Dancing Into Dystopia: Upping the Volume on LGBTQ+ Financial Power

David Treece, MBA, AIF®, CLTC® |
Categories
LGBTQ+ Finance

Larry Kramer wrote this in a 2011 CNN article that listed 10 realities of AIDS …  

“Too many people hate the people that AIDS most affects: gay people and people of color. I do not mean dislike or feel uncomfortable with. I mean hate. Downright hate. Down and dirty hate.”*

Everything old is new again

Nearly 15 years have passed since he wrote this. It has been almost 45 years since AIDS first appeared in the U.S. That same hatred is returning and growing stronger. 

  • Hatred of transgender men and women. 
  • Hatred of people of color. 
  • Hatred of immigrants. 
  • The dehumanization of those identified as “other”.

The horrors of Project 2025 are becoming a reality. Trump, Musk, and their minions continue steamrolling the Constitution with their bloodless coup aided by a complicit Congress. Americans’ financial security, freedoms, and democratic institutions and guardrails are being annihilated at lightning speed. 

I am writing this in early March 2025, but who knows how much more damage to our economy and freedoms will happen tomorrow? Next week? Next month?  

  • The abandonment of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
  • The forced erasure of transgender people. 
  • The callous and inhuman treatment of immigrants and their families. 
  • The collapse of government institutions that protect us from fraud, corruption, disease, and abject poverty.

Recent reporting indicates that ending marriage equality is not a question of “if” but of “when”.

What could the United States look like in the next one to two years and beyond?

Back to the future

I never imagined that after many years of fighting for LGBTQ rights, we would be at this point in our country’s history.

In the early years of the AIDS epidemic, gay men faced strong hatred and rejection. They cared for each other because no one else would. They made sure their friends were treated with dignity. They memorialized those who died too young. 

Yet, also organizing, speaking up, and pushing back against lies, fear, and ignorance through it all. That persistence of resistance is best captured in this quote by Dan Savage …

“During the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, we buried our friends in the morning, we protested in the afternoon, and we danced all night. The dance kept us in the fight because it was the dance we were fighting for…” 

  • The fight empowered the LGBTQ+ community. 
  • The power of claiming what’s rightfully ours. 
  • The power of being prepared no matter what came our way.
  • The power of OWNING our power. 

As we stand on the precipice of an Orwellian and dystopian U.S. built upon exclusion, greed, and hatred, the LGBTQ+ community must use our hard-earned power to protect our queer money. 

  • Our power to resist. 
  • Our power to fight for what is rightfully ours. 
  • Our power to protect ourselves against whatever may come. 

We can’t count on institutions, laws, or corporations to have our backs. LGBTQ+ people have spent too long depending on the so-called goodwill of others. Political parties use us as a bargaining chip. Corporations slap on a rainbow when it’s profitable. The legal system gives us rights one day and yanks them away the next. 

Enough. It’s up to us to fight for our own future.

There are growing calls to claim our “queer sovereignty” through economic self-determination—fostering LGBTQ+-owned businesses, financial networks, and community wealth-building to reduce reliance on heteronormative power structures. LGBTQ+ people could invest in education, media, healthcare, and financial systems controlled by the community. 

  • Own the future of our relationships and families. 
  • Own the future of our health and well-being. 
  • Own the future of our financial security.

We cannot afford to be passive observers. We’ve seen what happens when we do not take financial and legal precautions in a hostile environment. Discrimination, legal battles, and policy rollbacks can affect where we live, who we love, and how we retire.

“… It didn’t look like we were going to win then and we did. It doesn’t feel like we’re going to win now but we could. Keep fighting. Keep dancing.”

Now is the time to review your financial plan and goals to ensure you're prepared for whatever comes next. We are here to help. Schedule a complimentary consultation.

Related Resources:

Creating a safe space at the intersection of transgender identity and financial planning

Take Pride In Your Money: The Benefits of Marriage Equality

The Gay Divorceé: Marriage Equality Can Result in Divorce Inequality