The week of October 27, 2018, is a week that no right-minded person could ever have imagined. The week began with a report that the Trump administration was considering to rollback federal regulations protecting trans people. In Kentucky, 4 days later, two black people were gunned down at a Kroger by a man who previously tried to shoot up a black church. Then two days later after that, eleven Jews were murdered in Pittsburgh at a synagogue where they are supposed to feel safe.
We might seem accustomed to such acts of violence in today's complacent society. We become so numb to such things happening in this country that the same shock that we should normally feel is completely absent. But such events all happening in a matter of 7 days is perhaps something we have not seen so quickly in the age of Trump.
But while it's important to continue to resist against such acts of hate, it's also important to take care of yourself, especially in this situation, if you are trans, black, or Jewish.
Famed radical activist Audre Lorde had once said that "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare." Lorde is right in this sense. Existing as a marginalized individual in a patriarchal, cis-heteronormative society--whether you're queer, a person of color, disabled, or any other oppressed identity--is a form of resistance. With that being said, loving and taking care of yourself is a bold political statement.
This administration is relentlessly handing down attack after attack on nearly every marginalized community. Each attack is meant to dehumanize its target. When we put our well-being first, that in itself is a form of resistance.
By self-care, I don't necessarily mean buying 5 pizzas, binge-watching "Grey's Anatomy" and getting pampered at a spa (though I wouldn't discourage anyone from doing that). Self-care is essentially putting your physical and mental well-being first. It means catching what it is that strains your body. It means taking time out to meditate. It means replacing a bad behavior (analyzing social media) with a better one (reading a book). It means developing a social circle that will help you amplify your positivity.
So if you're trans, black, Jewish, or just naturally happened to be on edge regardless after late October's events, understand that it's never selfish to put your own well-being first. Opponents want you to feel inferior and sit on the sidelines so they can have their way. Taking care of yourself counters that because it defies those expectations.
So, yes, go vote, go out in the streets, go organize your community. But don't let that get in the way with how you're personally feeling. Because fatigue is how they win too.
