bannon’s call to action op-ed in The Fight Magazine: https://thefightmag.com/2024/12/where-do-we-go-from-here/
The LGBTQ+ Victory Institute supports, trains, and invests in the next generation of LGBTQ+ public leaders. https://victoryinstitute.org/
This is a collection of some resistance resources for security and nonviolence. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18VFNx4HMM0K9XPZ71ucZkPhNvCdwKrzl
Transgender Law Center is the largest national trans-led organization advocating self-determination for all people. https://transgenderlawcenter.org/
During this episode, Race quoted a few lines from the beginning of a keynote speech delivered at a recent large kink conference event. The keynote address was read from the stage by Charlie Doll because the keynote speaker, Mara, was unexpectedly in the hospital emergency room that night.
You can find the text of the speech at this site. https://www.roninmara.com/
New Indivisible Guide: This is the latest updated version of the Indivisible Guide that’s VERY informative about how to effectively resist Trump right now. This Guide is for anyone who lives in America and is upset, scared, and determined, and you want to do your part to protect your family, your neighbors, and democracy from Trump 2.0. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o1gSdFWIUpw41O5zbaxedVsr6Xik5XpPd9FwqvXYu40/edit?tab=t.0
The Indivisible Guide team also offers a number of other resources to help build progressive grassroots power and hold Members of Congress accountable.at this link. https://linktr.ee/indivisibleteam
This is an article that presents a step-by-step guide to organizing and carrying out direct action, from the first planning stages to the debrief at the end, including legal support, media strategy, and proper security. https://crimethinc.com/2017/03/14/direct-action-guide
Content creator Casey expresses well the anger and outrage our On Guard crew feels too. https://youtu.be/iwVleSTuk9Y?si=K5Mm656qTjc2JIEf
The Antifascist Handbook by Mark Bray, because it’s important to understand how we got here https://files.libcom.org/files/Antifa,%20The%20Anti-Fascist%20Handbook.pdf
Erin Reed is the top reporter on trans issues in our country right now. We encourage people to subscribe to her “Erin in the Morning” newsletter to stay informed about important trans issues. https://www.erininthemorning.com/
“We’re not helpless! Here are 10 ways to defend democracy” - The right played the long game and won big this year. We can play the long game too. https://www.stopthepresses.news/p/were-not-helpless-here-are-10-ways
Stay up to date on current queer-related news by reading publications like the Bay Area Reporter (https://ebar.com/) and Them (https://www.them.us/).
OTHER TIPS: Have a list of the names, titles, snail mail address, email address, phone numbers, and so on. of every public (elected of not) from the President down to your local government. Use that list to write, contact, call, email, everything that concerns you and your community - nothing is too small to voice your opinion.
DO SOMETHING! When it's said, "Somebody should do something", be the somebody. Attend the City Council meeting, make an appointment with your Senator, be present at the Planning Commission meetings, and so on. You might "out" yourself a little, but we can make our collective voices heard. Educate Yourself: Stay informed about candidates, ballot measures, and political issues. Use reputable, non-partisan sources to research.
Engage in Local Politics: Attend town halls, school board meetings, and city council sessions to influence decisions and support local leaders who align with your priorities.
If you produce, host, or are involved in some way in queer or kink events, get political. Now is not the time to shy away from being overtly political.
Pride events should return to their protest and activist roots. If you have influence with your local Pride organizers, let them know you want it to reflect the resistance efforts needed now.
Don’t let the government hide the cruelty.
Don’t normalize.
Don’t be slaves to access.
Don’t soft-pedal fascism.
Don’t contribute to public amnesia.
