Thanks for all you do, Ben, and excited to chat with you on the livestream and hopefully help out the Harris Dault family! Really appreciate you joining!
While I am happy to see one family using Substack, their platform as a writer, and apparent connections, to gain support with fundraising for their out-of-country move, I have some mixed feelings about it. There are many, many families in the same situation throughout the U.S., and many of these parents with trans and nonbinary kids can’t even afford to leave the red states that they are in. In addition, there are thousands of trans adults now struggling with school, employment, food scarcity and safety.
I absolutely hear you on this. I think it's so critical that we don't abandon families that can't move, don't want to move, and *shouldn't have to move* in order to feel safe in their homes in small towns, rural areas, or red states. Most of my advocacy and writing work will definitely continue to focus on supporting these communities versus on escape—which en mass will end up with a much worse world for all of us.
Ben, this quote hit me and I will strive to embed this deep in my heart. I don’t want to carry so much anger - it’s exhausting and not productive. I want to hold this compassion innately (and not struggle to hold it) so it’ll be easier to stay in conversation with ‘the other side’ and take productive action to make change. Thank you for this reminder!
“Donald Trump supporters are not Donald Trump. We cannot just assume they love, understand, or even know about all the policies making our lives harder right now. Even if they do, this is a complex human being with their own traumas and fears and baggage and complexities and problems. This is a regular person who does not deserve to starve or lose access to healthcare (even if they might not have the same level of empathy for us, or for their other neighbors).”
I'm so glad to hear this resonated with you! It's been a hard journey for me, too, and takes a lot of practice and reminders from people I love who I've asked to help check me. The book "See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love" by Valerie Kaur has been really transformative for me and I highly recommend as you're on this journey.
From what I understand, donating to food banks or organizations providing this support in your specific city will have the biggest, most immediate impact as opposed to national organizations. I would highly recommend searching for “food bank” or “shutdown resources” plus the name of your nearest town, city, county, or metro area.
Thanks for all you do, Ben, and excited to chat with you on the livestream and hopefully help out the Harris Dault family! Really appreciate you joining!
I’m so excited!! See you soon!! Thank you so much for hosting this amazing program for such a wonderful family <3
Thank you Ben. Blessings to you and yours and thank you for once again naming the ( Republican) elephant in the room
While I am happy to see one family using Substack, their platform as a writer, and apparent connections, to gain support with fundraising for their out-of-country move, I have some mixed feelings about it. There are many, many families in the same situation throughout the U.S., and many of these parents with trans and nonbinary kids can’t even afford to leave the red states that they are in. In addition, there are thousands of trans adults now struggling with school, employment, food scarcity and safety.
I absolutely hear you on this. I think it's so critical that we don't abandon families that can't move, don't want to move, and *shouldn't have to move* in order to feel safe in their homes in small towns, rural areas, or red states. Most of my advocacy and writing work will definitely continue to focus on supporting these communities versus on escape—which en mass will end up with a much worse world for all of us.
Love what you do, and I know we wish we could wave magic wands and help everyone. 🥰
Ben, this quote hit me and I will strive to embed this deep in my heart. I don’t want to carry so much anger - it’s exhausting and not productive. I want to hold this compassion innately (and not struggle to hold it) so it’ll be easier to stay in conversation with ‘the other side’ and take productive action to make change. Thank you for this reminder!
“Donald Trump supporters are not Donald Trump. We cannot just assume they love, understand, or even know about all the policies making our lives harder right now. Even if they do, this is a complex human being with their own traumas and fears and baggage and complexities and problems. This is a regular person who does not deserve to starve or lose access to healthcare (even if they might not have the same level of empathy for us, or for their other neighbors).”
I'm so glad to hear this resonated with you! It's been a hard journey for me, too, and takes a lot of practice and reminders from people I love who I've asked to help check me. The book "See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love" by Valerie Kaur has been really transformative for me and I highly recommend as you're on this journey.
Thank you! Will check it out!
I love and agree with your perspective on the govt shutdown!! Do you know of any places where one can donate to support the laid off workers?
From what I understand, donating to food banks or organizations providing this support in your specific city will have the biggest, most immediate impact as opposed to national organizations. I would highly recommend searching for “food bank” or “shutdown resources” plus the name of your nearest town, city, county, or metro area.