03/22/2025
You may have noticed that we haven’t put out a podcast episode or posted on social media since December. First, I want to apologize to everyone who looked forward to our podcast and wondered where we’ve been - we set an expectation of consistent content, and I owe you an explanation of why I decided to take a break.
I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t due to the current moment in our country. My identity as a trans woman matters to me, but so does my identity as a public servant - a role that is increasingly challenging to carry out effectively while also remaining an outspoken activist on so many issues. As one grumpy local news editor reminded me during a tense call last year (while complaining about my personal posts on an unrelated issue), I can’t seriously expect people to bifurcate their understanding of me as both a political voice and a spokesperson for a public agency.
That’s not to say my bosses and colleagues wouldn’t have my back if s**t really hit the fan, but over the last four months I’ve increasingly begun to think about politics in terms of survival, rather than advocacy or effecting policy change. How can I survive the next four years, and whatever may come after? How can I put continuity of operations plans in place for myself and my loved ones to ensure we are ready for anything the future has in store? This is a different project than the one we were engaged in through Transgender School.
I should also clarify that I am in no way trying to prescribe priorities for the rest of the community - outspoken activism is more essential than ever in these tough times, it’s just that given my own personal skill set and circumstances I believe my energy is best focused on survival right now. I encourage other LGBTQ people and our allies to think about survival and continuity planning alongside your activism. Policies are one thing, but if those who would rather see us dead have us out-gunned, out-manned, and out-organized (which I believe they currently do), our long-term survival is in serious doubt.
For every podcast episode or social media post we put out, the q***r community should also be stockpiling resources, organizing local networks of volunteers with different hard (useful in a more Hobbesian state) skills, engaging in cross training, and preparing for the absolute worst. History has shown very clearly what’s coming our way, and while I may not be here with you in the form of this podcast or social media presence for the time being, believe me when I say I’m ready to go down with this ship and they will pry my HRT from my cold, dead hands. I advise others who are unable or unwilling to flee to prepare for the worst while hoping for the best, as that’s all we can do in this moment. Thank you for your patience and understanding - I hope to see you on the other side of all this, and look forward to resuming Transgender School when circumstances allow.
-Jackie
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