By Joanie Juster–
Since January 20, 2025, the new administration has trained a firehose of hate upon the American people. The Current-Temporary-Resident-of-the-White-House got right to it after the inauguration, signing a mile-high stack of executive orders designed, quite frankly, to hurt a lot of people. He had warned us that he was going to unleash “shock and awe” upon the country, and, for once, he delivered on his promise.
The barrage of executive orders, which continued past inauguration day, comprised a litany of cruelty and hatred, designed to cause both physical hardship and psychological pain to millions of Americans. It has been disheartening, disturbing, infuriating, and frightening.
And, even though we’ve seen this before, in 2017, we must remember, this is not normal.
This barrage of executive orders—many of them sloppily drafted and, frankly, illegal—is specifically designed to intimidate, disorient, and frighten us. They are deliberately throwing everything but the kitchen sink at us as fast and hard as they can, in the hope that we will be so overwhelmed that we won’t be able to fight back. We must prove them wrong.
Overwhelmed by all the issues they are throwing at us? Pick one or two that matter most to you, and work on those. Support organizations whose job is to fight for those issues. Find experts you trust to help you sort through all the noise. Speak out when you see injustice, and call them out, time and time again.
They want us to feel overwhelmed. They are counting on wearing us down. They want us to knuckle under and simply accept this strategic dismantling of our rights, and our country, as normal. But it is not.
This is not normal.
But it is overwhelming. Find your communities, and support each other. Find people, and groups, who will have your back, and be sure you have theirs, too. None of us should go through this alone. We can do this, people. We’re not giving up our country without a fight.
Creating Change
This year’s Creating Change conference, produced by The National LGBTQ Task Force and that opened in Las Vegas just two days after the inauguration, could not have come at a better time. The annual conference is the largest gathering of LGBTQ+ progressive movement activists and advocates in the U.S., with nearly 4,000 attendees and 77 exhibitors coming together for skill-building, sharing knowledge and resources, solidarity, inspiration, and communal joy. All of those are needed more than ever as the new administration has made terrorizing LGBTQ+ people a priority.
This year’s conference featured an additional surprise. While the conference was underway, the new president came to town. Fortunately, the conference planners took seriously their mandate to create a safe space for all their people, with extra security on hand, as well as trauma counselors.
The theme for this year’s conference was “Rooted in Resistance, Power, and Love.” Plenary sessions included “Black Leadership Rising,” “Democracy, Fascism, and the Road Ahead,” “State of the Movement,” and a session addressing issues of safety and security in the LGBTQ+ community: “We Got Us.” More info: https://tinyurl.com/TFCC25
Good News in Oakland
While legislators around the country are busy trying to take away health care and basic human rights from anyone who isn’t a cisgender white male, Oakland is making sure that everyone else gets the care they need. On December 17, 2024, the Planned Parenthood Mar Monte Barbara Lee Oakland Health Center opened its doors, with a formal ribbon-cutting scheduled for February 1. This 12,000-square-foot facility is now the largest Planned Parenthood health center in the United States, featuring 19 exam rooms. Services include birth control, abortions, HIV services, and gender-affirming care. With such necessary and inclusive services becoming harder to access elsewhere, the Planned Parenthood Mar Monte locations in California and Nevada have seen a significant increase in patients, serving more than 300,000 people, including many from 39 other states. This new facility in Oakland fills a pressing need, and couldn’t come at a better time.
Honoring a Hero
On January 22, friends and community leaders gathered to pay their respects to Allan Baird, the legendary teamster organizer, activist, and LGBTQ+ ally. The best-known highlight of Baird’s long career was his work organizing the Coor’s boycott in the 1970s, but his transformative work lasted throughout his long and useful life.
The lineup of speakers was a Who’s Who of activists who had worked with Harvey Milk and Baird in the 1970s, labor organizers, and community leaders. Baird, who died January 7 at the age of 92, was a lifelong resident of the Castro, and advocated for equality until the very end. Most recently, he was advocating for the Teamsters to become more inclusive, lobbying for them to change their name from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to the International Brotherhood and Sisterhood of Teamsters, to acknowledge the powerful and essential role that women play in the labor movement.
One of the speakers at the event was Professor Allyson Brantley, who had interviewed Baird for her book about the Coors boycott, Brewing a Boycott: How a Grassroots Coalition Fought Coors and Remade American Consumer Activism. Anyone wanting to honor Baird’s legacy would do well to read Brantley’s book. Donations in Baird’s name can also be made to the GLBT Historical Society, or to the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy.
https://tinyurl.com/BoycottCoors
SF Pride’s 2025 Theme: Queer Joy Is Resistance
SF Pride has announced their theme for this year’s Pride celebrations, and it is both celebratory and defiant. “Queer Joy Is Resistance” will be a powerful call to action to defy the efforts of the haters to diminish, punish, and erase this community. It is also a reminder that just being your own, unique, colorful, and joyful self is an important daily act of resistance. As the SF Pride website states, “The theme serves as a reminder that the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights is ongoing, and that the community must remain vigilant, engaged, and united in its pursuit of justice and equality.”
Start planning your outfits now; June is right around the corner. And, in the meantime, be kind to one another.
Joanie Juster is a long-time community volunteer, activist, and ally.
In Case You Missed It
Published on January 30, 2025
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