Trump wins again. Now we prepare, protect, and persist. with Mony Ruiz-Velasco of Equality Illinois

Family, it’s your favorite queer radio personality. Anna [00:00:30] DeShawn, and this is Queer News. Your favorite weekly news pod where race. And sexuality mean politics, culture, and entertainment. Love has never been a popular movement, and no one’s ever wanted really to be free. The world is held together, really it is held together, by the love and the passion of very few people.

Otherwise, of course, you’re getting despair. [00:01:00] Walk down the street of any city, any afternoon, and look around you. What you got to remember is what you’re looking at is also you. Everyone you’re looking at is also you. You could be that person. You could be that monster. You could be that person. And

you’re deciding yourself not to be. [00:01:30] Baldwin says, who do we see in the mirror? We have to decide who we want to be in the world. Knowing that love, knowing that love has never been a popular movement family. If you can’t tell already, this is not a typical episode because today is not a typical day. I did not.

Think that the first episode after the presidential election, I would be saying that Trump won, [00:02:00] but he did six days ago, one of the most notorious villains in American history was reelected to the highest office in the land by 74 million, 716, 275 votes. As of November 10th at 5. 20pm, Chicago time, I mean, he really won.

That happened. When I woke up that night at 7. 40am to check [00:02:30] my phone because my anxiety just wouldn’t let me get through the night watching the numbers, I just couldn’t believe it. I was like, it’s happening. The writing is on the wall. White America has done it again. They voted to protect whiteness. They could care less about my blackness, my queerness, my woman ness, my humanity.

They [00:03:00] could care less about the racist tropes, the transphobic ads, the rampant homophobia, the xenophobia. They could care less about sexual assault. They could care less. about my humanity. White America voted to protect whiteness.

They voted because their version of America being [00:03:30] great includes every identity I proudly claim, either ceasing to exist or being a fraction of its whole self. They continue to choose themselves. After every turn at all costs, at all costs, your rights be damned because we don’t think you deserve them anyway.

You are not worth fighting for. That is the message I [00:04:00] have received. Again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, in this country.

I saw this meme, and maybe you saw it too. This meme basically read, the election is a masterclass in white privilege. He can’t say enough racist things to be racist. He can’t commit enough crimes to be a criminal. He can’t fail enough times to be a failure. He can’t say [00:04:30] enough stupid things to be stupid.

The idea of him. Overshadows any reality, the quote unquote Christian savior who doesn’t know the Bible, the adulterer, the one who steals from charities. It’s the promise of the protection of whiteness. He represents. Let me tell you, family, while I was traveling, I have fed a lot of political ad campaigns that I just don’t get in [00:05:00] Chicago.

You know, we’re blue, so they don’t even waste their money here. But I was in Richmond, Virginia. The ads were on and they were so hateful. They were so transphobic. They were so divisive. I mean, the rhetoric is so dangerous. They will use the same playbook over and over again till they get the America they want.

And so the question that’s been going through my head is now what? What do we do now? And the answer continues to be over [00:05:30] and over and over again. Prepare, prepare, prepare, prepare. Our ancestors, our elders have taught us what we need to do. They have given us the tools. Now it is our turn to use them. For our lives, our children’s lives, our nieces lives, our nephews lives, our families, our friends, our chosen families, our siblings, family.

Right now, what role do we want to play? What will be said about our generation? What do we do in this moment? And right now [00:06:00] in this moment, my immediate thought is protect yourself, protect us. We must, if I’ve learned anything from years of organizing here in Chicago and listening to the wisest amongst us, it is that they protected the hell out of themselves and this community.

That was the first priority. And it’s time that we do exactly the same. So I wanted to make this episode all about how we prepare, protect, and persist. We need to lean in. The [00:06:30] way we did during 9 11, the way we did during the Black Lives Matter movement, the way that we did during COVID. We are not new to this.

