Chaika

I think it'll be Harris. I'm not even sure who is the lesser evil, considering the longterm ramifications of everything. Dems are bought by big Tech and Reps are bought by big oil, both are bad for women. If Democrats had a plausible route for improving abortion access federally, it would be much clearer. On a personal moral level I'm confident Harris is better than Trump, and deep down she probably does think this gender stuff is baloney, but what good is that when she toes the party line? I'm sure Trump doesn't truly believe abortion is wrong (for only selfish reasons I'm sure), but he toed the line and selected anti-choice justices, so whatever he personally thought or felt about it was irrelevant.

I am concerned about how Harris will do on the international stage. Not only about the ramifications for other countries, but also more selfishly how it'll affect the willingness of Americans to elect another woman. Yes, it's not fair that she'll be under extra scrutiny for being female when there have been plenty of mediocre men failing upward, but it is a fact, and I wonder whether a bad Harris presidency might tip a future election between a better female candidate and a male candidate worse than Trump in the favor of the worse man by reinforcing existing sexist biases. For whatever criticisms are levied justifiably or otherwise against Obama, he was a serious statesman and a capable orator who handled pressure well, and it put into stark relief how ridiculous the bigoted elements of his opposition were.

Hopefully she'll surprise me, and rather than Dems doubling down entrenching themselves further into black-and-white toddler reasoning of If Bad Man Against Child Sex Changes And Males in Female Sport Then Those Things Good, maybe we'll see the opposition movement to genderism strengthen with refusal to follow federal orders. In which case I'll probably be fine in this red state but girls in blue states who don't want to see peanuts in their locker rooms have to tough it or stay home. I know it would not be something I could tolerate, and I would exclude myself from sports and gyms and college trips to professional conferences rather than be forced to room with a man.

Being a lesbian, I am of course concerned about the conservative backlash, which has been inevitable for the last decade when all the gay organizations got captured. LGB Alliance is our last hope on this front. DIAG for redeemin liberal values generally in the eyes of the culture, although I wish they chose a better, catchy name. Way too close to the acronym for "die in a fire" so there's an alarming millisecond before I recognize it's a G and not an F. Since I first got canceled over this issue 15 years ago, I saw the authoritarianism rising on the Democrat side, and while the Republicans have tined down the antigay rhetoric, they don't offer a good alternative, but remembering that initial despair, I understand why people would want to believe they are a good option once they can no longer tolerate the Democrats. It sucks to realize that the Democrats sold the American left to corporations for kickbacks and clamping down on free speech, and you naturally want to believe there is some good path out, much like as an autistic kid perpetually on the outside, I wanted to believe that if only I were in a different culture, my social problems would cease to exist, but that is not reality. The reality is that I'm an outsider to all cultures and always will be.

In short, I think we're screwed either way, but rather than despair, take action against those elements that you oppose in whichever force gains more power. There is much that is out of our control, so focus on what IS in your control to improve your community and yourself. Help out womens shelters or abortion funds for women who can't afford to travel, contribute to WOLF, LGB Alliance, or DIAG, speak honestly to your friends in the most sacred act of rebellion against the authoritarian, develop your skills for your career or self-sufficiency. There is always an action you can make for tomorrow to be better than today. Despair, however warranted, will take you nowhere good. Take it from someone who knows.