Fighting Fascism with Pleasure: The Power of the Erotic

Authoritarians fear joy more than they fear arguments. They go after bodies, pleasure, and family life because controlling intimacy is the easiest way to control everything else-speech, movement, even how people vote. If you can make people ashamed or scared of their own desires, you can keep them quiet.

By “erotic,” I don’t mean porn or shock value. I mean what poet and thinker Audre Lorde called the deep yes inside us-the energy that comes from honest desire, connection, and shared care. That energy makes people hard to bully. It builds solidarity. It’s also practical: when people feel safe, informed, and respected, communities get healthier and tougher.

History backs this up. Fascist regimes have always policed sex, gender, and family-book bans, dress codes, purity laws, raids on queer spaces. Wilhelm Reich’s 1933 thesis tied sexual repression to authoritarian control; not all of his claims hold up, but the core observation is hard to miss: shame is a political tool. Public health data points the other way. Countries with comprehensive sex education (like the Netherlands) see lower teen pregnancy and STI rates, plus better consent norms. UNESCO’s 2018 guidance shows that good sex ed improves safety and decision-making without increasing sexual activity. Knowledge and dignity don’t cause harm-silence does.

So what does “fighting fascism with pleasure” look like in daily life? Start local and tangible. Map the control points in your town: school board policies, book challenges, clinic access, anti-LGBTQ bills, nightlife rules. Then pick one lane and move: show up at hearings, speak for evidence-based sex ed, donate to abortion funds and queer health centers, and back harm-reduction programs. The work is political, but it’s also practical-more informed people means less fear to exploit.

Build consent culture everywhere you have reach-workplace, home, friend groups, clubs. Keep it simple: ask before touch, welcome no as a normal answer, check in during any intimate situation, and debrief after. Post clear consent guidelines at events. Train staff and volunteers. Make reporting easy and retaliation impossible. When consent is normal, coercion gets no cover.

Strengthen body literacy. Support age-appropriate, comprehensive sex education in schools. For adults, host plain-language workshops on anatomy, contraception, STI testing, and healthy relationships. Share vetted resources from WHO and your national health agency. The goal isn’t to push behavior-it’s to give people tools and reduce harm.

Protect privacy. Use end-to-end encrypted messaging for sensitive topics. Learn to strip photo metadata and use device lock screens and password managers. If you store intimate media, keep it in an encrypted vault and avoid cloud backups you don’t control. Help friends do the same. Privacy isn’t paranoia; it’s self-defense.

Support the people targeted first. Back trans-led groups, sex worker rights organizations, and survivor services. Offer rides to clinics, court accompaniment, or a couch to crash on after a hostile family conflict. Small, quiet help beats grand statements.

Fund joy on purpose. Organize sober-friendly dance nights, body-neutral fitness classes, cuddle-free relaxation rooms, or art circles that welcome all genders and orientations. Post a clear code of conduct and stick to it. Pleasure spaces that feel safe become training grounds for trust and agency.

Measure what matters. Track wins: a school board keeping inclusive curricula, a venue adopting consent training, a clinic adding sliding-scale services, a local library unbanning titles. Publish a simple community scorecard so people see progress and stay involved. Authoritarians sell inevitability; visible gains break that spell.

If you want a five-minute start today, do this: look up your state’s current bills on bodily autonomy and LGBTQ rights, add the next hearing date to your calendar, donate $10 to a local clinic or mutual aid fund, and share a consent guideline template with your group chat. Small steps compound fast when they’re about care, not fear.

• Why Authoritarians Fear Pleasure
• The Erotic as Power
• History and Research
• Practical Tactics for Communities
• Law, Tech, and Safety
• Daily Habits that Build Freedom

Why Authoritarians Fear Pleasure

Authoritarians go after pleasure because it’s the shortcut to ruling everything else. Joyful, connected people are harder to scare, harder to isolate, and more likely to look out for each other. Authoritarian movements-especially forms of fascism-treat sex, gender, and family life as levers: control those, and you can script speech, work, and belief.

