Politics has always seemed a bit of a circus to me. I’m from Texas—how can it not? Most often, if a politician is out there making some crazy claim, my first instinct is to see if it’s one of our own. Then I can go on to check the other suspects—Andy Biggs, Nancy Mace, Lauren Boebert, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, to name a few—and I’m never disappointed. After all, since 2016, the number of clowns running the country has increased significantly.
But looking back, I shouldn’t be surprised. During Watergate, politicians and political operatives—including Nixon and his attorney general—kept falling out of the clown car right up until Nixon resigned. I had no idea you could fit that many people in a single vehicle.
Toss on top of that the last two years surrounding the 2024 election, and the term circus starts to feel like an understatement. From the moment the giant Cheeto announced he was running again, the political sphere has been full-on Ringling Bros. Unfortunately, that circus has officially come to town, and no one is 100% sure what to do or what the country will look like in four years.
We’ve been getting a good idea in the last week where we are headed, though. Between pardons for January 6th rioters, declaring there are only two genders, and the push to squash all DEI efforts, the new administration looks intent on making sure America’s white Christian men are in control. And it’s only been a week.
For the queer community, what we’re seeing happen is one red flag after another in terms of where our rights are headed. Republicans are already making hay over squashing the transgender community, even though we now have our first transgender representative in the House. What’s next? Clarence Thomas has already suggested revisiting gay marriage. How long before that reaches the Supreme Court?
Housing discrimination? Employment discrimination? Trump has already appointed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission director concerned more about white men facing discrimination than people of color, women, and the queer community. That doesn’t bode well for anyone.
However.
We could doom scroll all day and still not be sure of what is truly coming down the pike. Lawsuits have already been filed against some of the executive orders. More will surely come. But what do we do in the meantime?
I came across an Instagram post of a RuPaul interview where he commented about not staring. You can look at all the bad things happening, but do not stare. Create. Dance. Sing. Find moments of joy instead of stressing yourself out all day, every day. I’ve seen other posts as well echoing this idea.
But at the same time, we must know what’s happening in the world around us. We can’t ignore the news or the latest stunt from whatever uptight politician thinks will get them clicks. We have to be ready for battle. We have to prepare to fight any way we can. We cannot be caught off guard.
However, also remind yourself from time to time that the clowns can change. Bozo may have been great, but maybe it’s time to give Krusty the Clown and Sideshow Bob a shot. Politics might still seem like a circus, just hopefully one we’ll enjoy.