What About Those Other Concerns?
A Black Eyed Wondering
Find an audio reading of this Black Eyed Wondering above.
The word “nuance” is a tired word. It’s used by progressive people but not understood because, too often, progressive people are hardliners who hold little nuance in their positions.
You are either an anti-racist or racist.
You are either a feminist or a chauvinist.
You are either pro-choice or pro-life.
You are either affirming or homophobic/transphobic.
There are no in-betweens within the camp of progressivism – which is odd because the very nature of progress requires a lot of in-between steps to get to the intended goal. And by nature, it’s the in-between “stuff” that’s most nuanced. It’s never here or there. It’s always complicated.
I found a really good word-picture of just how nuanced progressivism is in this quote from Roxane Gay’s book Bad Feminist:
“I embrace the label of bad feminist because I am human. I am messy. I’m not trying to be an example. I am not trying to be perfect. I am not trying to say I have all the answers. I am not trying to say I’m right. I am just trying—trying to support what I believe in, trying to do some good in this world, trying to make some noise with my writing while also being myself.”
I truly hate the label “progressive” because it’s too often misaligned with being aggressive – “taking no *ish,“ or “giving no F’s.” Progressives are often called “bad-asses” and “activists” and “warriors.” These words are often paired with other hard-edged words such as “protest” and “resist” and “rebellion” and “revolution” and “militant.”
But the word “progress”, from which the word “progressive” is derived, means so many other softer things. It means journey, motion, expansion, movement, onward, flow, growth and evolution. These are long, stretchy words. Words meant to unwind and unfurl. Words that blossom and spread themselves. These are words that need air and breadth and wide open spaces. To have a progressive mindset should require you to have an abundant one, fat with possibility, dripping with nuance. Instead of this or that, to be progressive should be “yes, and…”
I entirely agree with Gay. We are only human and that in itself is a nuanced mess of noodles. We have to live a life – and it’s really hard to live honestly with vulnerability and authenticity if we’re too distracted with trying to be an example or too busy attempting to be perfect, or too obsessed with having all the “right” answers.
When it comes to our presidential election, there are no perfect candidates. Which has always meant and always will mean we will have to decide between the lesser of two evils. If, like me, you don’t like the word “evil”, fine – insert “imperfect human being.”
Here are a list of questions I’ve been asking myself as I think about how to vote:
How much good could this vote do?
How much damage could this vote do?
How will this vote help people?
Who doesn’t want me to vote and why?
How does my vote affect “the least of these” in the most marginalized communities?
Because it is an American election for the rights of Americans, which actual born, living and breathing bodies does my vote protect?
Whose rights are in jeopardy? How will my vote help or harm them?
Will this vote be a step towards a more humane and just society?
Could this vote bring more hope or more despair?
Does my vote put anyone at risk if the other candidate wins?
I am upset and sick over Gaza. But like I said, my progressivism is a “yes, and…”. So yes, I’m pissed off at how we’ve aided in war and genocide, and… I’m also concerned about the erasure of trans bodies in this country.
While I don’t want to vote for any candidate upholding systems of supremacy that lead to widespread wars, famine, and genocide, I know that because we are a capitalistic, militarized country built on supremacy and patriarchy, every president has played a hand in the wars and horrible murders of human beings we are witnessing right now. It’ll take a long, nuanced journey and a long, flowing movement forward—with our fragile and brittle democracy in tact— before we see real progress.
Think about it like this: Black people have died for the right to vote, and yet, to this day, our voting power is still being suppressed. In other words, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Y’all, we can’t compare atrocities. I wouldn’t dare. However, we can’t protest for the liberation of one marginalized group while ignoring the liberation of others.
As of 2024, there are nearly 600 anti-trans bills in 42 states. Thirty-nine of these discriminatory bills have passed. Three hundred and seven are pending. Just over 200 hundred have failed—thank God! But, there are still 400 pending at the state level. At the federal level, 37 anti-trans bills have been introduced. Here's a link: you can read them.
Along with these bills there’s been an uptick of hateful memes online and hateful rhetoric in the public square. Florida literally coined the slogan “Don’t say gay.” Trans people are being called “groomers” by elected officials. According to the Human Rights Campaign the “grooming” narrative has surged 400% on social media platforms. Anti-inclusion groups such as Moms for Liberty and Libs of TikTok are organizing and distributing anti-gay and anti-trans propaganda as well as banning books.
Their words and work are dangerous and have already caused the death many trans people. Between 2017 and 2023, 263 transgender or gender-expansive people have been murdered, and the rates of violence are going up.
As the mother of a trans kid, I am sick with worry. And while I understand where people are coming from when they say they won’t vote for Biden because of their concern for the people of Gaza, I also just don’t get it. I wonder what happened to all their other concerns. Are they no longer concerned for gay and trans youth? Are they no longer concerned about all the book bans? Are they no longer worried about reproductive rights and climate protections and gun laws? How does their non-vote or tossed away vote help anyone? I want them to explain to me what the end result will be if Biden loses? Will his loss stop the war? And if he does lose, are they really okay with Trump being the next president? What do they think will happen to the people of Gaza if Trump steps into office?
But most of all I wonder if they really meant it when they said “Black Lives Matter.” Did their support include Black trans lives?
Oh how I fret and wonder.
I am 100% with you, Marcie. Thanks for expressing all of what I’ve been feeling but have not seen many folks saying across social media platforms. This is the kind of nuance and complexity we desperately need in our discussions about this upcoming election. I don’t want to vote for either candidate either and am completely heartbroken about Gaza and Biden’s role in that. And yet so many serious issues facing our country and world cannot be abandoned or ignored. It’s an impossible task to reconcile all of these issues and life-threatening situations and come up with one candidate who will make all these issues better. But there is clearly one who will make many if not all of these problems worse.
we are not meant to have access to volume of atrocities in the world. My dad just found out a dear woman who grew up in the orphanage he worked with in Haiti has now had to take 4 more little ones on herself due to the NON-STOP suffering and atrocities going on there. it never ends. I understand the activist mindset to allow the pain and rage to move to action, AND I agree that paying attention to stakes in one's local world is truly important too! we need to choose or at least be thoughtful about what pebble in our shoe we allow to bring us to action. we can end up just walking around on all the rocks if we consume everything out there. I don't know how we parse it all out, though.