Here’s the playbook. First, turn private life into a loyalty test: shame, surveillance, and vague “morality” rules. Second, pick targets-women, queer folks, migrants-and frame it as “protecting children” or “defending tradition.” Third, choke off knowledge by banning books, clinics, and honest sex education. This isn’t about virtue. It’s about shrinking the space where people feel safe, informed, and free to say no.

History makes the pattern obvious. The Nazis criminalized homosexuality (Section 175) and ran a massive forced sterilization program. Mussolini taxed single men to push marriage and births. Francoist Spain made contraception and adultery crimes and kept married women from working without a husband’s permission. Ceaușescu’s Romania banned abortion and contraception, and maternal deaths spiked. Police raids on queer bars-think Stonewall in 1969-weren’t random; they were meant to break the social web where resistance forms.

The health data cuts through the moral fog. UNESCO’s 2018 guidance reviewed dozens of programs and found comprehensive sex education improves consent skills and lowers STIs and unintended pregnancy; it doesn’t make teens start sex earlier. A big U.S. evaluation in 2007 (Mathematica) found abstinence-only programs didn’t delay sexual activity. A 2011 PLoS ONE analysis linked abstinence-only policies to higher teen pregnancy rates at the state level. Knowledge and dignity reduce harm; enforced ignorance raises it.

So why the obsession with policing pleasure? Because it works as a control system. Shame keeps people quiet. Fear makes them accept surveillance. Isolation cuts mutual aid. When the state writes the rules of intimacy, it can set who counts as a “real” citizen and who can be safely punished. That boundary-drawn around bodies-locks in political power.

If you want to spot the slide early, watch for these red flags:

• Vague “morality” or “obscenity” laws used to pull books from schools or libraries.
• Restrictions on contraception, abortion, or gender-affirming care, especially paired with surveillance of medical records.
• Police raids or licensing crackdowns on queer venues, clinics, or community centers.
• Curriculum rules that ban mention of LGBTQ people, contraception, or consent.
• Pronatalist incentives with penalties for the unmarried or childless.
• Hotlines that invite citizens to report neighbors for “indecency” or “improper” dress.

The deeper point: pleasure creates agency. People who know their bodies and boundaries can organize, say no, and help each other. That’s exactly what brittle power fears. Control needs atomized subjects. Freedom grows from informed, connected ones.

The Erotic as Power

When I say erotic power, I’m not talking about porn or shock value. I mean the felt sense of aliveness, desire, and honest connection that Audre Lorde wrote about in her 1978 essay “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power” (reprinted in Sister Outsider, 1984). Lorde’s point was simple and radical: when people are connected to what they truly want and can say yes or no clearly, they’re harder to control.

Public health backs this up. The World Health Organization defines sexual health as a state of physical, emotional, mental, and social well‑being-not just the absence of disease. When communities treat sexuality with respect and skill (consent, good info, real access to care), you get better decisions, less harm, and more agency. That agency shows up in civic life: people speak up at school boards, defend their neighbors, and push back on fear‑mongering.

There’s history and data here. Douglas Kirby’s “Emerging Answers 2007” review found that well‑designed sex education programs often delay sexual initiation and increase condom or contraceptive use without increasing activity. UNESCO’s 2018 International Technical Guidance came to the same bottom line: comprehensive sex ed improves knowledge and safety and does not “make kids have sex.” In practice, the Netherlands has used comprehensive curricula like Lang Leve de Liefde (Long Live Love) since the late 1980s; their teen birth rate is among the lowest in the world. That’s what erotic literacy looks like on the ground.

Zoom in on the mechanism. Shame narrows options and makes people easier to push around. Pleasure, handled with consent and care, does the opposite-it clarifies boundaries and builds trust. Even in lab settings, touch and bonding chemicals matter: a 2005 Nature study (Kosfeld et al.) showed that oxytocin increased trusting behavior in a classic “trust game.” We don’t need nasal sprays to prove a point, though. Everyday practices-asking, checking in, respecting no-make coercion harder and cooperation easier.

