Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event Sept. 12 in Greensboro, N.C. (Chris Carlson/The Associated Press)

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This August, thousands of pro-Palestine protesters marched outside the Democratic National Convention carrying signs reading, among other slogans, “Abandon Harris.” The campaign, started by University of Minnesota Professor Hassan Abdel Salam, encourages voters to either abstain from voting in the presidential election or vote third-party, with many rallying around Jill Stein. The campaign has spread like wildfire across social media and the Twin Cities community.

I have spent the last year attending pro-Palestine actions, participating in boycotts and raising funds for the people of Gaza. I even voted “uncommitted” in the primary. I don’t consider these actions particularly remarkable or expect to be praised for them, but I do hope that they provide me some credibility when I state that I believe voting for Harris is absolutely necessary.

The Abandon Harris movement’s stated purpose is, according to Salam, “to punish her and the [Democratic] Party” for funding the genocide in Gaza. My question is: And then what? Abandoning Harris can result in only one thing — a second Trump presidency. While those advocating refusal to vote state very clearly that they don’t want Donald Trump to win, either, this is an issue of intent vs. impact. The simple facts of the two-party system dictate that suppressing votes for one candidate guarantees a larger percentage of votes for the opposing candidate. This is exactly why conservatives have spent decades trying to limit access to voting; it’s extremely alarming to see leftists doing voter supressionists’ work for them.

(As an aside to anyone who believes I’m unfairly dismissing the possibility of a Jill Stein presidency, I would like to point out that the most successful third-party candidate in U.S. history, Ross Perot, won only 18.9% of the popular vote. While I am eager for an end to the two-party system, this election has too much at stake to justify taking such an enormous risk.)

Letting Trump win will not stop the slaughter of Palestinians. In fact, Trump promises to deport pro-Palestine activists, which would decimate if not destroy the movement. A Trump presidency will not materially benefit Palestinians in any way. Activist campaigns that exist to assuage feelings of guilt, but do nothing to actually help people, are purely performance art. And while the Democratic establishment will certainly sting from losing the election, they will not truly suffer for it. Those who will suffer are the BIPOC, the LGBTQ+, the poor and all other marginalized communities that Trump persecutes — the very people who have been fighting for Palestine.

Trump’s platform calls for mass deportations; elimination of worker’s rights by deregulating industry; elimination of anti-discrimination protections, DEI initiatives and restricting discussion of systemic racism; limiting access to abortion; and attacking transgender people’s rights in every sector of life. This last point is especially urgent to me as a nonbinary transmasculine person, and as the partner of a transgender woman.

My partner has suffered from PTSD for years, and contrary to the conservative narrative, her transition did not cause that pain but has helped alleviate it. Since transitioning, the only time my partner ever attempted suicide was when she encountered a barrier in getting her estrogen. If a ban on gender-affirming care took away her estrogen permanently, she would not survive. I have considered suicide at the prospect of not being able to get top surgery. Our stories are not unique. For thousands of transgender people, access to gender-affirming care is a matter of life and death. Trump doesn’t just mean to infringe on our rights, he means to murder us. He means to commit genocide against trans people in addition to continuing the genocide against Palestinians.

Many on the left consider Trump’s promises, and the conservative playbook Project 2025, to be empty threats. But if this assumption is wrong, innumerable marginalized people, who the left is supposed to be fighting for, will die. It’s an incredibly dangerous gamble.

I have many questions for the Abandon Harris movement. Where is the practical infrastructure for the revolution you seek? How do you plan to rebuild decades of activist gains from scratch? Who will be there to fight for Palestine when so many of us are dead, jailed or deported? And are our lives worth punishing the Democrats?

Leo Rose Rodriguez lives in Minneapolis.