Harm Reduction Starts Here

A New Approach to Resistance

I’ve written, deleted, and rewritten this post more times than I can count. No introduction feels quite right. So, in the spirit of keeping 2025 productive (because I promised myself we’re getting sh*t done this year), I’m skipping the pleasantries and diving straight in.

Today sucks.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been dreading January 20th. It’s the day our presidential administration resets and, this time, Version 2.0 is primed to hit even harder, backed by some of the wealthiest, most powerful men in America.

And they wasted no time.

Within hours of taking office, there is the promise of multiple executive orders that are impossible to ignore: denying the existence of transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people; ending birthright citizenship; and doubling down on anti-immigration policies.

Let’s be honest, we saw this coming. But knowing it was inevitable doesn’t make it any easier.

What I didn’t have on my “2025 doomsday bingo card,” though, was the CEO of TikTok joining the circus by blasting propaganda to 170 million American users.

If you’re anything like me, you’re fighting the urge to spiral into a black hole of despair. The only thing keeping me from full-on dissociation right now is staying connected with my community. So, in the words of David Rose, I am just going to tell you what I know…

Executive orders? They’re common, but they’re not limitless.

Most new administrations come out swinging with a flurry of them, it’s practically tradition at this point. And while the content of these particular orders is uniquely horrifying, here’s the thing: they don’t instantly become the law of the land.

Congress and the courts have the power to step in. They can call out overreach, block orders, or cut off funding for projects that cross legal lines. In other words, what we’re seeing today is a show pony… for now.

Make no mistake, though. Today’s news isn’t harmless. It’s a calculated circus act, designed to enrage half the nation and appease the other half. It’s theater and we’re the unwilling audience.

That said, I’m not here to sugarcoat things. I know this administration will push through policies that are genuinely harmful. Legal precedents will shift in ways we’ve never seen before. But understanding the process helps us keep perspective and ready to fight back.

I’m not going to hit you with a list of action items today—because, let’s be real, we’re all feeling a little worn down by 2025 already. Staying in “rage mode” 24/7 is exhausting and an exhausted resistance is an ineffective resistance.

So, for now, rest, regroup, and take care of yourself (this might look like shutting down the scroll for now).

As we move forward, I’ll be here in your corner, ready to provide the evidence-based insights and perspective you’ve come to count on. Together, we’ll figure out what’s next.