Queering the Burbs is a regularly-published distillation of pop culture, politics and queerness written by Joe Erbentraut. If you like what you see, please consider subscribing (many posts are free!), liking or sharing this piece. Order Joe’s new zine, Issue #01, here.
We are now a week into this new administration and it’s somehow going both much worse than expected as well as exactly how Project 2025 said it would unfold.
I’m sure you’ve already seen the headlines and I don’t need to list all of the horrifying executive orders and federal actions that are coming out right now. It’s impossible to keep up, and so easy to feel overwhelmed and defeated by the course of events.
Where do we go from here? One might be tempted (especially in light of what the leadership of the major social media platforms have been up to lately) to check out from the news and social media consumption entirely. But that’s exactly what this administration wants. We must resist this urge—but we’re not going to go back to the doom-scrolling and constant anxiety of 2017 either.
As many folks are pointing out right now, what we’ve seen happen in this first week of Trump 2.0 is what Naomi Klein dubbed the shock doctrine. It is the exploitation of (and in this case the active creation of) chaos in the name of consolidating power and money in a way that easily skirts resistance from opposition. TikToker @arguablysomaya drew the parallels in a viral video posted earlier this week, while Army veteran and actress Raven Clausen arrived at a similar conclusion, describing this administration as employing the shock and awe military tactic—aka blitzkrieg, as seen in Nazi Germany—toward the U.S. people currently.
“It’s gonna stop you from even being able to mobilize or organize within your local communities, to exercise your first amendment rights to protest, to march, and to fight back against this regime takeover,” Clausen said in her video. “That’s exactly the goal, and it’s working.”
So how does one maintain our sanity but also remain engaged in this new era? In her video, @arguablysomaya suggests turning your focus away from every major national headline that comes out of the early days of Trump 2.0 and looking instead at how you can make an impact and protect the most vulnerable people around you in your local community.
“You are your community’s most reliable helpers right now,” @arguablysomaya notes.
With this advice in mind, I’ve put together some suggestions on how to resist this administration below. I’m no expert, but I’m pulling from both my research and my heart as a queer person of a certain age that has watched the MAGA movement grow over the past decade, including among many family members. I’m including local examples relevant to the western Chicago suburbs in some areas, but there is something here for you no matter where you live.
Do not panic. Take a breath.
We are just one week into this administration, and we’ve got a long way to go from here. Though you will be tempted to react quickly and forcibly by rage-posting the latest headline on the newest executive order or federal action to social media, ask yourself who this will help. Many of these executive orders and announcements do not have any immediate effect—think of them as, essentially, a press release. Take a breath, meditate, go for a short walk, or listen to your favorite song so you can look at the topic again later once you’ve cooled off a bit.
Do not engage with the people who support what is happening.
If you see a hateful comment in your social media, report it, block them, and keep it moving. It is not worth your energy to argue with these folks right now—they’ve demonstrated that they cannot be reached with reason at the moment. Hopefully that is not always the case, but there are more urgent concerns to tend to.
Choose an issue or two (maybe three) to be your primary focus right now.
Obviously, there are many issues to be concerned about at the moment, but you are only one person and you will likely be more effective if you focus your energy toward no more than a few of them. Take a moment and consider which of these pressing issues are truly the most urgent as well as which you feel most passionate about and which are most relevant within your spheres of influence.
Right now, immigrant and trans communities are particularly at risk under this administration, so it is my hope that these communities are top of mind for the folks reading this, but we all have to choose our battles in this time and there will be plenty of battles to wage and opportunities to reassess your priority advocacy areas.
Support and tune into the organizations and individuals that are best equipped to address these issues.
Once you’ve narrowed your focus to your key issues, identify the organizations—both nationally and locally—or individuals that are doing impactful work on these issues. Follow their social media accounts, subscribe to their newsletters, and engage with and amplify their calls to action. If you are able, support these groups or individuals monetarily. If you are not, investigate other ways you can support their work, such as participating in demonstrations, volunteering, or other advocacy.
Nationally, there are a number of key organizations who will be fighting this administration in court: American Civil Liberties Union, the Transgender Law Center, GLAD Law, the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund, and Americans for Immigrant Justice are a few examples.
In Illinois, a number of groups are also indicating that they need our help right now. Among them are World Relief Chicagoland, which provides resettlement services to immigrant and refugee families, and Organized Communities Against Deportations. Two Aurora groups to have on your radar and to help amplify are Aurora Rapid Response Team and Aurora Mutual Aid.