This isn’t abstract. Authoritarians target bodily autonomy because people who can set boundaries at home can set boundaries in public. If you can ask for what you need in bed or at a clinic, you can ask for what you need from a boss, a landlord, or a mayor. That’s the political edge of the erotic.

Here’s how to turn that idea into daily practice-no drama, just habits that stick:

• Consent as a reflex: Ask before touch, welcome “no,” and check in mid‑stream. Treat consent as ongoing, not a one‑time checkbox.
• Body literacy: Learn basic anatomy, contraception options, and STI screening intervals. Share plain‑language resources from your health ministry or WHO.
• Desire clarity: Once a week, write three things you genuinely want (affection, rest, a type of touch) and three things that are off‑limits. Say them out loud to yourself or a trusted partner.
• After‑action debriefs: Post‑date or post‑intimacy, ask “What felt good? What didn’t? What should we change?” Keep it short and blame‑free.
• Community signal‑boost: If you run events, post consent norms at the door, offer a quiet room, and make reporting simple with a QR code and a real person behind it.
• Access is power: Know where to get low‑cost STI tests, free condoms, emergency contraception, and queer‑competent care in your area. Print a one‑pager for your group.

Culture carries this forward. adrienne maree brown’s 2019 book Pleasure Activism made a plain case: joy and justice aren’t opposites-pleasure is the fuel that keeps movements alive. Build spaces where pleasure and safety are normal, and you get people who can organize for the long haul, not just for a crisis weekend.

If you want one small start today, pick a context you control-your group chat, your band practice, your book club-and publish a two‑line consent rule: “Ask first. No is respected.” Then live by it. The erotic becomes power when it’s practiced, not just praised.

History and Research

Authoritarian projects almost always start by policing the body. You can see the pattern across the 20th century and right now. When leaders centralize power, they target sex education, contraception, abortion, queer life, and family law. It’s not random-it’s control through shame and fear. That’s why any honest talk about pleasure and consent is political, whether we want it to be or not. It’s also a proven way to build resilience against fascism.

Take Nazi Germany. In May 1933, students and storm troopers looted and burned Magnus Hirschfeld’s Institute for Sexual Science in Berlin, destroying patient files and a world-class sexology library. The regime passed the 1933 Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring, which led to roughly 400,000 forced sterilizations by 1939. In 1935 they toughened Paragraph 175, criminalizing male homosexuality more harshly; about 100,000 men were arrested under it, with tens of thousands convicted and many sent to camps. The agenda was simple: punish non‑conformity and boost “Aryan” births.

Italy under Mussolini pushed the “Battle for Births” (1927). The 1931 Rocco Penal Code criminalized abortion; contraception was restricted. Francoist Spain banned divorce in 1939, punished adultery (especially for women), criminalized homosexuality under the 1970 "Ley de Peligrosidad y Rehabilitación Social," and kept contraception illegal until 1978. Stalin’s Soviet Union legalized abortion in 1920, then reversed course in 1936 to push a pronatalist policy; abortion was re-legalized in 1955 after Stalin’s death. Different ideologies, same playbook: regulate intimacy to regulate society.

Democracies have used similar tools too. The United States enforced federal Comstock laws from 1873, blocking mailed information on contraception and abortion for decades. In the 1950s, the Lavender Scare purged thousands of queer federal workers; Executive Order 10450 (1953) barred anyone labeled a “sexual pervert” from federal jobs. These weren’t small blips. They reshaped careers, families, and public life.

Fast-forward. Russia’s 2013 “gay propaganda” law, expanded in 2022 to all ages, chilled speech and services for LGBTQ people. Hungary’s 2021 “child protection” law restricts LGBTQ content in schools and media. Several Polish regions declared “LGBT-free zones” starting in 2019 (some later walked back after EU pressure). The modern pattern mirrors the old one.

So what does the evidence say about the opposite approach-education, consent, and access? UNESCO’s 2018 International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education reviewed global programs and found comprehensive sex ed does not increase sexual activity. It tends to delay first sex, improve condom and contraceptive use, and reduce violence. A 2011 PLoS ONE analysis (Stanger-Hall & Hall) found U.S. states that stressed abstinence-only had higher teen pregnancy and birth rates than states teaching contraception. In public health, information and agency move risk down, not up.