We are not new to this. And we can’t get tired yet. I will forever and ever and ever and ever until I have no more breath in my body. Echo the words of Ella Baker. We who believe in freedom cannot rest. You have to believe that. There is no time to sit on the sidelines. [00:07:00] So for today’s episode, I did want to change it up because I wanted to provide you all the resources.

So I tapped one of my colleagues, Moni Ruiz Velasco, the Deputy Director of Equality Illinois, to share with us exactly what we need to do. Legally and personally, in my opinion, there is nothing more important right now than protecting ourselves. I don’t care what state you live in. There are [00:07:30] things you can do and should be doing in advance of a Trump presidency.

We get into all of that during this conversation, and I really do hope you find it helpful. And if you find it helpful, please share it with your friends and loved ones. Okay. We must be prepared for the fight ahead. We have to, it is very clear that he hates us. I mean this sincerely. I mean this with my whole heart.

He does not see us as human [00:08:00] beings. Neither does his friends, neither do his donors, neither do his supporters and anyone else who voted for him because. In my opinion, I don’t care what you think people should be doing when it pertains to the economics of this country. If you don’t care about my humanity and my dignity, I promise James Baldwin is on my mind.

He is helping me get through this [00:08:30] moment. He has a quote that says we can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist. That, that is it. So family, my word for today. It’s a lean into those who love you the most, fill up your cup because we’re going to need every single ounce of what you’ve got, [00:09:00] your gifts, what you’ve been called to do on this planet.

Whatever it is, it’s going to be needed in this moment. Every single person, I think we’ve only hit the crescendo of this season in American history. We are in this for the generations to come. So I really do hope you enjoy this conversation with Moni. And please remember, we must prepare, protect, and persist.

We all we got. November 1st is the start of open enrollment for [00:09:30] the Get Covered Illinois Health Insurance Marketplace. Our navigators can help you enroll in a health plan and find out if you qualify for financial help. Visit getcoveredillinois. gov. Your health coverage starts here. If you’re listening to this, it means we didn’t sell this ad space.

If you’re listening to this, it means running ads on our podcasts can actually work. You see what I did there? Do you need some promo? A little amplification hit us up at info. [00:10:00] at e3radio. fm. That’s info at e3radio. fm. We have a platform. You should use it.

Let’s start legally. You know, what are some things queer folks need to be doing right now to legally protect themselves? We know that there are going to be attacks against the community. We know that, you know, our relationships are going to be questioned. Uh, and so we need to [00:10:30] make sure we have everything in order so that we, we don’t have to be scrambling in a moment of crisis.

I think that’s the best thing. Prepare so that in a crisis you’re ready. And I think that people need to make sure that if you have kids that you’re Your names are on your kid’s birth certificates, right? Because that is not easy to do here in Illinois. We’re working on that. We can talk about that more ahead, but we know that that’s an important step so that kids are protected and parents are [00:11:00] protected.

We want to make sure that our wills are updated to make sure that if anything were to happen that, you know, you, you have that and you have made your wishes come true. clear. You want to make sure that if you have bank accounts that you have your spouse, your partner, your significant other, your person as the beneficiary of those accounts so that no one can question, question you or question your relationship.

And you know, other things that we have to do is we need to [00:11:30] make sure we have like healthcare plans too, right? So one of the things like my wife and I have, even though we’re married, we also have powers of attorneys where if we were to be traveling somewhere else. and someone doesn’t want to recognize our birth, our marriage certificate, we have a power that says I give her the authorization to make decisions in the event that I can’t make it in the healthcare space.

So we can do those. Those are relatively pretty easy to do. And, um, I think it’s important to [00:12:00] have them because even though our rights are pretty solid here in Illinois, You know, we may not always be in the state of Illinois, and even in the state of Illinois, you never know if you’re traveling around the state, there may be some random person who decides, look at where this country is.

