Someone left a radical handmade ‘zine in my mailbox yesterday. Absolutely fantastic.
People have been asking me: why don’t you move out of TX Elaine? Go somewhere else more blue?
My reasons.
1. The biggest one: if the 2024 election goes red, there won’t be anywhere in the US that is exempt from the problems Texas has right now. That’s simple fact and please VOTE AND GET PEOPLE TO VOTE BLUE FOLKS.
2. I’m past childbearing age and now have a queer male partner. So I’m good and safe from the Roe bullshit. I’d never date another man who wasn’t queer, anti racist, or strongly feminist so that’s what that is. I have learned my lessons about all the others.
3. Economically speaking, I have a good life here – a really good life. Lots of work. Things I like to do. An amazing house. None of that has changed. Given the current situation in America with housing shortages and the upcoming recession, there is no possibly of recreating what my housemate and I have carefully built here over 20+ years somewhere else. And TBH I don’t want to – i like my Austin life and have figured out how to get the best out of it and avoid the worst.
4. I’m going to be EVEN MORE NEEDED as time goes by than I am now. People are going to need a multicultural, pro-choice, politically engaged, gun shooting feminist therapist MORE THAN THEY EVER HAVE.
I was told last night that a friend of someone I know who is in a marriage and family counseling training program has a bunch of Republicans in her class who were openly discussing how they were going to treat clients who didn’t want kids or didn’t agree with their Christian beliefs or views of family, marriage and children. The answer is this: Those therapists SHOULD NOT BE TREATING THOSE CLIENTS. The ethical thing is to send them to someone like me, because they will never, EVER be competent therapists to their clients of color, non Christian clients, childfree clients etc. never. Ever. And in fact will probably manipulate and harm them.
So yeah. Most therapists do not openly post their religious and political views on any of their data because they want clients and the money that comes with clients. I do and have on my website and am about to do more, and I’ve gotten cancelled over it like 12 times and I’m going to keep doing it.
Because if I leave then what? Where do all those folks go? Texas ain’t a White ethno state. It’s incredibly diverse. If people like me leave, where are all the non Christian, non white, non cis het, childfree clients and liberal women gonna find a therapist y’all? I’d be contributing to the problem okay?
Because I don’t believe the rest of the US is exempt from ANY OF THIS. If climate pressure ends up disrupting four major blue states, hell is gonna break loose and people are gonna have to migrate from those places and once again this will change how the United States looks in terms of demographics.
I’m staying put. The fight is HERE. If we don’t vote, soon that fight will be EVERYWHERE. You won’t be able to move or run from it. I’m a native Texan as well as being bicultural. Fuck these people and I’m gonna fight for the Texas I used to know, the one that was fun, forgiving, moderate blue and generous.
So yeah.
Them’s my feelings. The only place I’d leave to is Vietnam or maybe South America if something I’m working on comes through. And there’s no need to do that at this time.
I’m staying and fighting. Guns a’ blazin’ y’all.