With Trump’s return to power, what’s the worst-case scenario for America’s queer community? Four LGBTQ+ voices discuss

Across the US, and indeed around the world, the queer community is bracing itself for a second Trump presidency and what that might mean for our rights, livelihoods and safety.

Whilst on the campaign trail last August, NPR reported Trump was quoted as saying: “On Day 1, I will sign an executive order instructing every federal agency to cease the promotion of sex or gender transition at any age,” instilling fear in the hearts of transgender people and their allies everywhere. “They’re not going to do it anymore,” he concluded.

In advance of his second inauguration later this month, Attitude spoke with four thought leaders in the US to pick their brains on what they fear might lurk around the corner in a worst-case scenario once Trump is back in power.

Meg Ten Eyck (she/her) Founder and CEO of US company EveryQueer 

The checks and balances system of the three US branches of government ensures that no single branch becomes too powerful, thereby preventing tyranny and protecting individual liberties. This system was intended to allow each branch to limit the powers of the others, creating a balance of power and promoting accountability. The Supreme Court protects US citizens by reviewing laws and executive actions for constitutionality, ensuring that they align with the principles of the US Constitution. Justices serve a lifetime term to remove party partiality from their decisions. However, in recent years, Justices have often made decisions along party lines, as evidenced by the overturn of Roe v. Wade and many other court decisions. During the Trump administration, we will have four Supreme Court Justices in their seventies. If they pass away or retire, Trump will be able to appoint new justices along his party line, which will conservatively slant US politics for the next 40-plus years, allowing any law relating to marginalised people, social programmes and environmental justice to be overturned. 

Charlie Sprinkman (he/they) Founder and CEO of US company Everywhere Is Queer 

The worst-case scenario for queer people under another Trump presidency is the erasure of hard-won rights and protections. This presidency could impact everyone in our community, especially those who are also part of marginalised racial, ethnic or economic groups. Trans individuals losing barriers to healthcare and legal recognition, queer youth losing protections in schools, leaving them vulnerable. Queer people of colour facing compounded oppression, and queer immigrants and asylum seekers being denied safety. Allies like educators and parents facing censorship or penalties for supporting inclusivity. Efforts to ban books, restrict discussions of queer issues, and weaponise government policies against us will expand, emboldening those who seek to harm our community. As the queer and ally community, we are resilient. The queer community knows how to organise, resist and protect one another. As the owner of Everywhere Is Queer, I’m committed to ensuring we stay connected and empowered, no matter what. 

Jonathan P. Higgins, Ed.D.  (they/them) US-based freelance journalist, speaker, leadership & development consultant 

I’ve been grappling with this question since Election Day, because part of me tends to prepare for the worst in order to brace for the best. As I reflect on this, the one thing that keeps coming to mind is the way he seems determined to strip away our rights and find new ways to criminalise us simply for existing. But in some strange way, I believe this might be exactly what we need for a real revolution to begin. I genuinely think that many of the actions he’s pushing against in the LGBTQ+ community will be the very thing that forces us to show up, resist, and exist louder than anyone ever imagined.  

While it’s tempting to sit in fear about what’s to come, I’d rather focus on how his hateful tactics could be the catalyst for the kind of change this world desperately needs. It’s in these moments that we have the power to transform adversity into something greater, and that’s where my energy belongs. 

Gabrielle Claiborne (she/her) Co-founder and CEO of US company Transformation Journeys Worldwide 

We rely on political leaders to understand and advocate for our basic human rights. Unfortunately, in a society where ignorance and fear run rampant, strategically undervalued demographics are inevitably overlooked and pushed aside. This is a concern for LGBTQ+ people because we have undisputed, well-documented evidence on how Trump’s 2016-2020 presidency attempted to erase LGB, and especially trans and gender-diverse people. It’s one thing to not have documented history with a suspected tyrant; it’s another to have lived through it. And the ripple effect of a cruel leader’s impact is felt long after their term, as is evident with the increased anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that has swept our country since 2020. With this, I believe the worst-case scenario for LGBTQ+ people under another Trump administration is the eradication of those most undervalued in our community — trans and gender-diverse people, and the undoing of progress made for LGB people.  

This feature originally appeared in issue 362 of Attitude, available on the free Attitude app, or in print by subscribing or picking up a copy from your local newsagent.