by "Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
Published 02/12/2017 at 20:32
by "Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
Published 02/12/2017 at 20:32
Tags: Oppolitics
STARS: 12
So, a lot of people online and in real life have been telling me “Don’t worry, Trump and his picks have all promised to defend LGBTQ rights! They will not roll anything back!”
Oh really? I fact checked this 6 ways to next Sunday, it’s legit.
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Of course when Jeff Sessions promised to protect us he was lying through his teeth.
Considering the official GOP platform is the most anti-LGBT in history, there is literally not a single reason for any trans person to trust what these people are saying.
So what does this mean? Well, once I get back into college, the school I go to will be free to tell me to pee with the guys. Also, if the TX bathroom bill passes, it may likely be a foundation for a national law.
This is just the start of what will be four years that it’ll suck to be trans.
Ugggggh, pardon me while I overheat in the corner, have some CAS pics.
"random001" (random001)
02/12/2017 at 20:37, STARS: 2
You could have said “there’s not a single reason for a person to trust these people” and been just as right, but I hope things don’t get worse for you and that little orange adventuremobile.
"Berang" (berang)
02/12/2017 at 20:43, STARS: 9
"jkm7680" (jkm7680)
02/12/2017 at 20:53, STARS: 13
My opinion is that a lot of left-leaning institutions will probably continue to let you (and other trans students) use whatever bathroom you want to.
As you know, I’m pretty conservative, but I’m completely down for LGBT rights. If you ask me, this is the Pence talking.
See, like this. He’s telling him to do bad shit.
In all seriousness, you’ll get through this. Good luck :)
"TheHondaBro" (wwaveform)
02/12/2017 at 20:59, STARS: 11
It should be said that now is not the time to give up. Now is the time to fight, using the weapons our founding fathers have given us. We must contact our representatives, we must vote in 2018. And if all else fails, we protest. We hired our congresspeople. EITHER THEY DO AS WE TELL THEM OR WE FIRE THEM IN TWO YEARS.
Hang in there, just remember you got plenty of non-trans people fighting for your rights :)
"Frenchlicker" (frenchlicker)
02/12/2017 at 21:02, STARS: 8
I hope this is the final straw that gets my generation out in mass to vote next time. I saw many people talking about politics but the numbers show that the show out wasn’t so great.
"TheHondaBro" (wwaveform)
02/12/2017 at 21:11, STARS: 2
I have no doubt the Democrats will take over Congress in 2018. The 2016 election was a reminder of what happens when you don’t vote.
"unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)" (unclevanos)
02/12/2017 at 21:11, STARS: 3
Our generation is tired of this shit. The greatest generation’s children did not live up to the name and became the self entitled boomers.
"Frenchlicker" (frenchlicker)
02/12/2017 at 21:12, STARS: 0
I think you’re right. It’s going to be a messy stretch.
"Frenchlicker" (frenchlicker)
02/12/2017 at 21:14, STARS: 0
Our generation said it was tired of the shit before this election and failed to do anything about it until it was too late. Now we have to actually fight for everything. Maybe in the end what we needed was a little political bloodlust to get us moving.
"unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)" (unclevanos)
02/12/2017 at 21:17, STARS: 1
I think the candidates that were put failed to get attention from the youth. Also our generation is nihilist and pessimist (well mostly me I wake up everyday knowing its not getting any better).
"TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
02/12/2017 at 21:20, STARS: 2
The pendulum effect on this one is going to be vicious in 2018.
"TheHondaBro" (wwaveform)
02/12/2017 at 21:25, STARS: 1
Our generation said it was tired of the shit before this election and failed to do anything about it until it was too late.
Because no one expected Trump to win. He’s proven that anything is possible.
"Frenchlicker" (frenchlicker)
02/12/2017 at 21:29, STARS: 1
Not expecting something to happen is not a reason to not do anything.
"TheHondaBro" (wwaveform)
02/12/2017 at 21:30, STARS: 1
Exactly. They made a mistake in 2016 and it’s time to correct that in 2018.
