Stay safe rule, my brothers, sisters and anything outside and in between.
No idea where else I could post this with maximum visibility.
Stay safe rule, my brothers, sisters and anything outside and in between.
No idea where else I could post this with maximum visibility.
I do want to point out that this isn’t a policy maker, just a vocal idiot.
However, it is well understood that the fascists have no desire to include LGBTQ in their “in-group,” Given that the regime has already removed protections for Trans individuals, it’s a matter of time before RFK Jr refills the CDC and declares it a disease requiring extensive study.
This means there is time to prepare. Immigrating is stupid hard. Moving is stupid hard. Find someone you trust that can hide you at a moments notice. Keep a pair of sunglasses on you that will cover your eyes well. Hair dye in black if you have light hair, bleach if it’s in a dark color. A change of clothes, a pair of shoes, and a backpack you’ve never worn or used. Edit: these don’t have to be new as in unused. In fact if it’s used, it will probably stand out less.
Above all, remember this isn’t permanent. Fascism will break itself eventually, even if the rest of us are unable to.
I just want to add that a basic battery powered hair trimmer can be very effective if you don’t have a sink handy to dye/bleach your hair.
idk how feasible hiding someone in a fully authoritarian no-privacy regime would be, ig it’s best to hope that some measure of privacy would stay for a little while
some thoughts:
i feel like if you’re one person it would be hard to support another secret person without it being obvious, if the administration is willing to devote the resources to aggregate all of this data and such
edit: here’s a recent video that talks about some of the (publicly known) tracking stuff in the US
Target is one of the worst stores for facial tracking and has horrible privacy policies. I personally stopped shopping there completely to boycott this.
When McDonald’s and Targets introduce facial tracking technology and push tracking Apps and want to become part of a dystopian panopticon of tracking, and then a decent chunk of people just stop going there, corporate ALWAYS blames something else, as though people are too stupid to opt out of this. They never roll back any tracking, just change CEOs and add new coupons and close stores.
If you have to go into hiding, you go directly there.
Once there you begin working on a means to get out of country. It needs to be done through VPN use something like mullvad.
Do not leave hiding until it is time to leave the country.
The reality is that if these guys go full Nazi, we have plenty of history to see what not to do if you can’t get out of country.
As someone who has experience with being a literal fugitive in a case carrying the possibility of life (before eventually being detained and then found not guilty and released), this is really hard to do and people underestimate how difficult this is.
There is a psychological stress that goes along with being “on the run.” A person goes into flight/fight mode and there is such a huge rush of endorphins for such a prolonged period that it wears down the brain. It’s the sort of endorphin rush that would be really helpful if 1000 years ago you needed to run for 2 days to get away from your local village after something terrible happened. It is not helpful in modern society when fleeing a situation. You are much more likely to crash a vehicle during this time, you are much more likely to be unable to think normally or even be able to sleep. Criminals are often caught after crimes and during fleeing because they make mistakes that seem stupid, and naive folks go “criminals are so dumb,” but it’s really the huge flood of fight or flight brain chemicals that makes regular thinking and regular actions impossible but physical running much easier.
To deal with this, you need to do anything you can to reduce steps that involve thinking in such a situation. You need to have at least 1 go bag fully packed and ready. You will also forget stuff when you need to flee. You may even forget the go bag. The steps needed to leave must be easy, few, and rehearsable (ie, message friend in safe house using XMPP, grab go back, walk to location 2, meet friend to get ride to safe house). Packing light is important. Cash is important. A burner phone is important, you don’t want to buy it later when fleeing. A water bottle and vitamins can be helpful. Sleep aids like sleeping pills, and a mask for over the eyes, and ear plugs are helpful in case you’ve traveled for 2 days and need to sleep somewhere hidden. Don’t forget sleeping pills. Anti-anxiety medication would be very helpful. There are license plate readers so any car in a “wanted” person’s name will result in arrest if they are suddenly marked to go to a “Trans Containment Camp” or “Mental Health Re-education Facility.” There are sometimes police in main bus terminals and other locations. How will you get to this secret place to get out? Even if you have a go bag, cash, and enough visual changes to not be identified using biometric technology, will you walk away to this safe location? Many visual changes can create anonymity, but identification is often required during travel and if you are on a list, it will flag you immediately.