It’s also a great time to support your local queer artists and activists. If you’re reading this from the Chicago suburbs, consider pre-ordering Annie Hex’s newest zine or making a donation to Belong: Fox Valley.
Contact your elected officials.
Now is a great time to get reacquainted with your elected officials, especially at the local level. I’m not just talking about your representatives in DC. Reach out to your state House and Senate reps to ask what they are doing on your issues of interest. Here in the suburbs, maybe it’s a good time to contact your local school board and ask how they are supporting their immigrant and trans students right now, to contact your local public library and ask about any changes to policies concerning “controversial” books, or to reach out to your local police department or mayor to ask what their policy will be should federal immigration officials come to town. Elected officials at all levels of government need to be made aware that what is happening under this administration is not OK.
In Illinois, you can learn who your state representatives are by entering your address right here.
Look up when the next local election is. Engage with the candidates.
Elections don’t just happen every four years—in addition to the midterm elections, there are also local elections to consider, and these races often have huge local impacts on issues where you live. The next municipal election where I live will take place on April 1, and while the deadline to get on the ballot as a candidate has passed, there is plenty of time to read up on where candidates for our city council, school board, and other positions stand on pressing national issues that are having an impact here too. To see who’s on the ballot, head to your county’s board of elections website.
Beyond that, maybe it’s time for you to explore running for office? Check out Run for Something.
Look at where you’re spending your money—does it match your values?
Did you see Jeff Bezos in the front row at the inauguration? Maybe now is a good time to cancel your Amazon Prime subscription. Did you also catch that Target just dropped nearly all of its DEI+ initiatives? Maybe it’s time to procure your trinkets elsewhere. Voting with your wallet is real, and this moment in our history offers an opportunity to reassess where your dollars are going and what they’re supporting. It could also be a great time to double down on supporting small local businesses who stand for equality.
Find your people.
Nobody is going to get through this alone. Depending on where you live, you will likely find local organizations of like-minded individuals who are also fighting this fight, and can share resources and camaraderie in these difficult times. Ask around, poke around online, and see what (and who) you can find. From there, reach out or attend a meeting and see if the group is the right fit for you, if it’s not, you can also look for online communities beyond your immediate physical vicinity.
Take care of your soul.
This one is maybe the most important. You have to do the things that keep you feeling nourished through all of this. If any of the suggested actions above feel inaccessible or just too much right now, that’s totally fine. Revolution takes many forms. Eat good, nutrient-filled food. Dance. Drink water. See your friends. Join a gym. Go to the nearest art museum. Support your local library. Tip your nonbinary barista a bit extra. Bask in the sunlight. Get that little treat. Snuggle your pets. In the words of John Waters, get more out of life and watch a fucked-up movie. Above all, we can’t let this administration take away our joy.
Bonus: My former employer Vox just launched a daily newsletter called The Logoff that is intended to provide readers a daily dose of only the most essential updates on the new administration—so you can feel free to disconnect from a lot of the noise throughout the day. It’s not a bad hack!
What did I miss? What are you doing right now? Let me know in the comments and let’s keep this conversation going.
I’m so grateful that so many of you have already upgraded to paid subscriptions. I’m also so grateful for all of you who are new subscribers in general, paid or not. It means so much to me that you all are supporting this project.
I’ve also heard from a few folks who were having a hard time trying to figure out how to upgrade your subscription to paid. Honestly, I can’t blame you! If that’s you, here are instructions direct from Substack. The first paid-subscriber-only mixtape just dropped last week and dare I say it’s pretty darn good? Don’t miss out!
SONG OF THE RIGHT-NOW
I’m a sucker for any choir performance captured on YouTube. It started with the PS22 Chorus, moved onto the Gaia Music Collective one-day choir performances, and continued with the Choir! Choir! Choir! performance of “People Have the Power” with Patti Smith. Well, somehow another incredible Choir! Choir! Choir! performance had escaped my attention until the other day: Here’s David Byrne singing David Bowie’s “Heroes” with the incredible masses of Choir! Choir! Choir! at New York’s Public Theater.
We're nothing, and nothing will help us
Maybe we're lying, then you better not stay
But we could be safer, just for one day
This is EXACTLY what I needed today, Joe.