All Things LGBTQ+ (4 Viewers)

[Farb]

Didn't really see a place for this so I thought I would start a thread about all things LGBTQ since this is a pretty hot topic in our culture right now

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/17/sup...y-that-refuses-to-work-with-lgbt-couples.html

• The Supreme Court on Thursday delivered a unanimous defeat to LGBT couples in a high-profile case over whether Philadelphia could refuse to contract with a Roman Catholic adoption agency that says its religious beliefs prevent it from working with same-sex foster parents.
• Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in an opinion for a majority of the court that Philadelphia violated the First Amendment by refusing to contract with Catholic Social Services once it learned that the organization would not certify same-sex couples for adoption.

I will admit, I was hopeful for this decision by the SCOTUS but I was surprised by the unanimous decision.

While I don't think there is anything wrong, per se, with same sex couples adopting and raising children (I actually think it is a good thing as it not an abortion) but I also did not want to see the state force a religious institution to bend to a societal norm.

 

[Farb]

Hopefully he'll lose his medical license for violating those families HIPPA rights to privacy.

Did you read the article?

 

[coldseat]

Did you read the article?

Yes

 

[LA - L.A.]

I wasn't aware that churches, whether 'The' church or any other church made laws. Can you show me where a church has made same sex marriage illegal?

I find it difficult to believe that you aren't aware that when DeSantis said, "so that’s just what marriage is with the church,” that he was arguing that same sex marriage should be illegal and he was basing that belief solely on the beliefs of his specific Christian church.

I find it difficult to believe that you aren't aware that same sex marriage was illegal in many states and would still be illegal today if the Supreme Court hadn't ruled that same sex marriage is a constitutional right.

I find it difficult to believe that you aren't aware that those who want same sex marriages to be banned by law are calling for one religion's beliefs to be forced onto everyone else by law.

I find it hard to believe that someone who is truly pro religious freedom would be okay with the state making any single religion's beliefs toward marriage the law of the land for everyone, including people who's religion accepts and allows same sex marriage.

Some

 

[Optimus Prime]

DES MOINES — Eligh Cade spiraled in 2017 when he read President Donald Trump’s tweet announcing a ban on transgender people in the military, unsure of what would happen to him.

Trump’s declaration left then-active transgender soldiers such as Cade scrambling for answers, although they were able to stay in the military.


Cade, 26, now hears Republican presidential candidates making the case to his fellow Iowans that he is a threat to children and watches campaign commercials on TV attacking his identity.

The veteran knows there are Republicans around him galvanized by rhetoric. And it is all frustrating and worrisome to him, he recounts, sometimes teary-eyed.
“I fought for their rights and now they want to take away mine,” Cade said Friday, sitting in Iowa’s oldest gay bar, the Blazing Saddle.

In the bar, which has offered a safe space for Iowa’s LGBTQ+ community, Cade and others shared how Republicans’ attacks felt personal, like a schoolyard bully’s abuses, but with far greater stakes.

Targeting transgender rights has become increasingly central to the pitch many Republican politicians are making across the country, a trend that has come sharply into focus here in Iowa.

As the leading Republican candidates for president have barnstormed the state ahead of Monday’s Republican caucuses, they have put the issue at the forefront of their pitches, saying in some cases, without evidence, that transgender people are a threat to children or have a mental health disorder.


Trump, the clear polling leader has said he would pass a federal ban on gender-affirming care. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he would reverse President Biden’s executive order that allows transgender personnel to serve in the military.

And ex-U. N. ambassador Nikki Haley, who has recently surged into a distant second place, has falsely linked a rise in teenage girls’ suicidal thoughts to transgender athletes…….

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/01/14/gop-candidates-transgender-rights-iowa/

 

[Optimus Prime]

Over the summer, Republican State Senator Chris Elliot of Alabama learned from colleagues that the Alabama Department of Archives and History was hosting a lunchtime lecture about gay history in the state.

“I’d like to see it canceled,” Elliot texted to the Archives director, Steve Murray. He didn’t give a reason in the message, obtained by Kyle Whitmire at AL.com, other than “concern about this event.”

Murray declined.

Soon after, Elliot introduced a bill in the Alabama Legislature to slash $5M from the Archives’ funding — almost half their budget.

That bill died in a special session devoted to redistricting.

Now Elliot has pre-filed a bill for the 2024 session which would fire the Archives’ Board of Trustees, and replace them with one controlled by the governor, lieutenant governor, and the Alabama House and Senate leaders.