Real-world data back this up. Countries that normalize open, age-appropriate sex education and easy access to contraception see very low teen birth rates. The Netherlands is the classic case: candid school programs, strong primary care, and a culture of talking early and often about relationships and consent.

Abortion policy shows the same dynamic. WHO and Guttmacher analyses (2010-2014) estimated around 25 million unsafe abortions each year-about 45% of all abortions globally. Where laws are highly restrictive, only about one in four abortions is considered “safe”; in places with liberal laws and trained providers, roughly 85-90% are safe. Legal access and trained care don’t drive more abortions; they drive safer ones and lower injury and death.

Romania shows how fast outcomes can shift. After Decree 770 (1966) banned most abortions and limited contraception, abortion-related maternal deaths rose sharply. By 1989, abortion-related maternal mortality was reported around 148 per 100,000 live births. When abortion was legalized again in 1990, abortion-related deaths dropped by more than half within a year and kept falling in the 1990s. Policy flipped; harm plummeted.

There’s also the social layer. Studies of consent-focused programs in schools and colleges show short-term gains in bystander skills and reductions in self-reported sexual violence. A 2015 Campbell/Cochrane-style review of dating violence prevention found small-to-moderate improvements in knowledge and attitudes, with some programs showing reduced victimization at follow-up. Results vary by program quality, but the direction is consistent: teach consent, practice it, and the metrics improve.

Thinkers have tried to connect the dots for a century. Wilhelm Reich’s 1933 book The Mass Psychology of Fascism argued that sexual repression trains people to submit to authority. Parts of his theory don’t hold up, but his core insight-that shame can be a political technology-tracks with the historical record. Decades later, Audre Lorde reframed the erotic as a source of power and clarity, not spectacle. Put beside public health data, the throughline is clear: dignity, consent, and access build healthier, freer communities.

• Historical trend: regimes tighten control by regulating sex, family, and gender roles.
• Education works: comprehensive sex ed improves safety without raising sexual activity.
• Access saves lives: where abortion is legal and care is trained, injuries and deaths fall.
• Culture matters: practicing consent and body literacy builds trust and reduces abuse.

The takeaway is practical. If a policy increases shame, secrecy, or surveillance around intimacy, expect worse health and more coercion. If it expands knowledge, consent, and care, expect safer people and stronger communities. That’s not theory-it’s what the data say, across time and borders.

Practical Tactics for Communities

You win local fights by being organized, visible, and boringly consistent. Pick targets you can reach-school boards, libraries, venues, clinics, and city councils-and give people simple jobs they can do this week.

Start with a quick audit so you know where to push.

• Schools: Who sits on the school board? When are meetings? What’s the policy on sex ed, library book challenges, and inclusive curricula?
• Libraries: Who files book challenges? Is there a clear review process and public appeals?
• Health access: Which clinics provide contraception, STI testing, and abortion referrals? Are there harassment buffer zones?
• Nightlife and events: Do venues post a code of conduct and run bystander/consent training?
• Digital safety: Are local groups using encrypted messaging and safe data practices?

Then move from audit to action with clear playbooks.

