I feel like I should say something.

But I don't know if there's anything to say.

My dad voted for a man that went on TV and said that he would use military force against his political opponents. I voted for the other person 3 elections in a row. If some jackbooted thugs came to our house to put a black bag over my head and march me into the back of a truck, would my dad applaud? Would my mom just smile and shrug as if it were all just make-believe?

Maybe it's an exaggeration. Maybe I'm just emotional and catastrophizing a direct quote from the president-elect that I heard with my own fucking ears. But I also think it's naive and arrogant to believe that it could never happen in this country.

I don't enjoy talking about this. I wish could just stick to making art and sharing it with the people who want to see it, but this stuff affects me. It affects people I care about. And if you're a fan of mine, it affects you too.

It's no secret that there are certain groups who want not just an outright ban on pornography, but to imprison anyone that produces or distributes it. The Free Speech Coalition cites the exact page from the manifesto if you want to read their letter from this morning. It's already begun with age verification laws, credit cards companies changing their policies about adult content, and book bans.

Look, I understand the appeal of fascism. It's comforting to be told what to do, what to think, and how to feel by someone that projects strength. Hell, that's why I'm into kink. But I keep it between my partners and my art. I don't make it everyone else's problem.

I wish there was someone who could believably tell me that everything will be okay, or that I could be that person for someone else. I just don't know if it's true.

But here's what I do know: There's only ever been one person who could tell me how to live my life. Her name was Lucy, and she passed away from cancer back in June. In one of our last conversations, I was stressing about my store being banned, and even as she was dying, she took the time to console me and offer this guidance: "find the next best place and keep at it, because anything less is giving up and letting the bastards win."

So that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to keep telling stories. I'm going to keep making art. Because it makes me happy. And it made Her happy. And I'll fight to the death anyone that tries to take that away.