Upset that he and a small group of like-minded colleagues were rebuffed in their effort to cancel an event addressing a topic they objected to, it appears Elliot won’t be satisfied until Murray and the Archive suffer the lawmakers’ wrath..............

MSN

 

[Optimus Prime]

AChristian student in Tennessee who was compelled to change out of a T-shirt bearing the slogan “Homosexuality is a Sin” or face leaving the school grounds in 2020 has won a settlement from the school district.

The settlement signifies a triumph in the ongoing struggle to uphold the First Amendment in a country facing challenges from individuals advocating for certain ideologies. The Christian Post reported on Monday that the Overton County Board of Education reached a settlement agreement in November.

In the settlement, the board agreed to pay Brielle Penkoski, a student who graduated from Livingston Academy public high school, $100. Additionally, the board will cover all attorney fees and other costs related to the litigation.

Penkoski’s father, street preacher Rich Penkoski, expressed a sense of vindication with the settlement. He clarified that civil rights lawsuits don’t typically result in substantial payments, often just a nominal amount, such as one dollar..............

MSN

 

[MT15]

AChristian student in Tennessee who was compelled to change out of a T-shirt bearing the slogan “Homosexuality is a Sin” or face leaving the school grounds in 2020 has won a settlement from the school district.

The settlement signifies a triumph in the ongoing struggle to uphold the First Amendment in a country facing challenges from individuals advocating for certain ideologies. The Christian Post reported on Monday that the Overton County Board of Education reached a settlement agreement in November.

In the settlement, the board agreed to pay Brielle Penkoski, a student who graduated from Livingston Academy public high school, $100. Additionally, the board will cover all attorney fees and other costs related to the litigation.

Penkoski’s father, street preacher Rich Penkoski, expressed a sense of vindication with the settlement. He clarified that civil rights lawsuits don’t typically result in substantial payments, often just a nominal amount, such as one dollar..............

MSN

These are the same people pulling books out if they even have a gay character. Let alone what they would do if someone wore a rainbow t-shirt. Free speech means they are free to say vile things, but nobody else is.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Transgender people would be banned from public spaces in West Virginia if a controversial trilogy of bills are passed in the senate.

The triad of bills, Senate Bill 194, 195 and 197 were introduced in the state’s legislature earlier this month.

Senate Bill 194 proposes a rise of the age on the total ban on all gender-affirming care from 18 to 21.

Facilitating such care for people under 21 would be deemed unlawful under the proposed law and punishable by revocation of licenses and substantial civil penalties.

Bill 195 says that it wants to "protecting minors from exposure to indecent displays of a sexually explicit nature" which includes "transvestite and/or transgender exposure in performances or displays to minors."

While Bill 197 says it aims to prohibit "obscene materials" in West Virginia schools, and also refers to trans people as “obscene matter” which would be banned being within 2,500 feet of a school, classifying it as “indecent exposure."

Now, LGBTQ+ groups have condemned the triad of bills, which have not yet been solidified in law, saying they pose a serious risk to the safety of young trans people in the state.

Activist Ash Orr said: "The mere introduction of these bills conveys a message to trans West Virginians that our elected officials are aiming to dehumanise and erase our existence.

"SB 195 is presented as a drag ban but it becomes clear that its true aim is to prohibit the public presence of trans folks...The language used in this bill categorises anything related to trans individuals as ‘obscene material’ and could lead to a felony charge."

A 2023 survey conducted by campaign group The Trevor Project, found that 86 per cent of transgender and non-binary youth in the US expressed that ongoing discussions regarding anti-trans bills had an adverse effect on their mental wellbeing............

MSN

 

[Farb]

I find it difficult to believe that you aren't aware that when DeSantis said, "so that’s just what marriage is with the church,” that he was arguing that same sex marriage should be illegal and he was basing that belief solely on the beliefs of his specific Christian church.

I find it difficult to believe that you aren't aware that same sex marriage was illegal in many states and would still be illegal today if the Supreme Court hadn't ruled that same sex marriage is a constitutional right.

I find it difficult to believe that you aren't aware that those who want same sex marriages to be banned by law are calling for one religion's beliefs to be forced onto everyone else by law.

I find it hard to believe that someone who is truly pro religious freedom would be okay with the state making any single religion's beliefs toward marriage the law of the land for everyone, including people who's religion accepts and allows same sex marriage.