1. School board game plan:
   • Show up with facts. UNESCO’s 2018 International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education found comprehensive sex ed improves knowledge and increases delay of sexual debut and condom use, without raising overall sexual activity.
   • Bring local voices: a nurse, a parent, a student, a coach. Short, specific stories beat speeches.
   • Offer policy language, not just opinions. Draft a one-page model policy for consent-based, age-appropriate sex ed aligned with state standards.
   • Track votes and publish them. A simple public scorecard keeps the pressure on.
2. Library defense kit:
   • Know the rules for challenges and appeals. Ask the library to post them clearly on its website and in the lobby.
   • Recruit a rapid-response crew to fill seats and speak against bad-faith bans. PEN America documented 3,362 book ban cases across U.S. public schools in the 2022-23 school year, concentrated in a handful of states; showing up matters.
   • Donate challenged titles to community “freedom shelves” in cafes and barbershops.
3. Venue and event safety:
   • Post a plain-language code of conduct at the door and online. Spell out how to ask for help, and what happens if someone crosses a line.
   • Train staff in bystander intervention. Right To Be’s “5Ds” (Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, Direct) is a free, evidence-informed framework used worldwide.
   • Add an anonymous reporting form (QR code on posters). Promise and deliver swift, quiet follow-up.
   • Mark staff and safety volunteers clearly so people know who to approach.
   • Run a 2-minute consent reminder before shows or workshops. Repetition normalizes expectations.
4. Health and harm reduction:
   • Map local services (Title X clinics, STI testing sites, LGBTQ+ health centers) and print wallet cards.
   • Partner with syringe services programs (SSPs) if relevant. CDC reviews show SSPs are associated with ~50% reductions in HIV and HCV transmission and do not increase drug use.
   • Support abortion access discreetly and legally: coordinate rides, lodging, and child care through vetted funds (e.g., National Network of Abortion Funds).
5. Digital privacy basics for everyone:
   • Use end-to-end encrypted apps (Signal; WhatsApp also uses the Signal Protocol). SMS is not encrypted.
   • Turn off cloud backups for sensitive chats. Set device screen locks and a password manager with 2FA.
   • Strip photo metadata before sharing (iOS: “Options” → toggle off Location; Android: “Remove location data”).
   • Store intimate media in an encrypted vault; avoid auto cloud sync.
6. Legal and safety backstop:
   • Link up with your local ACLU chapter and the National Lawyers Guild for legal observer training before protests.
   • Set up a community hotline (Google Voice works) and a rotation for monitoring during actions.
   • Write a simple crisis protocol: who to call, what to document, and how to support targeted individuals.

Use data to decide where to push. The table below gives quick, credible benchmarks you can cite in meetings and flyers.

Build alliances that change votes. Ask small businesses to co-sign open letters. Invite clergy, coaches, and nurses to speak for safety and dignity. Put students and parents on the same panels. When messengers are diverse, decision-makers listen.

Money keeps movements alive. Create a transparent microgrant fund ($100-$500) for rides to clinics, copays, safe lodging, and last-minute childcare. Publish monthly reports: dollars in, dollars out, number of people helped. Trust grows when people see where the money goes.

Keep people coming back with short, doable tasks and quick wins. One night a month for text banking to school board voters. A quarterly consent training for venues. A 10-minute privacy check at every community meeting. Track progress on a public dashboard.

And keep the goal in sight: a culture where consent, care, and joy are normal. That’s not fluff; it’s strategy. When people feel agency in their bodies and relationships-call it erotic power-authoritarian control loses its grip.

Law, Tech, and Safety

Authoritarians don’t just police speech. They target clinics, classrooms, and phones. The goal is simple: make people doubt their rights, then track and punish how they live. The fix is also simple, but not easy-know the rules in your state, shrink your data trail, and build routines that protect you and your people.

Quick legal snapshot, so you’re not flying blind. In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling ended federal abortion protections. By late 2024, 14 states were enforcing near‑total abortion bans (Guttmacher Institute tracking). More than 20 U.S. states passed restrictions on gender‑affirming care for minors; by mid‑2024, at least 24 had enacted bans or limits (ACLU tracking, ongoing litigation in several). A wave of “age‑verification” laws for adult sites started in 2023; Utah’s law led Pornhub to block access in the state, and Texas’s 2023 law began taking effect in 2024 during court fights. On the flip side, several states (like California, New York, and Massachusetts) passed “shield” laws to protect providers and patients crossing state lines for care.

Tech is part of the battleground. End‑to‑end encrypted (E2EE) messengers protect message content, but not metadata like who talked to whom and when. Signal stores almost no metadata (it can confirm when an account last connected). WhatsApp uses the Signal Protocol for chats and offers E2EE backups if you turn them on. iMessage is E2EE; since iOS 16.2 (Dec 2022) you can enable Advanced Data Protection so iCloud backups don’t expose messages. In 2024, Apple upgraded iMessage with a post‑quantum crypto layer called PQ3. Google moved Location History to on‑device storage with optional passcode‑protected E2EE in 2024, which reduces subpoena risk for travel logs.

