Why Mamdani's Victory Matters

Welcome to What’s Helping Today, a newsletter about the everyday work of staying alive on earth — by author and journalist Sandy Ernest Allen.

Dearest New York City residents, please go vote!!!

(No doubt you’re tired of hearing it!)

Like many who don’t live in NYC (anymore, in my case) … I have been following this mayoral campaign closely, nonetheless. I find this candidate and his messages and methods highly inspiring … as so many do.

I lived in New York City starting in my late twenties for a little over five years. For the subsequent eight now I have lived in the Catskills. Like many places far from the city itself, this region is shaped by New York City — for better and for worse. (I periodically highly recommend Lucy Sante’s masterpiece Nineteen Reservoirs to any denizens of NYC and/or these mountains and/or fans of gorgeously crafted, deeply reported works of nonfiction.)

In my observation, most of what one hears about “New York City” in the national press — like most of what one hears about “big cities” generally in the national press — tends to be racist nonsense. During this campaign, this truth has been especially on display especially as pertains coverage of tomorrow’s presumed victor, Zohran Mamdani.

Amongst his many terrifying-to-some qualities is Mamdani’s tolerance of a broad range of people. This is intolerable to some whose own identities have become synonymous with some sort of bigotry or another, be it transphobia or Islamophobia, what have you. Many powerful-and-evil forces have conspired, with their deep pockets, to take him down — which has only strengthened Mamdani and his supporters, seemingly.

For the most part (as I’m hardly unique in observing), this New York City mayoral election feels like a synecdoche for the broader conversation being had across this country — and in particular within the Democratic party and our broader, left-wing coalition.

What do we value? Who do we value?

As I recall, Mamdani first caught my attention because of his boldly calling out Tom Homan about ICE’s evils, in person. I wasn’t surprised to learn that he supported LGBTQ people and our rights, and his campaign has continued to …

As this candidate indeed seems to understand: Attacks on immigrants, attacks on trans people, attacks on Muslims, whatever other sorts of bad-faith attacks upon tiny minority populations — they’re all the same in some sense … These attacks come from the same bigoted bullies trying to distract everybody else from what’s actually going on, like climate change, like historic wealth inequality … and like fascism’s rise.

Those of us paying attention know that regular people do not actually care about trans girls playing sports or whatever other manufactured moral panics. Those of us paying attention know that all the transphobic rhetoric — like the Islamophobia and the xenophobia and the racism — is just a tool, a tactic used by bullies to try to sow division.

It’s apparent to me that Zohran Mamdani has been paying attention … to actual reality here. Actual voters. Actual people and what they want and how they want to be addressed. Including, yes, even trans voters like me. That he’s listening to us — and not polls and pundits and paid consultants — has just been evident.

Since I turned 18, I have been a registered Democrat. I made calls for Obama my senior year of college during his first presidential campaign. The night he won, I ran naked and drunk with my friends across Brown’s campus, as Providence exploded into celebration and fireworks. Later, I sat alone on my fire escape smoking cigarettes, as I often back then did. I felt a sense of dread, I admit. Student of this country’s history that I was, I wondered what would now follow this historic win.

I have remained a Democratic voter and donor and even volunteer throughout my adult life. That is until this last year, when I have considered dropping my Democratic party affiliation; as a trans person I feel antagonized and/or undefended by “my party” — by some of its loudest members and leadership at least. Individuals like Zohran Mamdani and a few others bring me … hope. I’m grateful to him and his supporters, this marvelous effort.

His victory tomorrow brings hope not just to the city, but to this country. To our democracy, that ever-imperfect experiment. This is a victory for the progressive values we share, like mutual respect regardless of ‘differences.’ I hope the cowards who’ve scapegoated trans people are paying attention to what real leadership — and winning — looks like.

A few links … The latest out of Boston re: this Fenway Health bullshit and the backlash against:

Reminder that transphobic misinformation hurts even cis people, when it comes to human health …

Folks in LA, this exhibition sure looks rad …

Folks in NYC, this exhibition also looks rad …

Bay Area people: You’ve got a great new local media outlet (in case you hadn’t heard). Here’s a guide they put together re: what you can do about ICE …

Protest matters, even in right-leaning, Trump-y, rural places …

Candidates standing up for what’s morally right — this matters …

Fuck these greedy jerks:

Anyway, nothing but respect for my president …

As I’m often repeating: The kids are alright …

As this campaign has so shown …

Speaking of Teen Vogue, some terrible news, just today …

As we head into the colder months amidst SNAP benefits being cut and threatened, please consider giving to the Okra Project:

Okay, New York City voters: Thank you for voting! Everybody else this applies to, please vote if you haven’t already! Thanks to all who’ve volunteered, who’ve knocked on doors, who are still getting out the vote.

Love and light,
Sandy

p.s. What’s Helping Today: The Lily Allen album!!! I play it … a lot.

Thanks for reading What’s Helping Today, a newsletter by me — author and journalist Sandy Ernest Allen. If you were forwarded this message, you can subscribe here for free. If you like my work and can: Please consider giving me a few bucks via my Buy Me a Coffee. Your support is greatly appreciated!

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