I miss being able to cruise as Marian. The Orange Snowflake is out to erase transgenders from the earth, claiming "it is all in our heads." One problem - it is easier to change the body than to rewire the brain. And even if it could be done, should it be done? When the person who holds the presidency has no morality, no sense of justice, and no respect for others, then how can anyone cis or trans feel safe?
Safety for us trans people is important. For those like me, we can go stealth and not worry much - but we still have our worries. When presenting as a male, my whiteness helps keep me safe from the ICE raids going on in neighboring towns. So, if I have to make contact with anyone from the Federal Government, I've decided to do so as a white male and assert my "privilege". This is not real safety. I've been hassled by a TSA Officer before flying to London, simply because he had a bug up his ass. Could you imagine what he'd have been like if I were presenting as a female for an international flight?
I remind people that Cisgender people are not safe. The husband of one of my friends is an immigrant from the Philippines. He is not white, but he is a male US Citizen who has communications issues. He lives in a town which has suffered ICE raids, and my friend (his wife) fears what could happen if he goes out during one of these raids. He could not advocate effectively for himself. Given that we have deported US citizens caught in one of these ICE roundups, do you think he'd be safe.
RQS is a fair skinned black, somewhere in the mocha shade of skin tone. She'd likely be tolerably safe, as she has an "American" accent. And that relative safety would likely extend to many "American Blacks" who speak with an "American" accent familiar to many ICE agents. But that doesn't extend to their initial treatment by these "authorities", as there has been a different standard of justice for whites and blacks in America. I must note that Asian Americans may have similar treatment to American Blacks, but would be subject to similar risk factors. Yet, even if I were a second or third generation Chinese American, would I feel safe if ICE was raiding a Chinatown neighborhood as they recently did in New York City?
The promise of the Orange Snowflake was to round up the criminals who were in the US illegally and deport them first. Instead, he is aiming for quantity over quality, scooping up law abiding people (here legally or illegally) to make artificial quotas. So, a wise gender nonconforming person can not feel safe in a society where every touch point with the Federal Government puts her/him at risk.
So, I've started my packing, and I'm disappointed that I won't be able to wear my summer dresses again. But, I still wouldn't do so on this cruise, as many of the islands in the Caribbean have similar backwards attitudes as our president. I'll still be relatively comfortable and safe, but I won't be as happy as if I could present as my true self.