Many ways of thinking about this type of thing (“use a Nord VPN and chrome in incognito mode”) are useless. Even relying on Signal is bad choice because if you have a burner phone with a removable battery never powered on at home purchased with cash in the go bag, then you can’t log into Signal with it after you’ve fled, since Signal is tied to 1 device. XMPP is always safer when fleeing. Accept that many law-abiding liberal people will not help you or will even turn you in if trans people are suddenly subject to being rounded up.
I am not trans, but for trans people in America, they may want to look at options now for how to get out of the country unless you have the midset of a fighter. I am a second amendment supporter. If they try to de-arm trans people, that would be the canary in the coalmine to get out of the country. Getting out now, or making an emergency plan to get out now, will be so much easier than waiting too long for those that do not believing in literally fighting illegal tyranny. Now is the time if you are trans to make the go bag, take 90 percent of your hormones and save 10 percent for the go bag, consider options on how to best flee.
You don’t need to flee now, and there’s no point in being sad or scared, but just try to do some preparation. Remember that black slaves long ago did these sorts of things and now slavery is illegal in the USA. It’s horrible that slaves had to flee, but they were heroes, and trans people who need to prepare to flee and take precautions are heroes too.
Thanks for adding all of that.
It’s daunting.
The bit about XMPP is good, VPNs usually require payment of some sort which means a way to track you. Signal is useful for off-device message intercepting. While I’m not sure of what the state of on-device interception, and it can’t be ruled out.
And comparing this to a fugitive situation is sort of exactly what I was going for. The fleeing slaves, the persecuted in Nazi Germany, immigrants today, etc. in the eyes of authoritarian rule, there is no “getting off the bad list.”
Ultimately, getting out of the country is the safest bet. But it’s hard. And that’s the original problem I want people to be aware of, it gets crazy hard the longer people stay.
If I could get my son out of country I would. He doesn’t have much to fear, being a cute white boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. But he has AuADHD, and that’s the part I’m concerned with right now. I’d have to get special permission from the state and my ex to do it, and she won’t.
But you did remind me of the other thing. Since I can’t get out with my kid, I’m getting into better shape. When it comes down to it, we’ll need it regardless if we flee or fight.
Yeah, I just don’t think you could stay hidden for long because it could be pretty obvious that someone’s suddenly started buying twice as much food right as one of their friends disappears (both of which would be relatively easy to detect without individual attention)
SHOES!!! ffs MAKE SURE YOU CHANGE !!!SHOES!!! along with the rest. Shoes are usually the one thing that people forget to change and will get you recognized, police know this, you should too
Actually, that brings up other things.
I would also suggest shoes that have been worn, not by you, and sized bigger or half size smaller than your current shoe.
If you wear jewelry? Now you don’t.
If you don’t wear jewelry? Get some magnetic nose/earrings/lip things.
If you have tattoos, for the love of everything, cover them. Tattoos are probably easier to identify someone than their own face.
Damn good plan, the rest too. I just know the cops here always want the colour/style/brand of shoe a perp wore, or as much as can be remembered.
It’s an easy way to track people. Shoes leave a pattern. You can get the shoe size from the pattern in mud or snow etc. like fingerprints.
They try out such takes through the vocal idiots, but after it gets zero backlash (real backlash, like violent protests), it becomes the actual agenda of policy makers. That’s how authoritarianism and fascism is being built.
So, trans and LGBTQ+ folks, please be very careful and consider leaving US if you can. And if you stay, organize with like-minded people and don’t be alone
Vocal idiots rants are currently being turned into actions by the current dipshit in chief.
Laura Loomer is practically dictating domestic and staffing policy by complaining online, for example.
I managed to get out of country recently, like a few weeks ago. I’m going to try and make it easier for others to immigrate, be a place for people to stay, if I do well enough maybe provide financial stability while they get on their feet. I did what I could in the US but for the foreseeable future my path is to be a landing pad for others looking to escape