"Frenchlicker" (frenchlicker)
02/12/2017 at 21:44, STARS: 1
I hope to God that’s true
"yamahog" (yamahog)
02/12/2017 at 21:55, STARS: 4
How magnanimous to offer “you’ll get through this, good luck” to someone whose rights you presumably didn’t care enough about while casting your actual vote. ¬_¬
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
02/12/2017 at 22:07, STARS: 5
I really don’t think Trump cares much about LGBT rights.
That’s not meant to be reassuring, though - while there are signs that someone pushed back on an executive order reversing Obama’s federal employee LGBT protections, and Spicer flatly denied that they were going to do that, there’s plenty of other cases where the Trump administration has done very much anti-LGBT things, like what you cite.
If he were surrounded by pro-LGBT people, his policies would likely trend pro-LGBT - he has no reason to hate LGBT people. But, he’s surrounded by anti-LGBT people, and it’s politically expedient for him to go along with that.
Hopefully, the Democratic party will realize what’s needed to win in gubernatorial races in 2017, midterms in 2018, and the presidency in 2020...
Orange. It’s a great color for cars, it’s a terrible color for presidents.
"yamahog" (yamahog)
02/12/2017 at 22:09, STARS: 10
Current state of affairs:
"jkm7680" (jkm7680)
02/12/2017 at 22:15, STARS: 4
Save it. I didn’t vote for Trump. I didn’t vote at all this time for that matter.
Nobody else seems to have a problem.
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
02/12/2017 at 22:20, STARS: 4
Not only that, but the Clinton campaign’s strategy was to prop Trump up, hoping that he was so extreme that there was no way Clinton could lose.
That was an extremely dangerous game, and the Democrats lost it - they massively underestimated the animosity towards Clinton, and many of them are still blind to that. Foreign interference was absolutely a factor, but the fact remains that there was really nasty stuff for foreign actors to leak . (That’s not to say that the Republicans don’t have dirt on them - I’d be surprised if they didn’t have something far, far worse than what was leaked from the Clinton campaign and the DNC.) But, Clinton was really the wrong candidate to try to run, in the middle of a populist trend (on both sides of the aisle) in US politics, even without that dirt on the campaign.
Had a populist gotten the Democratic nomination without obstruction from the establishment (both the DNC and the media), I think turnout would’ve been far better, and we would’ve seen a very different presidency, and most likely a different Senate.
"Tapas" (tapas)
02/12/2017 at 23:23, STARS: 2
Yeah, a lot of people are saying something along the lines of - sure Trump is bad, but there’s no need for the hysterical reactions the left is having.
Nah, I think the reactions are perfectly legitimate.
Apparently, tearing down equal rights that have been established after decades of work against opposition only takes one easy thing to accomplish. Selective enforcement.
By the way, that Sorento is kick ass!
"yamahog" (yamahog)
02/12/2017 at 23:26, STARS: 2
No, I will not “save it.” You want to act like everything’s totally going to be OK, like Mercedes has nothing to worry about, and give a lip service and absolve yourself of whatever weird guilt without actually helping, that’s on you. You’re doing pretty much the same thing she pointed out to begin with (people telling her everything would be fine). Saying “oh it’s just Pence, that rascal!” is not comforting, and it’s also pretty condescending. Her concerns are very fucking valid, it’s not cool to dismiss them.
re voting - That’s why I said “presumably.” As Mercedes says, the national GOP platform is openly hostile to her rights. Anyone who votes Republican at this point is prioritizing something over her rights. Which is their choice of course, but the fact remains that transmisogyny and homophobia are not a dealbreaker to them.
lol. I’m pretty used to being in the minority around here, and being in the majority is hardly a guarantee of being in the right.
"RallyWrench" (rndlitebmw)
02/13/2017 at 00:39, STARS: 1
You know that scene in the Avengers when Bruce Banner/the Hulk says his secret is that he’s always angry? Yeah. I’m sorry for what our country is doing to you and so many other good people. There are only so many things a person can be outraged about at once, and usually it’s manageable, but goddamnit it’s overwhelming now.
