I am trying to be better about blogging here more, so I woke up this morning with a plan for this post. I was going to talk a bit about some good books I’ve read lately and some excellent TV I’ve been spending time with, but then a friend sent me a link and it undid my morning. This is not to blame the friend–this was information I needed to know–especially considering that I just wrote RAINN into my will. Yeah…

For those not familiar, RAINN is the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network. It was the first hotline of its kind (established in 1994) and is still the largest hotline for victims and survivors of sexual assault. Tori Amos was its first spokesperson, which is how I learned about it in 1996.

As a survivor, I have been an active fundraiser and supporter of RAINN since 1997. I have thrown fundraising events for it and given its number to countless people who needed it, and yes, last week at the attorney’s office, I wrote them into my will as a beneficiary.

So imagine my surprise when I discover today that RAINN has decided that people like me don’t exist. To “comply” with Trump’s Executive Order, RAINN has removed all references to the queer community from their website.

Gone.

We’re erased. Again.

I immediately went to their website to check and yep. They have erased us from their site.

All of this despite the fact that queer people are four times more likely to be assaulted than non-queer people. That means we need resources like this hotline more, not less. Being erased from a website does not erase our existence nor our need for safe spaces to talk about topics like this, but it does make it less likely that people like me will come forward and report sexual assault.

It’s bad enough the cops don’t believe us and society believes we’re making it up for attention (believe me, no one wants this kind of attention), but to have one of the most important resources out there pretend we don’t exist?

Yeah, fuck that.

No one should comply in advance. The reality is that RAINN has been a thorn in the Republican party’s side for ages because way too many of those “good ol’ boys” believe they should be able to rape women whenever they want. They believe it’s their right as a man. I hate to break it to RAINN but compliance now won’t matter. They will find a way to erase organizations like RAINN as soon as they get through erasing the queer community.

That’s what fascists do.

I will no longer be supporting RAINN in any way, shape, or form. Ya’ll can get stuffed.

So can any other non-profit who decides erasure is the answer.