Am I Crazy? - Politically Homeless

Real people, real letters, real problems, no solutions.

Politics these days have become so divided and divisive that it’s become the norm to view the other side of the aisle as “the enemy”. People are being told to “pick a side” and that there’s no room for middle ground. We here at Phetasy believe that there are a lot more people in the middle than politicians and the media would have us believe.

We’re collecting stories from the ever growing number of people who are finding themselves Politically Homeless and posting them here on Substack. If you have moved from conservative to liberal, or liberal to conservative, if you feel you’ve stayed in the same place and your party has swerved drastically away from you, if you had a moment that awakened you to the insanity and hypocrisy on both sides, if you keep your mouth shut anytime a political topic comes up because you’re afraid your opinion will cause you to lose friends or your job, you’re not as alone as you might think.

Our goal is to shine a light on people’s earnest, individual experiences and show them they’re not alone.

Some letters have been edited for clarity and brevity. If you’re politically homeless and would like to share your story, please email us at iampoliticallyhomeless@gmail.com. All submissions will remain anonymous.

Letter 63:

March 22, 2023

It began with a question, asked to a series of friends. "Am I crazy? How did the world get like this without me noticing?"

I am an adult human female, mother to two adolescent daughters, wife of an adult human male. I grew up in an apolitical household where one parent was a quiet Democrat, the other was a member of an old testament fundamentalist church/cult. Solidly in the middle of Gen X, I began my first experience into the world of politics as a wide-eyed liberal democrat (because those are the good guys, right?) voting for Bill Clinton in 1992. Finally, I saw someone young, and hip, and cool, and not like those old guys who didn't give a shit about us youngsters. How disappointing it was to discover that he was indeed just human. I flirted with Conservatism after 9/11, when the world felt unsafe and I trusted GW Bush to punish the bad guys. Now over 20 years later and the experience of Obama, then Trump, had left me confused, so in a fit of smug independence, I switched my party to Unaffiliated. Becoming a mother also had an effect, the horrors of Sandy Hook and other school shootings sent me scurrying for the perceived safety of the Democrats with their gun control plans and mental health awareness.

Along came Caitlyn Jenner, who made the transsexual mainstream instead of just the rare deviant. While I've always had an aversion to the concept of drag queens, I held the liberal line, that as long as you aren't hurting anybody, do what you like! When my daughter came home asking about what it feels like to be a woman and how her new friend was non-binary, little alarm bells began ringing in my ears, but I talked about acceptance of different people and how it's okay not to conform to gender stereotypes. In fact, I have never been particularly conforming to traditionally female interests and really dislike the way women and girls are sexualized in so many aspects of life.

When my daughter told me that she was, in fact, a boy, was the point at which my world began to implode. Trying to remain calm, I watched her begin to disguise her body in baggy sweatshirts and pants, cut her hair even shorter than it was, and slouch, walk and sit differently and purposely talk in a lower voice. Desperate to understand what was going on, I asked Google, "why does my daughter think she's a boy?" and came undone. From sleepless nights on support forums to hunting down scientific articles, my world has been filled with rage and tears as I try to find the magic cure for this delusion. My shock and disgust when discovering the affirmation model that has captured schools, medicine, and media has me lost, terrified, screaming into the void. I gently try to provide perspective when liberal friends express outrage at these "red states trying to kill trans kids" on their social media, but have gotten scolded for my perspective, as surely I am on the wrong side of history. I have mostly stopped consuming any news or social media, although I subscribe to some podcasts and Substacks. I don't know who to trust, if anyone anymore. I fear for the world I will be releasing my daughters into, and hope that the loudest voices will begin to speak with reason. 

Sincerely,

Politically Homeless