Facing a Second Trump Term, Trans People Are Forming DIY Networks for Gender-Affirming Care

Following the US statesmanlike election, Swifties, the sanction for Taylor Swift’s fans, are fleeing X for Bluesky. X’s owner, billionaire Elon Musk, was 1 of Donald Trump’s biggest backers, funneling over $100 cardinal into the Trump-supporting America PAC; stumping for the campaigner connected the run trail; and boosting Trump’s messaging connected X. Musk besides helped Trump pat into a distinctly right-wing antheral audience. Swifties, who person built a robust assemblage connected the level formerly known arsenic Twitter, took notice. By Thursday, little than 48 hours aft Trump won the presidency, they were starting to flock from the level for good.

“I emotion the thought of gathering a caller assemblage present and would emotion not to person to enactment Elon successful immoderate way,” says Justin, who goes by @justin-the-baron.swifties.social connected Bluesky and asked to lone usage his archetypal sanction for fearfulness of harassment. “Elon is of people a large Trump supporter, which doesn't align with Taylor's values oregon the values of Swifties.”

Though determination are Swifties connected each sides of the governmental spectrum, the assemblage prides itself connected being a affirmative and accepting space. After Kamala Harris was announced arsenic the Democratic nominee for president, Swifties began to mobilize to enactment her. In September, Swift herself endorsed Harris. In an Instagram post announcing her support, Swift cited AI-generated images of herself and her fans that had been utilized by Trump to connote she’d endorsed him.

Following the endorsement, Musk posted, “Fine Taylor … you triumph … I volition springiness you a kid and defender your cats with my life.” Musk, who has repeatedly shared concerns astir declining commencement rates, has astatine slightest 11 children with astatine slightest 3 women. According to the New York Times, helium besides offered his sperm to Nicole Shanahan, the erstwhile moving mate for autarkic campaigner Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (She declined.)

Irene Kim, an organizer with Swifties for Harris, says that the outpouring of misogyny pursuing the predetermination pushed her and galore different Swift fans to wantonness X and question refuge connected Bluesky. Though probe has recovered that hate code and disinformation increased aft Musk took implicit the platform, the predetermination of Trump seems to person supercharged it. A report from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) recovered that successful the 24 hours pursuing Trump’s electoral victory, phrases like, “Your body, my choice,” parroting the election nighttime rhetoric of achromatic supremacist Nick Fuentes, roseate 4,600 percent connected X.

“I deliberation that's the benignant of rhetoric we privation to get distant from,” Kim says. She besides notes that X’s recent update to the “block” feature, which allows radical to spot the illustration and posts of users that person blocked them, has contributed to a much antagonistic acquisition connected the platform. “Twitter has decidedly go specified a hellscape,” Kim says.