Spooky season is over, ushering in a more terrifying time of the year for those of us in the United States: election season. US politics is heavily polarized as it is, but since this is an election year, it’s especially unpleasant. I’ve always said about the two US political parties in power that one (the Republican party) is actively trying to create a fascist theocracy in the US, while the other (the Democratic party) is doing the absolute bare minimum to stop it. As of the time of this writing, Trump and Harris are tied in the polls, which means there’s a very real possibility that we’ll have another Trump presidency. I like to think that my threshold for the disturbing is higher than most people’s, but I’ll be the first to admit that the prospect of another Trump presidency scares the shit out of me.

I’m genuinely afraid of what’s going to happen to me, my friends, and my family when the election is over. My fiancè and I are both practicing Satanists, and we don’t hide it. With Christian nationalism gaining more and more prominence in the Republican party, we could face even more discrimination and prejudice from the general public than we already do if Trump wins the election. As a child-free couple, our voices could be silenced by the Republican Party. Everyone’s heard Vance’s comments on child-free women, and if he gets his way, our votes in the future would not be worth as much as those who are parents, all because I chose not to have kids. If—Satan forbid—my birth control was to fail, I could be forced to give birth because getting an abortion would be even more difficult than it already is. Alternatively, I could seriously injure, make myself sick, or even kill myself trying to take care of the problem on my own, and then I would likely face jail time or worse since many Republican lawmakers want to bring homicide charges against women who have abortions.

As for the rest of my community, many of my friends are either gay, bi, or trans; immigrants or children of immigrants—some of whom did not come here legally even if they are legally here now; ethnic minorities; or people of Jewish descent. As we all know, the Republican party has actively worked to vilify and deny the rights of these people. A lot of my friends would face even more discrimination and prejudice than they already do if we get another Trump presidency. Some of them, particularly my gay, bi, and trans friends and neighbors, could lose their jobs. Their very identities could be outlawed, and there’s a real possibility they could lose the right to marry that was so hard won in 2015. Some of them may be forced to leave the country to live in a place they’ve never known or have little connection to.

Most of all, I’m frustrated with US politics in general. I’m frustrated that the same people who keep harping that celebrities shouldn’t sound off on politics—which affects them just the same as everyone else—have not just once but twice voted in celebrities with shitty politics (Reagan and Trump). I’m frustrated that we’ve got ourselves in a situation where everything is so high stakes that we are literally forced to choose between one evil or the other. I’m frustrated that, even though I voted early (and I encourage anyone who is eligible to do so), I feel so powerless to make a difference. I’m frustrated that US politics is still clinging to a system that not only encourages the type of polarization we’re seeing now but is actively hostile against third- and fourth-party candidates. I’m frustrated that, if we get another Trump presidency, people I otherwise respect and look up to are going blame and shit on third-party voters, which has to be a form of victim-blaming if I ever saw one.

This post isn’t about trying to convince anyone to vote one way or the other. Most people already know who they’re voting for by now, and I don’t have the energy or patience to debate anyone. I don’t want or need sympathy. Mostly, I’m just trying to work through my own fears and frustrations, and maybe even bring to light some of the issues my community is facing this election season. If you’ve gotten this far, thank you for reading, and maybe check out some more light-hearted content!