We don’t want to recognize your marriage, right? Absolutely. Absolutely. And I think all those things are things all of us need to be revisiting. I’m thinking about it myself with me and my wife. Where, where are the documents? Are they in [00:12:30] a fireproof box somewhere that we have the key? Know the combination?

All these things that we’ve taken for granted, honestly. I think since We can go back to marriage equality. I think we got real comfortable and it’s okay, right? It’s okay. There was some, we got, we felt like we had made it, but Chile, fight and revolution never stops. We, it is a continuous thing. And what we’re experiencing right now is history repeating itself.

But we’re in a position to [00:13:00] do, to learn from those who came before us. And these are some very essential things that they always had together. Estates, wills, beneficiaries, powers of attorney, thinking about the worst case scenario, which is not a happy place to be in ever, but. It’s a necessary place because we know what Trump is going to do.

He’s done it before and he will do it again. And I think in [00:13:30] 2024, he’s even more empowered and even more protected. And so Moni, personally, now, what should we be doing? Well, we know there’s also lots of attacks that are going to happen in the healthcare space, right? So You know, I know I had this conversation with my daughter already, but if you have an app where you’re tracking your periods, you should probably stop doing that because we don’t know how that information is going to be used against folks, right?

I think that we want to make sure that we are clear on what. healthcare privacy [00:14:00] protections we have. And I know that that’s another area where we’re trying to strengthen the laws, uh, around that area here in Illinois so that people have more control over what healthcare data gets, um, transferred between providers.

You want to make sure that you, again, have a clear, a plan around health care. You want to make sure you’re in an affirming space for health care. I think, you know, one of the things I know we’re all very worried about, and I’m very worried about, is what’s going to happen to affirming health care, right?

And what are we going to do to [00:14:30] ensure that we’re protecting our trans siblings? Uh, and I think that folks, um, you know, who are in that place need to make sure that, They are lining things up, right? Because we don’t know what’s going to happen with accessibility. And then we have to talk to, you know, other folks and be ready to receive folks.

Cause we know we’re already getting calls at Equality Illinois from queer folks in other states saying, what is it like in Illinois? And do you think it’s a safer place than it is in [00:15:00] Georgia or that it is in Texas? And, you know, how do we, how do we, Come to Illinois. And so I think, you know, we’ve already seen more people moving here because we had more than 500 anti LGBT bills introduced this year outside of the election, right?

So people are already coming, but I think we’re going to see more people coming to Illinois. And if we can get our, our things in order here, we’ll be in a better position also to receive folks who are coming, uh, from other places to seek protection and safety here in the state. [00:15:30] I mean, this has been a Midwestern haven.

I think it’s going to become a country wide haven probably from people all over. Um, I’m glad we’re not alone in the Midwest. Tim Walz and the work that Lee Finkie has done in Minnesota also makes them a safe haven in the Midwest. But in Chile, the country was mighty red on November the 5th. So I know we have plenty of.

Domestic refugees who [00:16:00] are just looking to live life and not be afraid of persecution. And so I can see us definitely being one of those places. Yeah. Yeah. And we have been one of those places and it’s going to grow, right? And there’s an estimate that there will be over a million internally displaced people within the U.

S. And that’s only speaking of the trans community and people of color. you know, families of trans kids. So I imagine that that number will be even higher when we know that there [00:16:30] will be attacks against the whole entire LGBTQ community. Sometimes it’s still, you know, I’m sitting here talking with you, Monique, but it’s still just like, this is our reality.

This is what is happening right now. And I think. We all had hope something different would happen, but also along with hope comes a very real understanding of the makeup of this country and How deep misogyny runs and how deep racism runs and how deep? [00:17:00] homophobia and transphobia run and anti intellectualism and anti immigrant And when the histories of so many different folks in this country are studied, This is not new.

It’s just brand new for a whole bunch of folks who weren’t here. The last time it happened, you know, money. Now you are at equality, Illinois. This is the work you do today. So legislatively, what are some [00:17:30] things and how can we support, you know, and what’s going to be happening in legislatures across the country?