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
02/13/2017 at 03:42, STARS: 1
chin up!
breathe!
just remember the orange orang-utan won’t be there forever (unlike his pick for the supreme court)
hope this cheers you up :)
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
02/13/2017 at 09:14, STARS: 0
Oh I am not giving up. And danke! :) Though I’m also not entirely optimistic either. Unless the Democratic party itself learns their lesson (Keith Ellison is a huge step towards this direction) we will continue to get stomped into the ground.
Also, there’s the fact that the people themselves have to be informed and go out and vote for what’s right...Of course that’s assuming that the red states won’t be so gerrymandered in 2018 that the Dems can’t possibly win again without a Cubs 2016-like miracle.
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
02/13/2017 at 09:42, STARS: 1
...a lot of left-leaning institutions will probably continue to let you (and other trans students) use whatever bathroom you want to.
Interestingly enough, while colleges are typically pretty lefty, K12 schools are not. A couple Chicago schools were a testbed for a possible “compromise” type of solution to the issue, but this recent decision nuked that.
A lot of trans people come out in their teens, and in the recent climate have gotten a cold shoulder from their schools when they politely asked to be able to use the restrooms with the girls/guys. Looks like there won’t be a countrywide solution to that now. :(
I know I will get through it. :) Though, I can’t say the same for all of us. A lot of trans people have commit suicide because bullying in school and/or being disowned by family. It’s depressing to see that a school will be unconcerned by the plight. :(
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
02/13/2017 at 10:21, STARS: 1
Can’t disagree with anything you said here! It’s kinda been weird for me, personally. Ever since November I expected this to happen, I took a look at historical evidence and current events and decided to predict that the first “jab” would happen within the first 100 days despite all the promises, smiling faces, and waving rainbow flags. I then decided to happily go on with life, but with a plan of action.
Yet somehow, it still hit like a ton of bricks. I’m not even in school right now so it doesn’t even directly impact me, but it’s still the ‘first step’ much like all of the first steps made in the past 3 weeks.
It’s also maddeningly crazy how transphobia is even pretty rampant within some circles of other oppressed people. To the point where overall support of transgender across the board is at best, lukewarm:
(Note: This is just one poll, though other polls are either much of the same or worse.)
I want 2014 back!
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
02/13/2017 at 10:27, STARS: 1
Okay, that actually made me giggle xD
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
02/13/2017 at 10:32, STARS: 2
I really don’t think Trump cares much about LGBT rights.
If you were to take his campaign statements for truth, you’d be correct on this. His views on same-sex marriage is effectively “I’m the first GOP candidate to mention LGBTQ people!” (mentioning isn’t the same as support) and “it’s the law of the land now” and his actual views on transgender issues are that they’re a “states issue” (which is part of the core of the problem in the first place, so it’s functionally a negative).
So all in all and ignoring his picks and Congress he is at best, “meh” about us. At worst, a liar.
"jkm7680" (jkm7680)
02/13/2017 at 16:08, STARS: 1
It’s true.
I think that activism by actual trans people is the key to solving this problem once and for all. I’d like to see people like Laura Jane Grace and Laverne Cox taking a stand in the future for trans rights during this administration and making trans people feel more comfortable in their own shoes. While activism of this nature exists, I don’t see it nearly enough and I don’t think it gets through to the right people.
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
02/13/2017 at 16:46, STARS: 1
Oh they already are! Many celeb trans people (notably Janet Mock and Laverne Cox) actually spend a lot of their time doing political events and actually fighting for our rights on the legal stage. In part because of their work, the nation is actually talking about us now. At first, those conversations were positive, we even got legal protections passed...
Sadly, that conversation took a rather sharp turn after Caitlyn Jenner came out. In the eyes of many (if not most) citizens, being trans became less about an important plight and more about being trendy and getting attention. I mean sure, there were bathroom bills before Jenner, but few took them seriously and pretty much all of them were shot down before getting anything resembling traction.
Why don’t you hear about it? I’m not really sure. I would seem that most trans activists like to keep out of the spotlight and instead pull the strings behind the scenes. That’s kinda why we were initially hopeful of Jenner, she’d be the unofficial spokeswoman for all the stuff everyone else does behind the scenes. Instead, we got sold out for her own profit.
