Sorry Parker, the recent rulings and the weak response to them by media and fearful democrats just keep getting worse. As a lawyer, I am mortified by the Supreme Court. I have some fleeting/mild hope due to Mamdani and some recent wins by democratic socialists, but I think we are a long way from true court reform/expansion and from having mainstream democratics truly fight for trans rights. The supposed "left" seems more interested in appeasing the seemingly fictional middle and the right rather than really fighting for those who need fighting for. It is more than disheartening.
I really appreciated the part of the cruel "asymmetry" of the people trying to do away with trans rights (and trans people), not because I don't already feel a sense of frustration, but that you elaborated this disparity so beautifully. All these right-wing bigots and TERFs going along with them need to do is gesture and feign a concern for girls, women, and sports absent of evidence. And, like you asked, to solve what "problem?" To kick one trans girl out of track and field? So we can make people like Riley Gaines feel better about still being a loser in that one race? Puh-lease.
Yes, asymmetry is the right word. If you'd like the federal government to be a little more kind, a little more generous, toward people who need help, brace yourself for the absolutely massive amounts of data and real-life stories you're gonna have to supply, and brace yourself for it NEVER being enough, "Well, yeah, some kids do die in school shootings, but how many kids REALLY?"
OTOH if you're a right-winger who wants to make the government meaner and more stingy and less helpful, just conjure up some imaginary "problem" and the whole might of the state apparatus swings into action. It's infuriating.
This was hard to read and I'm sure very hard to write, I love your columns and have so much respect for you. I don't know how we fix all of this it's so over whelming.
While the right is of course the problem, the Democrats aren't much better. They were "surprised" when they overturned Roe v. Wade (even though they'd all been TELLING everyone they were going to first chance they got for years!), they didn't really think they'd actually do all that stuff in Project 2025 (as if they went to the trouble of writing a 900-page document, printing it, and making f***ing MERCH just to 'own the libs').
We need a radical new Democratic Party! Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries are NOT the answer!
Sorry Parker, the recent rulings and the weak response to them by media and fearful democrats just keep getting worse. As a lawyer, I am mortified by the Supreme Court. I have some fleeting/mild hope due to Mamdani and some recent wins by democratic socialists, but I think we are a long way from true court reform/expansion and from having mainstream democratics truly fight for trans rights. The supposed "left" seems more interested in appeasing the seemingly fictional middle and the right rather than really fighting for those who need fighting for. It is more than disheartening.
I really appreciated the part of the cruel "asymmetry" of the people trying to do away with trans rights (and trans people), not because I don't already feel a sense of frustration, but that you elaborated this disparity so beautifully. All these right-wing bigots and TERFs going along with them need to do is gesture and feign a concern for girls, women, and sports absent of evidence. And, like you asked, to solve what "problem?" To kick one trans girl out of track and field? So we can make people like Riley Gaines feel better about still being a loser in that one race? Puh-lease.
Yes, asymmetry is the right word. If you'd like the federal government to be a little more kind, a little more generous, toward people who need help, brace yourself for the absolutely massive amounts of data and real-life stories you're gonna have to supply, and brace yourself for it NEVER being enough, "Well, yeah, some kids do die in school shootings, but how many kids REALLY?"
OTOH if you're a right-winger who wants to make the government meaner and more stingy and less helpful, just conjure up some imaginary "problem" and the whole might of the state apparatus swings into action. It's infuriating.
This was hard to read and I'm sure very hard to write, I love your columns and have so much respect for you. I don't know how we fix all of this it's so over whelming.
While the right is of course the problem, the Democrats aren't much better. They were "surprised" when they overturned Roe v. Wade (even though they'd all been TELLING everyone they were going to first chance they got for years!), they didn't really think they'd actually do all that stuff in Project 2025 (as if they went to the trouble of writing a 900-page document, printing it, and making f***ing MERCH just to 'own the libs').
We need a radical new Democratic Party! Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries are NOT the answer!
I hope the people "asking questions" about us trans people know that the "answer" to our question is always final for the fascists.
Yes, the Republicans (with the help of the wimp-o-crats) want to kill us all.