There are tons of people who are smarter and more dialed in than I am who are providing recaps of Trump’s personnel choices, so I’m not going to make it a habit to do a whole series of those — although I will touch on a few of them in the coming weeks and months. But for today I want to talk about sensible and reasonable ways that we need to protect ourselves going forward.
These things are especially important if you’re a part of a marginalized group. If you are part of the LGBTQ+ community, if you are disabled, if you are neurodiverse, if you are or are married to a non-citizen (of any legal status), if you are a naturalized citizen, if you are in an unmarried partnership, if you are in a same-sex marriage … this is just a partial list of people who need to be prepared. Things you should try to get done in the next few months before the inauguration.
And yes, I know the holidays make everything even more difficult because a lot of government offices will be closed. Heck a lot of non-government offices will be closed. But do what you can.
Make sure you have a proper, certified copy of your birth certificate. If you need to order one, now is the time to do so.
Make sure that your driver’s license or other ID is up to date.
If you have a passport, make sure that it’s current; if it’s expiring within the next year, renew it now. (Here are the instructions for renewing online or by mail: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-passport.html )
If you don’t have a passport, now is the time to get one. (Here are the instructions for getting your first passport. You will have to apply in person, but you can fill out all the forms at home: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/apply-in-person.html )
If you are not cisgender, make sure that to the extent possible, all of your gender markers are up to date on your identification. Some states won’t allow this but if your state does, do it now.
Change your gender marker with the Social Security office, simply by requesting it. Currently they only offer M or F, but they are working on a non-binary. Here’s the info: https://www.ssa.gov/personal-record/change-sex-identification)
Change your gender marker on your passport - no medical proof is required. “You can select male (M), female (F), or unspecified or another gender identity (X) as the gender marker on your U.S. passport book and card. The gender marker you select does not need to match the gender on your citizenship evidence or photo ID. You do not need to provide medical documentation to change your gender marker. “ https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/selecting-your-gender-marker.html
If you are not a citizen or if you are married to a non-citizen make sure that all of your paperwork is up to date and current. If there are any pending issues, try to resolve them as quickly as possible.
If you are undocumented, married to someone undocumented, or have someone undocumented in your family make plans for what to do if detained or deported. The National Immigrant Justice Center has information that his helpful: https://immigrantjustice.org/know-your-rights/know-your-rights-if-you-encounter-ice
If you are of childbearing age, make sure you have appropriate forms of birth control available. Now is the time to get fitted for an IUD or, if you know you don’t want children/any more children, a tubal ligation, or a vasectomy.
Make sure you have a will, a living will, and a power of attorney and that your loved ones know where it is. This is especially important if you’re in a same-sex marriage or if you’re in an unmarried partnership.
Make sure you are up to date on all of your vaccinations. Tetanus, TDAP, HepB, Chicken pox or Shingles (depending on your age), Mirena if you’re young enough. All of these are either one-time or long term vaccines, lasting 5-10 years. Don’t forget to get seasonal COVID and Flu shots as well.
If you live in an area that is prone to natural disasters (or, well even if you don’t - look at what happened to North Carolina) check on your disaster preparedness. Trump will be staffing his agencies with grossly incompetent people, so you cannot count on getting Federal aid or FEMA when you need it. If you’re living in a Blue state, this goes double. Trump has already tried multiple times in the past to withhold aid from Blue states. Even if saner heads prevail, it may delay your aid. Have gloves, masks, bottled water, disinfectants like bleach and peroxide and alcohol on hand. ReadyGov has a good guideline for a basic Disaster Recovery Kit: https://www.ready.gov/kit
Two other things:
Protesting
Trump has repeatedly said that he wants to make protesting against him or his policies illegal. He will use any excuse to send the National Guard or the US Military to break up protests. If they are not violent, he will make them violent. There are also plenty of people out there who are willing to act as agents provocateur, to initiate property damage and set fires in order to make peaceful protestors look violent. It happened during the George Floyd protests frequently.
If you choose to protest, BE PREPARED. Write your emergency contact information on your body with a sharpie. Make sure that face or fingerprint access is turned off on your devices. (Yes, the police can hold your phone up to your face to unlock it w/out your consent.) Make sure that someone who is not involved in the protest knows where you are and has an idea of when to start looking for you if you’re not home. If you know a lawyer or already have a lawyer, make sure you have their contact information with you. If you don’t, try to get some information about legal services available in your areas. (I’ll update this as I get more information about legal services available.)
Chose your protests wisely. Protests are an American right and we should not be discouraged from taking a stand, but don’t put yourself in danger unless you’re prepared for it. And understand that any peaceful protest can become violent in the blink of an eye. I am taking the attitude that if I go protest, I will expect to be arrested at a minimum, and suffer some physical harm at worse. I plan to choose my protests wisely because of that. (It may never happen, but better prepared than not.)
I’ll be posting more information on protesting including a lot of suggestions about apps and phone services in a future post.
Finally:
Find the helpers / Be a helper
Know who your people are.
If you are a helper, know who you will help. You don’t have to help everyone — you can’t. But if there are marginalized people in your community or in your circle, make sure they know that you are their helper. That if things get bad (in whatever way “bad” is) they can come to you and will be safe with you. Whether that’s actually physically safe or providing a safe mental/emotional space; let them know what you can provide and how much they can rely on you.
If you are part of a marginalized or vulnerable group, find your helpers. Ask people if they will be your helper. Be clear about what kind of help you think you’ll need. Don’t be afraid to ask for it. Remember that not every helper is able to help with everything and some might not be able to provide the specific help you need. It’s going to be necessary for most people to have more than one helper and that’s ok.
Right now we’re all on edge. Some of us are scared, some of us are angry and all of us are worried about what’s to come. I know I didn’t think we’d be here again and I’m still struggling with the reality of it. But making concrete plans helps me, so I’m sharing them with you and I hope it’ll help you too.
As Joyce Vance says at the end of every one of her posts: “We’re all in this together!”