We are not alone. Together we are powerful.
Today we are grieving.
This moment feels like a rebuke of all we work for: a world without sexism, misogyny, and racism. A world of gender justice, where people can fully embody their gender without fear, discrimination, or violence.
Donald Trump won with a message that was unapologetically patriarchal. Everything about his campaign centered messages of control over the lives and bodies of women, queer, and trans people - anyone who challenges the gender status quo. From telling women he would protect us ‘whether we like it or not,’ to making anti-trans rhetoric the centerpiece of his ad buys, this was an effort explicitly focused on messages of domination and fear. Last night, those messages won.
My heart hurts for girls who listened to the Access Hollywood tape for the first time last week, and woke up this morning knowing that we chose a President who thinks if you’re famous, they let you do anything. My heart hurts for trans community members who saw a waterfall of fear-mongering ads about them, who woke up this morning to learn that so many bought those lies. My heart hurts for pregnant people in abortion-ban states, who woke up to the knowledge that the threat to their lives wasn’t enough. My heart hurts for all of us, as we face an uncertain future for our democracy, global stability, and our climate.
It’s okay to be grieving. It’s okay to be furious. It’s okay to throw your phone into the ocean, eat a tub of ice cream and watch Dirty Dancing on repeat. But I hope that whatever you do, it includes connection and community. As bell hooks shared with us: “Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.” Together, we will heal each other, and begin again and again and again the work of healing the world.
At the Maine Women’s Lobby, we have spent much of the last few months building our connections. With our partners at Hardy Girls, we have started an organizational alliance that will allow us to share operations staff and resources, and we are absolutely confident that this will help us grow feminist power together. With our partners at Maine AEYC and SAFE, we have opened a new Feminist Alliance of Maine, a physical space in Augusta for convening and sharing office resources, offices, and meeting space. These could not have come at a better time, and as I wake up this morning I am so grateful for the way we have worked to make these partnerships the center of our strength.
Next week, we hope you’ll join us to gather in our offices in Augusta and online to debrief the election and what it means for our advocacy ahead (November 14, 4:30-5:30, register here!). We know this for certain: no matter what, the Maine Legislature will convene next month and our work will continue to move the needle toward gender equity. We will work to transform institutions, like passing an Inclusive Equal Rights Amendment to solidify equality in the Maine constitution, and to create tangible outcomes, like addressing the lack of access to birthing healthcare across the state. We will continue to expand our active support for feminist and ground-breaking Maine legislators, especially in the face of rising political violence. There is *always* a policy path toward gender justice, and community is the foundation of that advocacy work. We’ve prepared for this, and we are steadfast in our efforts.
As we continue to build feminist power and advocacy, we invite you to join us in the ways that make sense for you. We need resources to fight and fight well. Your grief and rage are a source of power, and a catalyst for joining our collective resistance. Our power comes in many forms, and in ways that are uniquely suited to you.
A financial contribution of any size — $50, $100, or a monthly gift—will make a difference —not because one gift stands between us and the further regression of hard-earned rights, but because we are in it together and are each using our own time, talents, and resources to continue the battle for equity in the face of a hostile environment. Give a gift here.
Sign up to host a houseparty to build solidarity within your community (and write some postcards to welcome legislators!) between now and the start of the legislative session. Feminist policy-makers are our best opportunity to hold our gains and advance the work.
Consider contributing an item from our registry at the Feminist Alliance of Maine, so we can continue to grow our shared space as a hub of positive change.
Volunteer with us, or any of our community partners who will be alongside us working for gender justice.
We know we have work ahead of us - as we always have. As we shared before the election, we have always known that the ballot box is one action among many to build equity. Today we grieve, we rest, and then we will continue to harness and build our collective power for the work ahead of us.