Here’s a tight checklist you can put to work today.

1. Map your legal risk. Check your state’s status on abortion access, trans care, and age‑verification rules. If you travel, learn which neighboring states have shield laws.
2. Pick the right channel. Use Signal for sensitive chats. On WhatsApp, turn on E2EE backups. On iPhone, enable Advanced Data Protection. Assume SMS is a postcard.
3. Lock the device, not just the app. Use a long alphanumeric passcode (12+ characters). Set auto‑lock to 30-60 seconds. Turn on “Erase Data after 10 failed passcode attempts” (iOS) or equivalent wipe on Android.
4. Biometrics under pressure. In public actions or at borders, prefer passcodes over Face/Touch ID. Know the “lockdown” gestures: on iPhone, press power and a volume button to disable Face ID quickly; on Android, enable “Lockdown” to disable biometrics from the power menu.
5. Control your cloud. If a service offers E2EE backups, use it. If it doesn’t, keep sensitive media off cloud backups or store it in an app with its own encryption vault.
6. Scrub the trail. Strip photo metadata before sharing (most gallery apps and Signal do this). Turn off Location History you don’t need. Set auto‑delete for search, maps, and voice history.
7. Separate identities. Use different browser profiles for activism vs. personal shopping. Create email aliases for signups. Keep work and organizing on different accounts and, ideally, different browsers.
8. Use real 2FA. Prefer an authenticator app or a hardware key (FIDO2). Avoid SMS 2FA when you can-it’s vulnerable to SIM‑swap attacks.
9. At borders and checkpoints. U.S. border agents can search devices without a warrant; CBP reported 45,499 device searches in FY2022. Travel with a “clean” device if you can, or reduce local data and log out of high‑risk accounts.
10. Prepare for spyware. If you face targeted risks, consider iOS Lockdown Mode (blocks common exploit paths) and keep your OS updated. NSO’s Pegasus has been used on activists and journalists worldwide; updates and cautious link‑clicking matter.

Why all this matters: these moves protect people seeking care, learning about sex and relationships, and defending bodily autonomy. They also make communities harder to intimidate because fear leaks through data trails and sloppy habits.

Practical privacy habits that stick:

• Disappearing messages: set 24 hours by default in Signal and WhatsApp groups where it makes sense.
• Event safety: post a consent and privacy code at the door; ban filming by default; set a “no‑names” rule for photos.
• Metadata on photos: share through apps that strip EXIF, or export “flattened” copies before posting.
• Update rhythm: OS and app updates weekly; router firmware quarterly; password manager and 2FA on everything that matters.
• Community drills: practice a phone‑confiscation scenario and a rapid contact‑tree check without using names in text.

One last legal‑tech link: HIPAA protects health data held by covered entities (clinics, insurers), but period‑tracking and fitness apps often aren’t covered. Treat those apps like public postcards unless they clearly offer E2EE and a sound privacy policy. If you’re helping someone get care, prefer cash, gift cards, or privacy‑preserving payment methods, and keep identifying details off shared calendars and chats.

The playbook is straightforward: reduce what you collect, encrypt what you keep, and assume someone hostile will try to connect your dots. Do that well, and the room for control shrinks.

Daily Habits that Build Freedom

Freedom isn’t a vibe; it’s a routine. The small things you do every day either train your nervous system for trust and connection or leave it stuck in fear. Fighting fascism starts with habits that protect bodies, choices, and joy.

Make consent a reflex. Keep it simple and constant, not awkward or legalistic. Try this daily checklist:

• Ask before touch, even with friends and partners: “Hug or wave?”
• Use clear scripts during intimacy: “Green, yellow, red?” and “Still good?”
• Normalize “no” and “not now.” Thank the answer, don’t argue.
• After a date or scene, debrief: “What felt good? Anything to tweak?”

