A Friendly Chat… and a Reminder of Old Lessons

Today, while walking the dog, I ran into someone I knew from before—now my new neighbor. The conversation was friendly enough, the usual small talk. But as soon as I walked away, the full-blown danger signals kicked in. It took me a moment to place why.

See, I grew up under a dictatorship, where the biggest threat to your safety wasn’t some distant authority—it was your own neighbors. People would rat each other out over petty grudges, sometimes making up entirely fictional offenses just for revenge.

This particular neighbor and I? We don’t share the same values. I’d wager we don’t share the same political leanings either. And during our friendly chat, I casually mentioned that I’m volunteering to support the trans community, discussing the immense trauma that population is facing right now.

I don’t regret saying it. I stand by what I’m doing—it’s the most effective way I know to push back against the current situation. But I did forget an important lesson: neighbors, especially in a deeply conservative area like mine, can be the biggest threat to someone like me, someone using their privilege to work against the dominant ideology.

So here’s a tip: be mindful of what you share and with whom. If you’re pushing against Trump and his party’s agenda, remember—friendly conversations aren’t always as harmless as they seem.