By anonymous
Attacks on trans existence are escalating. Fascists in power are signaling their intent to use already existing systems to deny us healthcare and disappear us. Those systems, for-profit medical care, abusive mental health treatment, and the criminalization of people who aren’t the favored demographic of the state, have been built up over decades and centuries to remove people the dominant culture deems undesirable. People of color, disabled people, and mad people have always felt the violence of these institutions. The problem is not the expansion of these systems to harm more people, it’s the existence of these systems in the first place, and we must work to abolish them as we take action to meet our own particular needs. The good news is that for decades and centuries we’ve been developing ways to counter these systems and care for each other outside them.
Because it’s already impossible to get HRT (hormone replacement therapy) through doctors and pharmacies for many people, there is a strong tradition of DIY HRT in the trans community. The best way to get started is through trusted friends and local community, but there are online resources as well. One of these is diyhrt.info, which hosts information about dosing, safety, and sourcing for hormones. It includes information on Estrogen, antiandrogens like Spironolactone, and Testosterone.
The use of the existing healthcare system to restrict access to care means that we won’t all lose access at once. While some already can’t afford to go to a doctor, others will be able to pay out of pocket indefinitely. Those who have the privilege of access to prescribed hormones can stockpile them for community preparedness by saving excess medication (easiest with injected hormones) or getting a prescription for more than the dose they’re actually taking.
To protect each other from institutionalization we have to be mindful of what resources we call upon when someone in our community is in crisis. Crisis hotlines like 988 will call emergency services without the consent of the caller and cooperate with police, and we need to inform people around us that they should not call 988 or 911. We need to be each other’s emergency services whenever possible, developing skills in providing care in crisis. One approach for this is MAST: Mutual Aid Self/Social Therapy; there are many others.
There are also anti-carceral crisis chat and phone lines, such as THRIVE Lifeline and Trans Lifeline that will not call emergency services without the caller’s consent. These can be good resources, certainly better than 988, but be aware that these services may still report information shared with them to law enforcement to comply with mandatory reporting laws regarding credible threats of violence or abuse of minors or vulnerable dependent adults.
Those who are trying to eradicate us are also communicating their intent to label us as terrorists and extremists, and use national security and military infrastructure to target us. Improving our digital and communication security by leaving corporate social media, using encrypted chat and email, and communicating in person whenever possible are all steps worth taking. But while trans citizens of the US can see the threat of contrived national security crackdowns on the horizon, our immigrant neighbors and comrades of all genders are already facing the brunt of this assault. I don’t think I need to tell a trans person reading Slingshot to act in solidarity with immigrants and the Palestinian people, but it seems wrong to write all this without a reminder.
Ultimately our safety comes from solidarity and community. As we take action for personal and community preparedness like stockpiling hormones and practicing community based responses to mental health crises, we must continue building robust webs of trust, care, and rebellion. Tending to our relationships with each other, attending trans community events, and organizing more, especially small independent ones, is as vital as it’s ever been.
It’s looking like things are going to get harder, and I’m not going to pretend I think we’re all going to make it. I think many of us will though, and I have enormous faith in us to take care of each other and fight like hell for the joyful, free future we live moments of already as we care and fight.
Resources referenced:
DIY HRT Directory: diyhrt.info
THRIVE Lifeline: thrivelifeline.org
Trans Lifeline: translifeline.org
Mutual Aid Self/Social Therapy: theanarchistlibrary.org/library/the-jane-addams-collective-mutual-aid-self-social-therapy