We’re down to the wire, and there’s still a horrifying possibility that Donald Trump could actually be our president!
In a moment where election anxiety is palpable nationwide, one local group is easing some of that tension and making sure young people hit the booths.
Their secret weapon? Nudes.
Bushwick-based activists Tramps Against Trump (TAT) is making voting appealing to young people by sending nudes to anyone who votes.
Email, Twitter DM or snap the group a selfie of yourself with a ballot or with an “I Voted” sticker and be rewarded with a nude—just make sure your face is visible in the selfie so you’re not disqualified.
Tramps Against Trump is comprised of politically-minded sex-positive advocates working together to spread the truth about Donald Trump and educate the masses on important political issues through their social handles.
While the bulk of the nudes come from Team Tramp, the public is encouraged to send nudes, too, to be a part of the movement.
“The whole country is sitting and waiting to see who our next president will be, and we’re getting people to show up and get involved and feel empowered.”
“The whole country is sitting and waiting to see who our next president will be, and we’re getting people to show up and get involved and feel empowered,” Tramps Against Trump (TAT) co-creator Allyee Whaley tells Bushwick Daily.
“Whoever gets elected will have a direct effect on what we can and can’t do with our bodies! We want to challenge the patriarchal norms of sexuality and womanhood,” Whaley adds.
Whaley and her co-collaborator, Marianne Derson, just unveiled their identities; previously, they spearheaded the campaign under the pseudonyms “Jessica Rabbit” and “Samantha Jones.”
The two were initially motivated to create Tramps Against Trump after interviewing the creators of the VOTES4NUDES movement on a local radio show.
They have other allies in groups across the nation and beyond: Montreal-based Sluts Against Harper used similar tactics during Canada’s 2015 federal election to get people to go out and vote.
While Tramps Against Trump does not endorse any one presidential candidate, they advocate for anyone but Trump.
In fact, throughout the election, a big focus for the team has been empowering people who hate both Hillary and Trump to talk about alternative candidates.
Team Tramp has put effort into educating its plethora of followers on Snapchat and Twitter on how to dismantle the two-party system, providing information on how to trade votes or partake in alternative voting strategies.
To date, the team estimates that it has sent out 3,000 nudes to submissions that qualify (mostly during the primaries), and they anticipate a busy election day.
When Bushwick Daily chatted with Whaley on Saturday afternoon, she mentioned she’d already received around 200-300 submissions just that day.
Amidst all the submissions that qualify, TAT is also quick to recognize when a fake is submitted. If you try to troll them, rest assured that they’ll definitely know and call you out for being gross.
“Part of the fun being involved in this is responding to people and educating them on how to talk to women and promote sexual empowerment,” says Whaley.
“When we call people out on their oppressive behavior or don’t give them nudes, they respond with the classical masc responses of men who don’t get what they want from women (especially sexually); ‘you’re just a bunch of whores, I’m voting for trump then, you’re all ugly anyway, I don’t want nudes from you ugly whores, unfollowed, fakes,’ etc.
It’s funny to watch them to lash out in this incredibly predictable way, it’s like a massive social experiment.”
The election will be over on Tuesday, but Tramps Against Trump isn’t done. Whaley tells us that for their next project they’ll be focusing on grassroots politics and getting young people into office.
“People feel like the presidential election is rigged, and there’s a sense of powerlessness, but we can make an actual change with local, grassroots politics…We’re choosing a path specifically outside of the mainstream activist world.”
To get a nude (or send one in), send your submissions via email to [email protected], Twitter DM @votes4nudesusa, or Snapchat @trampsxtrump.
Tramps Against Trump will stop accepting submissions received after 3am ET on November 9th.
All photos by Angela Altus for Bushwick Daily.
