J. S. Kuiken

The most recent TV show I’ve gotten into is called The Librarians. It’s a fantasy show, about a team of rag-tag folk who find themselves thrust into the position of “librarian”, which means defending the world from magic gone awry and going on adventures all over the world (and basically having the best job ever). Librarians are not fighters in the physical sense; they fight using their wits. As one character told the librarians in one episode: “Librarians win because of what they know.”

Last night’s election was for me, and for many other people, devastating. I cried. I felt like vomiting. I despaired. I went numb. I can’t even describe how terrified I am for myself and for others in this country — other LGBT folk, people of color, immigrants, Muslims the disabled, the impoverished — the list goes on. There’s just too much for me to even begin to unpack. Do I discuss how awful, in the old-world sense of the world, it is to know that almost half of the country is fine with bigotry, with sexism, with homophobia, transphobia, racism, and xenophobia? How awful it is to have these things sanctioned and condoned? Do I mention how completely shattering it was to lose the House and the Senate? Do I discuss how horrific it is going to be for so many people when they glut the ACA (and they will), and find they have no insurance, and/or they can’t afford the insurance without government subsidies? And what about people who qualified for medicaid under the ACA’s expansions? Do I go into how terrifying it is to have Pence as a Vice President — a man who endorses conversion therapy? Or what about reproductive rights and the funding of Planned Parenthood? Or what about gay marriage now? Or about the rights of black people to, I don’t know, not be murdered by trigger happy cops? What about brown people and their rights? Or gun control (or, a lackthereof)? Do I go into detail about how immigrant families are in danger now? Do I discuss how Muslims are in peril too, simply for practicing their religion? Do I talk about how Trump is undoubtedly going to stack the Supreme Court with conservative judges, and how that will have an effect on the landscape?

All of this and more hangs in the balance. And it seems hopeless, to be honest.

But we will fight. Not with violence, of course, but with marches and protests. By supporting organizations like Planned Parenthood in their time of need. By volunteering for organizations that support people and causes which will be targeted by the new administration. By getting our feet on the ground, planning for the 2018 and 2020 elections TODAY and making sure we never find ourselves in this position again. By protecting and holding dear our loved ones.

We will fight. And we will win. We will win because of what we know: that we fight for each other, and that we are not alone.