all activism is based on solidarity and visibility. we as trans people win not just by existing, but by carving out space for ourselves, by forcing society to accept that we are as big as any cis person, and that we deserve to be, and that there is nothing shameful or dangerous about us.
of course, historically, the queer community often has had to make ourselves smaller- to live in shadows, because to step into light was to be ridiculed, arrested, killed. the only space that any of us could have made for ourselves was in darkness, alone; anyone taking more would be forced to take none instead.
in these historical periods, there was clear and definite danger. and queer people made themselves smaller, yes; but they did so only as much as they needed to. they retreated to shadow, but that shadow was theirs.
if we are to make ourselves smaller, if we are to wipe our hard drives, delete our accounts, cancel our parades, go back in our closets, then we are making ourselves smaller. we are accepting a defeat. if we are to make a choice like this, then it must be asked: what is the danger? is it clear and definite? does our shrinking reduce the threat?
if the danger is not clear, if it is not definite, if the ways we protect ourselves cause significant harm to our community and our cause and provide nebulous protection at best, then what have we done? we've taken our hard-won ground, and we've surrendered it for a mere threat.
we must protect ourselves, yes. but we must not shrink ourselves at a mere empty threat. we must not teach the homophobe, the transphobe, the fascist, that he merely has to write a press release to force us all off of his social media, out of his streets, out of the light that we've fought so hard to stand in.
so i hope the queer community has the courage to ask: what's today's threat? is it definite? is it clear? does this plan directly protect us?
there are times, places, and ways that we must make ourselves smaller. but unless all of those questions can be answered clearly and affirmatively, it isn't the time, it isn't the place, and it isn't the way.

tl;dr: call me a terrorist all you fucking want, i'm not deleting my silly meme channel

i click on a video on telegram and wait for it to load
"what now," i think. "what is this shit about to even be for 53 seconds"
in that split moment as the video loads i realize: i dont give even a single fuck
nobody is making me watch this shit
i click off of the video
i open eyes that i never knew were closed, gasping for air and finding only a viscous slime. but a hand is in mine, pulling. i let it lift me and wipe the slime from my eyes, revealing a bald black man with tiny shades