#im visibly queer in a rural town

[wanderingcritter]

The last couple days have been, rough to say the least. For me and many others across the nation.

As an American I would lying if I said I wasn't slightly terrified right now. I just watched the president of my country get up on national tv and declare that I do not exist ("male and female are the only recognized genders") and his side hoe do a full on nazi salute, among other horrendous and hate-fueled statements.

Im lucky enough to live in Washington state, where the governor has openly stated he will fight to defend my rights as a queer person and someone capable of becoming pregnant. But there isn't much that can be done about civilian actions. I think there's a bit of a misconception about Washington throughout a lot of the nation, that most of the people living there are progressive and blue, but that isn't entirely the case. Outside of Seattle and surrounding cities like Tacoma or Olympia there's a lot of rural or partially rural towns that predominantly lean Republican. If it wasn't for Seattle, Washington would likely be a red state. Not to dox myself, but I do not live in Seattle or particularly close to it. There are queer resource and nonprofit organizations where I live, as well as for other marginalized groups, but they've had a history of being vandalized or attacked and I fear that's only going to get worse in the coming weeks/months/years.

I am a pretty visibly queer person, from the way I dress, my hair, my body language. Ive never been very good at blending in even when I wanted to. If someone was looking for a queer individual to target I wouldn't be the worst option out there. I am not going back into the closet, I refuse to hide or suppress myself, trying to in the past has never worked and has only made me horribly unhappy. I am a lesbian, I am transgender, I have a uterus, I am alterhuman, and I am proud. I am going to continue baring my teeth, continue seeking gender affirming care, continue being part of my community. But it isn't going to be without fear. There's been a lot of writing on the walls lately that I don't like the look of and it's scary to think of what may happen going forward.

But I do know how important it is that we find ways to stick together now more than ever. America is speeding down the road to fascism. Do not let anyone convince you otherwise, because we are, and have been for a while. We desperately need to have each other's backs. Stay aware of what's going on, if you don't consider yourself to be political, GET FUCKING POLITICAL. Get involved in irl community as much as possible, make connections and find out how you can help others, mutual aid is based as fuck and something you should be participating in asap. Learn how to keep yourself safe, 2nd amendment applies to us too, if guns aren't your style there are plenty of other forms of self defense to choose from. To anyone who's outside of the U.S, help spread news you come across, whether it's about protests or laws being passed, and if you're able to be there to offer comfort to any of your American friends who are scared right now. We see you guys and appreciate you, as censorship here intensifies you're going to be an important lifeline for us.

To anyone who's feeling alone and hopeless, who's stuck in red states, living with unaccepting families, financially vulnerable, immigrants, and anyone else who is scared right now, you are seen and you are not forgotten about. Stay alive at all costs, fight like hell, do not let them erase you.

[ladydeath-vanserra]

I know cities tens to have more, uh, liberal views or whatever but as someone who spent a majority of my life in rural Iowa, who was then forced to relocate to a city in Minnesota (I would never step foot in this state if I had the choice. its FREEZING) I've never met so many self centered and self serving people in my damn life

i got this coworker who's this white kid from a middle class family who spouts off at the mouth regularly and she says so much shit about rural Iowa if i ever complain about how much I dislike the culture shock here. but it's always "it's so boring" "lol trump?" "weee have the mall of America. there's nothing in Iowa" and im sitting here so uncomfortable bec like

rural areas are regularly forgotten about? we are deep knitted cultural communities bec the government won't Help us? Democrats won't help us. we're uneducated and stupid and ignorant nevrrmind it was systemically created that way for voting. The leftists I've seen (this kid) are full of classism and ignorance

I remember that as someone who grew up poor as fuck in Iowa, we had limited channels. You know what that was? Fox News. We didn't have thr fancy channels and all the 20 different news channels.

Republicans need rural areas poor and divided and angry to get votes. get them mad at the minorities also looking for jobs to keep their eyes off the people further driving up prices. Keep their schools poor and underfunded

Pride in family and community and tradional IS a part of "small town thinking" and a lot of those things are because that is what keeps our towns alive. we have no choice But to help each other. Our pride is our armor and it gets thicker and more bullheaded the more we keep getting called ignorant and stupid

i know there's definitely a lot of problems with rural areas especially for minorities. as a queer person w different pronouns Im hesitant about living in one again and there's also the violence w bipoc and queer communities

and the thing is is that I know a lot of liberals/some leftists here in the city I've seen who will take that struggle and use that as a shield against their own hateful attitudes towards bipoc and queer communities in cities and it takes away a lot of the visibility of the queer and bipoc people who choose to live there

Virginia (unless it was West and I just forgot can't remember rn) was a blue state until Obama came in and took the jobs after promising new and better jobs and communities. Republicans and Democrats both use the Appalachian region and people for their own benefit and Republicans and far right politicians rely on desperation

a lot of leftist things I see are long term plans, that help everyone for the better. these people don't have the luxury of Waiting for Better. Keeping poor folks, in rural areas, desperate is a key tactic from Republicans bec at least they Pretend to care about them. (I have never voted for a republican and I never plan on it LMAO)

you see "pro cop", I see "that's my cousin". you see "pro military". I see "that's my late brother". you see "evangelical church preying on poor people" I see "that's how im going to make dinner tonight"

We didn't get colleges coming to see us. we got the national guard and the army coming to see us. bec the poor, desperate boys wanting an out are the best bet to getting bodies for a war they're too young to grasp

I dunno I just. I hate cities. I hate the shallowness and self centeredness I keep encountering. The unwillingness to help others. the unwillingness to take on an inconvenient few hours to help my understaffed coworkers. and i understand that it's just different cultures and societal expectations but it's really, really lonely. I hate all the buildings. I hate all the concrete and lack of trees and plants and cows and ducks and farms

rural areas are so beautiful and have a lot of nature and I just don't want to give up on my home

[bittershins]

Just got outta class, and we've been talking about rural economies (and why they are funky), but it's really had me thinking on queer lives in rural spaces. Me and some of my coworkers have been chatting about wanting to improve the communities we grew up in, to work towards revitalization and making these places better.

But at the same time, these are really insular and hegemonic spots. Like, i wanna get the hell out of dodge because this state is so overwhelming red outside of a large town or two (roe v Wade, but also just. Infrastructure). This is so especially weird because we're all a bunch of queer kids who care a fuckton about the ecologies we've grown up in, but these spaces are socially hostile in a lot of ways.

I've seen my folks deal with it - it's hard to find friends in areas where folks can get close-minded. Social isolation is tricky, either way. Especially when there are a lot of positions where I, as a woman (ish) and fairly non-conforming, would spend a ton of my time in an uphill battle just to be taken seriously and to feel safe. LET ALONE non-white folks having to navigate these spaces and the alienation.

[the-eldritch-it-gay]

Catrino made a tiktok about when we were driving across wisconsin, and the way we were stared at, feared, and intimidates by white people when we stopped at gas stations in rural towns. someone commented that they relate to this being a queer person in Wisconsin.

and like, i get it, believe it or not im also a gay and trans person who sometimes lives/works in Wisconsin. people are shitty about it and that’s probably one of the best case scenarios.

But we made that tiktok specifically about how we were being treated because we’re a brown muslim in a rural white conservative area, and guess what, not just that but also at the time we were pretty visibly trans and would 100% get perceived as a trans woman.

like, i know that being gay gets treated badly and definitely also garners stares and shit. but like. homophobia is not the same as racism or islamaphobia.

how many times do we have to tell white gays that the discrimination they face is not the same as the discrimination people of color face