And remaining silent about issues of race, gender, and origin that Republicans keep introducing does not make them go away. It guarantees that all voters hear is the hate peddling of the opposition.

There should be a hundred Democratic House members on the House floor defending McBride. There should be female Democratic House members complaining left and right about how they find it weird that Republicans are requiring them to share bathrooms with men.

The problem Democrats have on trans issues is that most Democratic leaders don’t really seem to believe in the validity of trans people. They’ll make vague platitudes about supporting rights. But it’s all very much a “you do you” type of thing. They don’t actually support or affirm trans identities. You don’t see many Democratic lawmakers out there saying, “trans men are men. Trans women are women” and actually meaning it.

These things are quite explainable, and quite defendable, if you’re actually willing to do it. For example, trans women don’t “force” themselves into women’s bathrooms. Do you know how most trans women decide it’s time to switch from the men’s to women’s restrooms? They don’t just one day announce they’re trans and start using the opposite facilities. Almost all trans women start their transition. Once they’re far enough along on their HRT and change in presentation, they inevitably start getting weird looks and harassment in the men’s restroom. Cis men start reading us as women, and we start getting harassment for being in the men’s room. That is when most of us switch over to the women’s room. And it works the opposite for trans guys. 99% of trans people work on the rule of, “use whatever restroom causes the least disruption.”

That’s how you can fight bathroom bans in a way anyone can understand. Trans people don’t form their beliefs and practices out of nowhere. It’s all quite logical and reasonable. But you have to actually be willing to defend people.

But that is not what Democrats do. They don’t defend trans people, they tolerate them. Democrats can’t give good, well-reasons responses to defend trans people, as they prefer to live forever on the fence. Yes, when it is politically popular, they’re willing to speak up for us in terms of vague discussions of universal rights. But when the other side starts demonizing trans people, because Democrats have never taken trans issues truly seriously, they don’t know how to properly respond.

And they’re fools for doing so. This kind of obsession and policing of gender ends only one place - with everyone forced back in the closet. And for cis women, that ultimately means being forced back into your traditional gender role, where the gender police think you belong - pregnant, barefoot, and in the kitchen.

You cannot talk about the capitalist elephant in the room.

You are allowed to say anything else, even the racist bullshit of blaming black and latino people for the results, but you cannot question the pro-billionaire status quo.

MAGA elected Trump because, even though they are brainwashed to use different terms and to understand it in a different way, they too hate the billionaire creating, working folk crushing, status quo.

Until we have an electoral system that prevents the duopoly that can be gagged by the ultra wealthy the beatings will continue until morale improves.

:(