TThe misogynistic and anti-transgender rhetoric that was a hallmark of the 2024 campaign appears to have intensified since Donald Trump’s victory, with some women, gays and transgender people buying guns. They are fighting back by learning how to protect themselves from potential attackers.
The Guardian reports that some marginalized people are taking firearms courses, arming themselves with stun guns and pepper spray, and taking friends to shoot to protect themselves from bigots they fear will be emboldened by the president-elect’s return to power. We spoke to a variety of Americans from this group. Some left-wing gun clubs say that number is increasing dramatically.
“I think about carrying it with me every day,” said Ashley Parten, 38, of Douglasville, Georgia. She bought stun guns for herself, her daughter and three nieces after the election. Parten, who is black and bisexual, is also eyeing a maroon handgun, which he plans to buy after taking a firearms course.
“We all feel the need to be aware of our surroundings and generally protect ourselves, but even more so now,” she said.
Earlier this week, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said that single-sex restrooms in the Capitol are “for the exclusive use of individuals of their biological sex,” effectively implying that the openly transgender people elected to Congress are targeted Sarah McBride for the first time. The Trump campaign has released a barrage of ads against transgender attacks, banned gender-affirming care for minors and promised to “keep men out of women’s sports.”
The president-elect and several Cabinet nominees also face allegations of sexual misconduct. He and his allies have boasted about overturning Roe v. Wade and vilifying childless women.
“Our identities are becoming politicized every day,” Parten said.
Days after Trump’s first presidential victory in November 2016, Parten said she was filling up for gas in Charleston, South Carolina, when a white man wearing a red MAGA hat pushed her against the pump. She said she elbowed the man and drove off.
“He said my N-word president can’t protect me anymore because it’s Trump country,” she recalled.
Some gun dealers and trainers who serve marginalized groups said interest exploded after the election.
“It was very overwhelming,” said Tom Nguyen, founder of LA Progressive Shooters, a firearms club for bipocs and LGBTQ+ people.
His beginner’s pistol course is fully booked through June 2025, and he says, “Every day since the election, I’ve been more booked than I’ve ever been in the last four years of doing this job.”
The national Liberal Gun Club has fielded thousands of new membership applications since the election, with about half from women, and gay and transgender people also making up a large proportion of new members. He said that The Wisconsin-based instructors have already taught 100 new members, club spokeswoman Lara Smith said. Pink Pistols, a national firearms organization for LGBTQ+ people, said it has opened six new chapters since the election.
Politically motivated gun sales are not new, nor are they unique to progressive voters.
President Barack Obama’s election in 2008 saw a continued spike in gun sales during his tenure.
Just days before the election, Michael Cargill, who owns Central Texas Gun Works in Austin, sold firearms and ammunition because he believes a Kamala Harris victory would usher in a crackdown on the Second Amendment. He said that sales of conservatives who stocked up on items have skyrocketed. (The U.S. vice president said he owns a Glock.) Mr. Cargill, a black, gay Republican, said his firearms classes have doubled in size since Mr. Trump’s victory and are now at capacity. he said. This influx primarily comes from women and LGBTQ+ people concerned about their rights and potential “social unrest,” he said.
The anti-feminist online ecosystem, the Manosphere, has hailed Trump’s victory with posts celebrating male supremacy and the loss of bodily autonomy for women and LGBTQ+ people.
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After the election, white supremacist podcaster Nick Fuentes wrote about X: Forever. “Liberal Gun Club spokesperson Smith said many new members were motivated by the post to join.
Kylie Ortega, a 24-year-old Texan who bought a pink stun gun with the cartoon Grim Reaper and Grim Reaper on it, said, “If there are men out there who really think that way, I want at least a chance to fight if I run into them.” Ta. A strawberry key chain that can be used to stab people.
Trans gun enthusiasts and content creators are also hearing from previously gun-shy friends who want to learn defensive shooting.
Jesse McGrath, 63, a transgender lifelong Republican, grew up on farms in Colorado and Nebraska with guns. She decided to vote for Harris when Republicans started attacking gender-affirming care and wanted to “basically delegitimize my ability to survive.” She eventually became a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.
“Government involvement in health care decision-making is something I never thought Republicans would do,” she said.
McGrath, a military veteran and prosecutor, currently splits his time between Los Angeles and Omaha, and said he plans to take friends shooting when he returns to Nebraska next month.
“I’ve seen a huge increase in women who don’t like guns and are at least considering getting firearms training,” she says. “It’s a real and legitimate feeling that these people are having because the attacks are getting bigger. They’ve become even more vitriolic.”
Many women and LGBTQ+ people cite protection as the reason for owning a gun, and while owning a gun may make them feel safe, a Harvard study found that is relatively rare. A meta-analysis by the University of California, San Francisco, found that women with access to firearms were three times more likely to be murdered than those without access.
Tactical Girlfriend, a trans woman and gun YouTuber with more than 62,000 subscribers, said she’s concerned that President Trump’s victory is causing people to panic buy guns. .
“Guns don’t solve most of people’s problems, even in the field of self-defense. Training in the use and carrying of pepper spray and studying martial arts are always far more practical in everyday self-defense situations.” “It will be useful in the future,” she said, noting that owning a gun costs both time and money.
“If you can’t dry fire at least once a week, and go to the range on average once a month, you may find yourself becoming more responsible to yourself and those around you when the time comes.” .gun.”
