Hello, my friends. It’s four or forty thousand days into the second Trump presidency. Who even knows.  

So the inauguration happened, despite my best efforts to will it not to be so. 

Many headlines and memes were born on that day – one of my personal favorites being the “kiss” exchanged by Trump and his beloved wife Melania – but for today, let’s attend to his bold proclamation that yes, 

California may be burning to the ground and yes, the economy may be causing untold hardship for millions, and yes, far too many people still don’t have access to basic, affordable healthcare…but the gender binary problem? He solved it!

[Insert clip of Trump declaring two genders.]

Tremendous indeed. Because nothing screams “handling the nation’s problems” like using your inaugural speech to double down on exclusion. 

Donald, you nailed it. You really, really get us. Who we are, how we feel, and what matters to us most of all: Making sure that individuals who already suffer from widespread marginalization feel just a little bit less seen in this country. Less safe to simply exist, as who they are.

Party officials grouped this policy into the so-called “restoring sanity” agenda, with the goals of “defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government.”

 Trump’s executive order, among other things, seeks to reduce access to private spaces for intimate purposes in places like prisons, migrant shelters, and rape centers. 

To make these spaces less. Safe. For people who likely already don’t feel that way in their day-to-day lives.

Of course it’s all part of Trump’s larger battle against DEI programs that he insists “discriminate” against Americans, and desire to ensure that the country operates along the lines of a “meritocracy.”

You know, there’s a fantastic video I once saw where a teacher instructs his students to line up to run a race, with the goal of winning $100. He tells the participants, as an example, to take two steps forward if they grew up with a father figure in their home. 

Take two steps forward if they had access to a private education. Two steps forward if they’ve never had to worry about their cell phone being shut off, or if they never had to worry about where their next meal was going to come from. 

[Reference: https://www.facebook.com/SuitsforSeniors/videos/2320068121629302/]

I’m sure you can imagine who gets left behind in this race, and who’s best positioned to win. Based on merit? No. Based on access, and privilege. 

Donald Trump started his second term as president by doubling down on his belief that those who struggle to succeed – or to even be granted basic human respect and access to rights that we should all be afforded…like the right to live our truth, without fear of reprisal – 

those people are to blame for their own misfortunes. And speaking of that fear…you know – it doesn’t just hold those who don’t fit into the Trump Mold back in the race; it keeps them out of it entirely. 

Safety isn’t a privilege; it’s a right. That’s the very purpose of government, and of public officials. But Donald Trump does not care about your safety, or about mine: He cares, exclusively, about his own.