"jkm7680" (jkm7680)
02/13/2017 at 17:08, STARS: 1
I totally agree with you about Jenner. Correct me if I’m out of line, but I don’t think she should serve as the “poster child” for coming out as trans.
You know, I’m not really sure why I haven’t seen much activism. I live in a pretty liberal area and work with a few pretty liberal people. Yet I never really see any commercials, hear anything on the news, or anything from my coworkers and acquaintances. If more people bring light to it, the more people that’ll want to fight to change it.
As I believe we’ve discussed before, seeing Thomas Gabel turn into Laura Jane Grace was really what made my much more open to the whole concept of being transgender. I liked Against Me with Thomas and after Thomas became Laura, I still liked Against Me.
Imagining myself in a woman’s body and how uncomfortable I’d feel, is how I’d imagine it feels before coming out as trans. I’m not sure of the accuracy of it, but using that with people who aren’t open to trans rights really seems to help.
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
02/13/2017 at 17:50, STARS: 1
Correct me if I’m out of line, but I don’t think she should serve as the “poster child” for coming out as trans.
I think you’re more in line than either of my smarts’ alignments when they left the factory!
I kinda just wish she’d go away already, it’s kinda obvious she really doesn’t care about us. I mean, we’re talking about someone who endorsed Ted Cruz while he was parading around the country pushing the “transgender rapist” myth.
You know, I’m not really sure why I haven’t seen much activism. I live in a pretty liberal area and work with a few pretty liberal people. Yet I never really see any commercials, hear anything on the news, or anything from my coworkers and acquaintances. If more people bring light to it, the more people that’ll want to fight to change it.
I agree! We need more positive coverage! I mean, that’s part of why I do what I do. There aren’t many trans people (even previous generations of trans people) who are willing to be “publicly trans”. Most get their transitions done and blend in as soon as possible. While such is great in itself and shows just how much normal people cannot tell the difference between a cis person and a trans person, it has the unintended consequence of leaving the general public uninformed.
On the news side, you aren’t the only one. I have to get my trans news from about 5 different sources, all of them at different points in the political spectrum. Reliability in reporting is well, piss poor. Though it’s not entirely surprising, the media (and even Hollywood) as a whole is still pretty transphobic.
As I believe we’ve discussed before, seeing Thomas Gabel turn into Laura Jane Grace was really what made my much more open to the whole concept of being transgender. I liked Against Me with Thomas and after Thomas became Laura, I still liked Against Me.
We have discussed it before! And I can’t blame you there! A lot of people open up to the idea of us through either experiencing a friend/family transition, or when it happens to an artist they like! :)
Imagining myself in a woman’s body and how uncomfortable I’d feel, is how I’d imagine it feels before coming out as trans. I’m not sure of the accuracy of it, but using that with people who aren’t open to trans rights really seems to help.
In my experience, it does help. It’s a tired out cliche, but in this case sometimes it does help to try to walk in someone else’s shoes! I think it was the hardest thing I’ve had to do in my entire life. So much that I had to take off a day to do it!!!
"jkm7680" (jkm7680)
02/13/2017 at 18:01, STARS: 1
There’s just something disingenuous about her. I can’t quite put my finger on it.
Either way, I greatly admire you for your courage and perseverance throughout your transition process :)
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
02/14/2017 at 11:19, STARS: 1
Danke!!! People like you are the ones who always make my day!
As for Jenner, I think it’s because she’s a part of the Jenner/Kardashian family? And like everything they do is incredibly narcissistic?
"Valkyrie for Valhalla, all shiny and chrome." (1985fiatamiga)
02/17/2017 at 23:30, STARS: 1
This is something I tried to convey to my friends, the day after “Der Pumpkin Fuhrer” got elected. one of my good friends texted me a photo of trump holding up the rainbow flag and he said, “see, you’ll be fine, trump likes LBGT people.” yeah, sure he may not hate us, but he sure as hell wont stick his neck out for us when the time comes against his cabinet that does hate us. honestly, I think orangie is just a face, xenophobe steve b. and that repugnant mike putz are the true dictators.