What Silence, Complacency, and Comfort has Brought Us

This morning, we woke up to the news that Florida has not made it illegal for trans people to receive HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy). I personally received notification from my doctor that I am no longer able to receive my prescription. Not only did the State of Florida just rule into law that I will have to utilize the women’s restroom or risk arrest, imprisonment, sex crime charges, etc., but now I cannot have access to life-saving medication. I sit here in Starbucks, wondering what we are all pondering right now. How did we get here? What has led us to this moment? Silence. Complacency. Comfort. We allowed them to take advantage of us.

The only reprieve I have from my own mind is blasting Doja Cat through my noise-cancelling headphones as I work on writing or killing Nazis in Wolfenstein, courtesy of Xbox Cloud Gaming. At least music can be my temporary escape from the hell I am living in. In between writing articles, working on my book and blogging, I am scrambling to find work in a state progressive enough to not create laws that threaten my existence. Looking for housing or at least public spaces that can accommodate the van while I look for housing.

Is survival even possible now? Are we headed for extinction? Are we going to sit back and allow ourselves to be erased without at least putting up a fight? How much do we value our lives? We became complacent. We got comfortable and believed that we were untouchable. We thought the fight was over. We had our basic rights and that we would be left alone while old white cis men argued about protecting their wealth in Congress. We were wrong. They waited until we had our backs turned and they struck.

Here in Florida, DeSantis is attempting to create a totalitarian regime. Like Hitler, he is focusing on creating a “perfect race.” He has created extreme restrictions on immigrants settling here, the latest bill restricting them from purchasing and owning certain property. Banning history books that speak on the segregation against Black people (actual history). Banning LGBTQ+ people from performing in public spaces. Eliminating access to gender-affirming care in Florida. He is even considering a bill that would force bloggers that write about him to register with the state. The comparisons are terrifying. He seems to only want a certain group of people in “his state.”

Do I plan to flee? Or stay and fight? I don’t know. I do not have that answer yet. I know that neither he, nor his people, will erase me. I exist and I will not allow certain groups to eliminate me and my people. The question I have for allies, for any major company and organization in Florida, do you value our lives? We are your employees, your coworkers, your friends. We are people, human beings. Do you value us enough to stand with us? Or will you allow us to be erased, persecuted for the sole fact that we are not straight, cisgender, religious people?

I wish I had more words to write about this, but I don’t. I’m so tired. I’m so tired of fighting. I’m tired of hearing and seeing the “The LGBTQ+’s are pedophiles” and “You need to be eradicated from society.” I’m tired of being threatened online because I exist. Why isn’t society progressing instead of regressing? It’s as if they don’t even see us as people anymore. Please help us. Please. We can’t fight this alone. We won’t survive if we don’t have the love and support of our friends, families, coworkers, employers. We need others to stand with us during this time. It’s a terrifying time for us right now, and we are struggling to keep our heads above the water.