Yeah, so I think it’s, it’s super important again that, you know, I think we sit and understand what has happened, but also we have to be engaged because we have a lot of work to do, right? And we can’t turn this around if we don’t engage and engage in the many ways that people can engage. Legislatively, I think some of the things that we’re looking at, you know, we agree.

folks should stay engaged so that they can get more regular updates. But [00:18:00] we are looking to update our family laws so that it makes it easier for queer folks to ensure that the rights of their children are protected. Because right now there is a lot of inequality in how children of LGBTQ folks are able to ensure their rights to their parentage to the parents compared to children of opposite sex parents.

And so we want to make sure that that is an area that we we have a lot of improvements to do and we are actively working on that. And people should [00:18:30] expect to see legislation coming up a bill around that and we need everyone to speak up about that. There’s also some of our partners and we’re supporting are working on legislation to update health care privacy protections.

Because as I talked about before, when it comes to health care, you know, I know I’ve done this. I’ve gone to the doctor to get, you know, to go see the doctor and they’re like, sign in that little box and you’re like signing away and you don’t even know what you’re signing. You’re just signing a blank little [00:19:00] box.

So I know I’ve done this and we all need to get better at making sure we know what we’re signing and that we have more control over what data is transferred, right? Because we know. that if we’re traveling around the country again, or if there is someone coming from another state and they receive certain kind of health care here that they may not want that shared with health care providers in another state, you should have a right to do that.

You should have a right to protect what data is shared. And right now we kind of wave [00:19:30] all that away and there’s only like one box that you sign. So we are working with our partners closely and I think that’s going to be a super important piece of legislation that folks should keep an eye out for. So I think those are two important things.

You know, we also need to make sure that, you know, we are protecting young people in every way that we can, you know, legally. And so, you know, we’re looking just to see what, what other gaps there are. Luckily here in Illinois, we’ve made a lot of progress, but we still have to make sure [00:20:00] that, you know, we go even further.

And I also want to remind folks that we can’t just be defensive. We have to be proactive, right? So we want to make sure all the defenses are in place, but we want to go beyond that. And we, as blue as Illinois is, we still have to push our legislators, right? So we need people to show up because if not, we’re going to stop at the defense and then we’re not going to advance our rights.

And we need to make sure we have The most protective and also the most [00:20:30] proactive that we can be in our vision for for our community and where we want to be. Yeah, we were saying those things. I’m just thinking, God, all of the privilege that, you know, just haven’t thought about what I’m signing away when I go to the doctor.

around information passing from this state to another state. I mean, these are privileges that just I’ve taken for granted because I haven’t had to think about it. Right. And so [00:21:00] thank you for, thank you for saying, I’m just glad you’re here. Okay. I’m sure if I’m not alone in wanting to know some tangible ways in which we can begin to Protect ourselves after the anger, after the disappointment, after the shock, after all the emotions you may be feeling at this moment.

It is imperative, family, family, it’s imperative that we prepare ourselves and protect our families and lean into community. And so when you talk about, Moni, what it means to resist and not just be on the [00:21:30] defense. Resistance comes in community. Resistance comes into leaning into each other, you know? We have to show up.

It’s just as important to show up in the streets as it is to show up in Springfield or in your legislator’s office, as it is to show up in the voting booth, right? All of those things. And as it is to show up in community, right? We know that as queer folks, as queer folks of color, you know, these systems were not built for us, right?

And we have always had to take care of ourselves, take care of our community, [00:22:00] and we have to do that. We have to keep doing that. We have to keep doing that. And family, what does that look like, tangibly? It looks like you going to Google. Yes, and searching for organizations that align with what you believe in and that are protecting your humanity and not just yours, everybody in the community as well.

