Whom Can You Trust?

By Joanie Juster–

I am not a scientist, but I’ve always placed great faith in scientists, and in the scientific method, for which one standard definition is “the systematic pursuit of knowledge involving the recognition and definition of a problem; the collection of data through observation and experimentation; analysis of the data; the formulation, evaluation and testing of hypotheses; and, where possible, the selection of a final hypothesis.”

Rigorous application of the scientific method has led humankind to remarkable accomplishments, from eradicating or controlling deadly diseases to exploring the outermost frontiers of our galaxy. While there will always be some disagreement within the scientific community—scientists, after all, come with their own biases and interpretations of data—most people can agree that the scientific method has overall been a huge plus for humanity.

Until now.

One of the most dangerous tactics of the current administration is that they have made it a priority to attack science, and to cast doubt on everything we thought we knew. Huge swaths of the government’s scientific programs have been destroyed—departments gutted, life-saving research abruptly ended, scientists discredited, disinformation disseminated. Programs that have saved countless lives, and made not just Americans, but also people around the world safer and healthier have been cast aside. With funding for research abruptly ended, we are seeing a massive brain drain of the best and the brightest researchers leaving the U.S. to continue their work in other countries.

Bottom line: they want us to distrust the government. They want to destroy everything we have relied upon for so many years, burning it to the ground and replacing it with their own agenda. I discovered one bone-chilling example of this recently, as I was researching a government website for data on health disparities among marginalized populations. On a Health & Human Services Department page about health disparities experienced by LGBT people, the government placed a prominent disclaimer reading:

“Per a court order, HHS is required to restore this website as of 11:59 pm, February 14, 2025. Any information on this page promoting gender ideology is extremely inaccurate and disconnected from the immutable biological reality that there are two sexes, male and female. The Trump Administration rejects gender ideology and condemns the harms it causes to children, by promoting their chemical and surgical mutilation, and to women, by depriving them of their dignity, safety, well-being, and opportunities. This page does not reflect biological reality and therefore the Administration and this Department rejects it.”

This is not a joke. This is from an official government website. This is the agenda that the current administration is promoting. They are waging an all-out war on truth; a tried-and-true tactic of authoritarian dictators throughout history. They are hell-bent on destroying our faith in the institutions—whether it be government departments (like the Bureau of Labor Statistics or the National Institute of Health) or media like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting—that we have always turned to for objective facts. If they don’t like a particular fact, they simply deny its truth.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there. The administration has been strong-arming universities and medical facilities to conform to their agenda as well. In recent weeks, Stanford University, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and Kaiser Permanente have all taken steps to limit gender-affirming care for anyone under the age of 19, citing political pressure from Washington, and the threat of losing federal funding. At a rally at Kaiser San Francisco on July 25 protesting these service cuts, many expressed concerns that the cuts wouldn’t stop there—that, before long, these medical facilities will be forced to discontinue gender-affirming care for people of any age.

So, the question is stark: Whom and what can you trust? Our government institutions have been taken over by dangerous ideologues who most definitely do not have our best interests at heart. They have pressured educational institutions, medical facilities, and more to bend a knee to their agenda or be destroyed. Mainstream media has been forced to compromise. They are politicizing institutions that should remain apolitical and trustworthy (ask anyone who received the July 3rd email from the Social Security Administration gloating over the passage of the “One Big, Beautiful Bill”). They are gleefully taking a sledgehammer to the pillars of our society that have sustained us and are dancing in the rubble.

The task is now for each of us who still give a damn about our country and are willing to fight for it to do our homework. We must find sources of information and voices we can rely on to keep us informed, to tell us what is really happening, and to encourage and inspire us to act. With legacy media like The New York Times, Washington Post, CBS News, and others giving way to pressure from Washington, we must find alternative news sources that are not beholden to stockholders.

Many of our country’s best investigative journalists are finding new homes in nonprofit media outlets, and news sources from outside the U.S. can also provide excellent reportage and perspective. Read them and support them; they need our help in getting reliable news out to others. Help discourage the spread of disinformation by vetting sources of information before you share them (watch out for those memes and viral videos!). Help to amplify the voices of trusted leaders in your own community. And become a source that others can rely on. It is going to take all of us working together to counter the tsunami of lies, and rebuild trust in each other, and in our country.

Harvey Milk Photo Center Show

It’s time again for the Harvey Milk Photo Center’s annual Member, Staff & Volunteer Show. The show runs from August 15 through October 4, 2025, with an opening reception on Friday, August 15, from 4–7. This show is always worth visiting. Check their website for gallery hours and more info: https://tinyurl.com/HMPC25

Roma is Everywhere!

Our beloved Sister Roma is everything everywhere all at once! While checking out the new San Francisco heart sculpture at the Drumm Street terminus of the California Street cable car line, I noticed that Roma was featured on one of the new informational plaques promoting San Francisco. A few minutes later, I looked up and saw a Muni bus go by with a big advertisement featuring Roma and her fellow Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence promoting their “Safety First, Sexy Second” campaign. Well done, Roma!

Final Thoughts

Yes, there is a lot of craziness going on around us right now, and a lot of deliberate cruelty. Remember that most people are kind, most people are peaceful, and most people want to help. Please hold fast to your values, your faith, your friends, your loved ones, and your community. Keep modeling the behavior you want to see in the world. We will get through this … together. 

Joanie Juster is a long-time community volunteer, activist, and ally.

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Published on August 14, 2025