Paige Normandie, 18, woke up Nov. 6 filled with disappointment and uncertainty in the wake of former President Donald Trump’s election win, she said.
As a queer woman, Normandie worried about what the next four years would mean for her rights. Looking to channel her fears into action, Normandie joined hundreds of other protesters at Federal Plaza, 50 W. Adams St., for a rally and march centered on the ongoing war on Gaza, but also highlighting attacks on reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized communities.
“I’m here because I’m very disappointed with the election results and frustrated that over the past eight years, things haven’t changed in the way that we want them to,” Normandie said. “We need action now so things can be different for generations to come.”
Normandie is among thousands of LGBTQ+ people across the country to feel a mix of dread, anger and urgency after Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. While some—like Normandie and her 17-year-old friend Jazzy Flowers—took action by protesting, others focused on uplifting LGBTQ+ organizations and social support networks, prioritizing self-care and rallying others to stay vigilant in protecting human rights over the next four years.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen, but it’s important for us to demonstrate that we’re in this together and not going anywhere,” Normandie said.
‘A menacing cloud over our nation’
With Trump’s victory came numerous down-ballot wins by the Republican Party, which is set to go into Trump’s second presidency with control over both chambers of Congress and the likely chance of being able to appoint multiple justices to the Supreme Court.
These Republican victories could have dire consequences for the rights of LGBTQ+ people—especially the transgender community—and other marginalized groups, leaders warned.
“The outcome of the presidential and down-ballot races has cast a menacing cloud over our nation and many who organized, mobilized and advocated for a better outcome,” Channyn Lynne Parker, CEO of Brave Space Alliance, a Black- and trans-led community organization on the South Side, said in a statement.
For Normandie and her friend Flowers, their transgender friends were top of mind, as the two feared what another four years of a Trump presidency could mean for their rights.
Trump campaigned heavily on anti-trans attacks, spending more than $21 million on advertisements scapegoating the trans community. The former president’s campaign platform also promises to cut federal funding for schools that teach “radical gender ideology and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content.”
Additionally, the controversial Project 2025 playbook written by former Trump administration officials lays the groundwork for an intense rollback of LGBTQ+ rights by promising to gut federal nondiscrimination policies and address what they call a “toxic normalization of transgenderism.”
“What will this mean for our trans friends?” Normandie said. “I’m worried they won’t be able to get the healthcare they need to be affirmed in their gender if this continues.”
Other issues on Normandie’s mind included protecting same-sex marriage and the fight to restore reproductive rights across the country, she said.
Reginald Sawyer, a Choctaw-Cherokee tribe member and president of the Chicago Two-Spirit Society, also attended Wednesday’s protest and said the group is worried about potential attacks on marriage equality.
“We know that Donald Trump is going to do everything in his power because he’s out for revenge,” Sawyer said.
Fayani Abomamijana, a trans person and member of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Oppression, which organized Wednesday’s protest with the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, said they were “terrified” as a queer person.
“Even while the Democrats have been in power at the executive level, the Republicans have been stripping back our rights in the South, so we have every reason to be distraught, and that’s justified,” Abomamijana said.
Abomamijana said they also felt frustrated with Democrats and the Harris campaign for promising to continue supporting Israel in its War on Gaza if elected. This led to many potential voters either swaying third party or sitting this election out, Abomamijana said.
“Democrats were heinous to hold our feet to the fire and say, ‘vote for genocide, and we’ll give you your reproductive access, your access to hormones and so forth,’” Abomamijana said. “It’s a horrible contradiction.”
Solidary, hope and perseverance
In the face of such threats, it’s vital for LGBTQ+ people to stick together and search for hope even through the uncertainty, community leaders said.
“These are challenging times, but together, we can navigate them with resilience, hope and unwavering support for one another,” Zahara Bassett, founder and executive director of Life is Work, said in a statement.
Life is Work is a Black-, Brown- and trans-led social services organization on the West Side that focuses on advocacy to ensure legislators are listening to the LGBTQ+ community; providing direct support and resources like physical wellness programs, mental health support, housing services and education; and community events to bring LGBTQ+ people together.
It’s crucial to make sure these services continue, Bassett said.
“Now more than ever, we must rise to meet the urgent needs of our community and confront the barriers that might lie ahead,” Bassett said.
Robin Gay, interim president and CEO of Howard Brown Health, said the LGBTQ+ healthcare organization will also fight at all levels of government to ensure queer people have access to the care they need.
“When we were founded in 1974, legal protections for the marginalized communities we serve simply did not exist,” Gay said in a statement. “We have survived in spite of that for 50 years now and will continue to for at least another 50.”
Other LGBTQ+ leaders pointed to glimmers of hope within Tuesday’s election results, including groundbreaking wins by transgender and other LGBTQ+ candidates, and evidence of queer peoples’ voting power and influence on politics.
Although Republicans will now control the House and Senate, voters in Delaware made history by electing the first openly transgender person to Congress, Sarah McBride.
In Wisconsin, lesbian Sen. Tammy Baldwin prevailed against homophobic attacks and retained her seat in Congress, while Texas and Kentucky made history by electing their first openly LGBTQ+ members of Congress, Julie Johnson (Texas) and Keturah Herron (Kentucky).
In Illinois, several LGBTQ+ candidates won their elections, including Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Precious Brady-Davis, who made history as the first Black, transgender woman elected in Cook County.
In a statement, Brady-Davis said she was “humbled” to make this history and committed to fighting for clean water resources, environmental justice and LGBTQ+ rights at the national level.
“I have experience fighting against the previous Trump administration’s destructive actions toward our environment, and I’m ready to do what it takes to ensure our community’s resources are strengthened and protected in the years to come,” Brady-Davis said.
At Brave Space Alliance, which was also on the frontlines of defending Black and LGBTQ+ rights in Chicago during Trump’s first administration, the fight will go on, Parker said.
“Although today our spirits are dampened, our perseverance and sense of urgency are not,” Parker said. “The struggle continues, but so do we in our pursuit of liberty and justice for all.”