What are those organizations and what can you do if you listen to this podcast? If you ever listen to me, you know, there’s three things. Time, talent and treasure. We all have them. [00:22:30] How are you using it and how are you showing up while still taking care of yourself? Please, you got to have a full cup, and we have to be able to lean in to those, right, who align not only with us, but our humanity and our community, because we’re going to need each other.

We have generations of work ahead. Yeah. And like you said, I think signing up to make sure you’re getting alerts from organizations that you want to support and care about so that you know when to show up, because we can’t all always call every [00:23:00] single person. We’ve got to do some of the work, too, to make sure that we are getting the alert so that we know when to show up.

And you know, there are going to be more informational town halls coming up. There are going to be ways to show up in the streets. There’s going to be ways to show up in Springfield. And we need. everybody’s talents in these movements, right? In our movements. We need, we need people who are good at taking care of others.

We need storytellers. We need disruptors. We also need like organizers and we need [00:23:30] visionaries and we need people who are good at policy and people who’ve never done policy. People, you know, we know we need everyone and without that we can’t defend our communities. We can’t advance our rights. And so I just really want to encourage.

folks to, you know, make sure you take the time to feel what you need to feel, but don’t get stuck there, right? Because we have to, we have to think and we have to act and we have to make sure that we are taking care of our communities, taking care of ourselves. And, and [00:24:00] everything isn’t lost. I just, I really want to say that as I was doing this work as you referenced in 2016 and the front lines with immigrant communities who were in the direct line of attack and You know, we are resilient, and I hate that we have to be resilient, but we are resilient, even though we don’t, you know, I don’t particularly love to be resilient.

Okay. But we have to be. You know what I mean? I like resmony. I like chilling. You okay? I love when I can close my third [00:24:30] eye and watch some really bad television. That’s right. And not have a worry in the world. I really love it there. Yeah, my friend, and that’s okay. You know what I mean? You can do that. And, and, and we all have to know when we have to step back to do that because if not, then it becomes, it doesn’t, it doesn’t help advance the cause.

So it’s okay to do that. When you need it. But we can’t get stuck there. And then we have to act and we have to be bold and we have to demand dignity and demand [00:25:00] that we are seen and loved for who we are, not just accepted that part. We need each other more now than I think we needed each other for a generation, probably.

And we also need resources. So I’m sure you got something at Equality Illinois to help the good people out. Yeah, so encourage folks to go to our website equalityillinois. org. We have [00:25:30] a resources page that has lots of information about legal services, about health care services, about lots of affirming care.

All around so that folks know kind of what is available, not just in Chicago, but across the state. And then, you know, we are also having a panel on Tuesday. So you can sign up on our website for that, too, to kind of hear more in depth about the policy updates and what is coming and how you can plug into that.

And there’s just ways that people can take action. [00:26:00] Sometimes it’s even as quick as like a 30 second, doing something from your phone, taking action. It’s really important. And then other times we want people to show up. So there’s, there’s lots of resources there. There it is family. I’m going to put a link to those resources to that page in the show notes.

So definitely go click it. dive in. I’m also going to be gathering more resources over the coming weeks. I think this type of information is more important than probably anything I could report on [00:26:30] and I want to be able to provide that to y’all and give you all a hub to go to. So just keep tapping in. I am centering providing resources in this moment because this is a time where we need to be giving our time, talent and treasure to our communities so that it comes right back to us.

I think if something was reinforced on November 5th is that we are all we got us and our comrades. This is what we got right [00:27:00] now and we have to show up for each other. So Moni, thank you so much. Thank you so much for joining me. Thank you, Anna. Yeah, we, we got this. We got this. We got this. We gonna be all right.

Yeah. We gonna be all right. Family, you already know, this is Queer News Done Right.[00:27:30]

If you’ve enjoyed what you heard, rate and review us inside your favorite podcasting app. This podcast is written and produced by me, Anna Deshawn. Podcast editing by Ryan Woodhull and brought to you by E3 Radio and distributed on The Cube. We are Queer News Done [00:28:00] Right.