Keep body literacy sharp. Facts reduce fear, and fear is exploitable. A few high-impact actions:

• Book regular STI testing if you’re sexually active. Many public clinics offer sliding-scale tests; the CDC recommends at least annual screening for sexually active MSM and more often with multiple partners.
• Know your options: when used perfectly, external (male) condoms are 98% effective at preventing pregnancy; with typical use, about 87%. They also cut risk for many STIs.
• If you’re at risk for HIV, talk to a clinician about PrEP; the CDC reports PrEP lowers HIV risk from sex by about 99% when taken as prescribed.
• Stay on vaccines. The HPV vaccine protects against cancer-causing strains; CDC data show big drops in HPV infections among vaccinated groups and fewer cervical precancers where coverage is high.

Protect your digital life like it’s part of your body-because it is. Build a weekly 15-minute security routine:

• Update your phone and apps; patches close known holes.
• Use a password manager and turn on app-based or hardware-key 2FA for email, cloud, bank, and socials.
• Use end-to-end encrypted messaging (Signal; WhatsApp also uses the Signal Protocol) for sensitive chats.
• Before sharing photos, strip location data. On iPhone: Photos > share > Options > turn off Location. On Android/Google Photos: share > Options > remove metadata.
• Know your “panic” moves. iPhone: hold the side and volume buttons to trigger Emergency SOS and require a passcode (disables Face/Touch ID until then). Android 9+: enable Lockdown mode to disable biometrics from the power menu.

Guard health data. Period and health logs are sensitive:

• On iPhone, Health app data (including cycle tracking) is end‑to‑end encrypted when you use a passcode and iCloud Keychain/Advanced Data Protection.
• On Android or in third‑party apps, review what syncs to the cloud, turn off uploads you don’t need, and use an app lock.

Train your info diet. Bad actors thrive on confusion. Use the SIFT method (by educator Mike Caulfield):

1. Stop before sharing.
2. Investigate the source (about page, funding, expertise).
3. Find better coverage (open a new tab; look for wire services or outlets with corrections policies).
4. Trace claims to original studies, data, or full quotes.

Do one tiny civic thing each weekday. Ten minutes is enough:

• Save links to your state legislature’s bill tracker. Add the next hearing on bodily autonomy or education to your calendar.
• Call or email one local official with a three-sentence note: who you are, what you want, why it’s evidence-based. Personalized messages beat form letters.
• Set a $5-$10 monthly donation to a clinic, abortion fund, LGBTQ center, or sex worker legal aid. Recurring gifts help groups budget and survive waves of panic giving.

Make privacy social. Do “security Sundays” with friends:

• Help each other set up password managers, 2FA, device backups, and encrypted chats.
• Practice photo blurring for public posts; Signal even has a face-blur tool you can use before sending.
• Share a short list of trusted hotlines and resources (e.g., 988 for mental health crises in the U.S.; local sexual assault and domestic violence hotlines; legal aid; EFF/ACLU guides).

Schedule joy like you schedule meetings. Pleasure builds resilience:

• Put one body-positive activity on the calendar each week-dance night, queer-friendly yoga, or a non-alcohol social. Post a clear code of conduct for group events and actually enforce it.
• Move a little daily. Even a 10‑minute brisk walk improves mood and stress tolerance according to large reviews of physical activity research.
• Keep a “pleasure log”: one line a day about what felt good-music, a boundary respected, a kind text. This retrains your brain to notice safety and consent.

Support the first targets, every day:

• Follow at least two local orgs led by trans people, people of color, or sex workers. Share their calls for help and show up when they ask.
• Offer practical aid-rides to clinics, court accompaniment, childcare during hearings, or a spare bed after family conflict. Quiet help beats hot takes.

Track wins so they stack. Keep a private doc with three columns: action, outcome, next step. Examples: “Asked venue to adopt consent policy → manager agreed to pilot → follow-up in 30 days.” Visible progress keeps you engaged when news cycles try to numb you.

None of this is flashy. That’s the point. Authoritarians bank on shame, confusion, and isolation. Daily consent, accurate info, basic security, and planned joy cut off that fuel supply. Do a little, do it often, and help one more person do the same.