Some

I find it hard to believe that your naive enough to not understand every single person supports or wants laws based on their values. The religious tend to base their morals on their religious beliefs. The libs do as well. The only problem is that the religious values have served mankind very well for time in memorial, this new religion of wokeness? not so much.

I am aware, as should be evident by my past posts.

Can you tell where same sex marriage is illegal in this country? No where? So explain what religious beliefs are being forced upon anyone? So you don't want equal laws, you want to stop people from participating in what you and your religion considers wrong think. Most people call this forced conversion.

 

[Farb]

Canada is way ahead of you guys in their new religious fevor. They will allow no heretics or heresy.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/...ering-trans-woman-warning-hormones-risks.html
A family doctor has been suspended for three months after telling a transgender man they were a 'biological woman'.

Dr Raymond Brière — who had been practicing for more than four decades in Montreal, Canada — was found by a complaints body to have acted in an 'inappropriate and disrespectful manner' after telling a patient that they were genetically female during an argument about the risks of hormone drugs.

During an appointment in mid-2022, the patient asked the Dr Brière for a prescription for testosterone therapy to help them transition into a man.

The individual said they were ready to take the next step and had already undergone a social transition by changing their pronouns to he/him.

Dr Brière initially noted he had never helped a patient become a man before, and then warned that testosterone therapy could make them more aggressive.

 

[MT15]

Canada is way ahead of you guys in their new religious fevor. They will allow no heretics or heresy.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/...ering-trans-woman-warning-hormones-risks.html
A family doctor has been suspended for three months after telling a transgender man they were a 'biological woman'.

Dr Raymond Brière — who had been practicing for more than four decades in Montreal, Canada — was found by a complaints body to have acted in an 'inappropriate and disrespectful manner' after telling a patient that they were genetically female during an argument about the risks of hormone drugs.

During an appointment in mid-2022, the patient asked the Dr Brière for a prescription for testosterone therapy to help them transition into a man.

The individual said they were ready to take the next step and had already undergone a social transition by changing their pronouns to he/him.

Dr Brière initially noted he had never helped a patient become a man before, and then warned that testosterone therapy could make them more aggressive.

So the article mentions there was an “argument” but you’re going with the ridiculous assumption that the doctor was suspended for a simple conversation? I can guarantee you there is a whole lot more to this story that you’re not reading. But you just stay in that little bubble where you’re being persecuted for being a white, straight man, lol.

 

[SaintForLife]

Canada is way ahead of you guys in their new religious fevor. They will allow no heretics or heresy.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/...ering-trans-woman-warning-hormones-risks.html
A family doctor has been suspended for three months after telling a transgender man they were a 'biological woman'.

Dr Raymond Brière — who had been practicing for more than four decades in Montreal, Canada — was found by a complaints body to have acted in an 'inappropriate and disrespectful manner' after telling a patient that they were genetically female during an argument about the risks of hormone drugs.

During an appointment in mid-2022, the patient asked the Dr Brière for a prescription for testosterone therapy to help them transition into a man.

The individual said they were ready to take the next step and had already undergone a social transition by changing their pronouns to he/him.

Dr Brière initially noted he had never helped a patient become a man before, and then warned that testosterone therapy could make them more aggressive.

That's what the Democrats want here, but we have the 1st ammendment and other protections.

 

[LA - L.A.]

I find it hard to believe that your naive enough to not understand every single person supports or wants laws based on their values.

Completely false. That may be how you are, but that is not how every single person is. What you're describing is the fascist and authoritarian mindset. If you have a fascist or authoritarian mindset, then you assume everyone else does as well.

The opposite is true. The majority of people don't have a fascist or authoritarian mindset.

A large group of people personally think abortion is not the right choice for themselves, but they still support that it's a choice each individual has a right to make for themselves. The majority of people, including me, have personal values that we would never want to be legally imposed on others, because we honestly believe in the right of self-determination for every person.

For instance, I personally believe religious institutions do more harm than good to society and individuals. I think the human race would be better off without religious institutions. I do not want religious institutions to be outlawed.

Another example, I value honesty and abhor dishonesty of any kind, but I don't want all dishonesty criminalized. The only dishonesty I want criminalized is dishonestly that directly harms someone.

Another example, I value psychological counseling and therapy, and I think everyone in the world needs it right now for the survival of the human race. I don't want laws that make it mandatory for everyone to get psychological counseling and therapy.

The list goes on and on.

The religious tend to base their morals on their religious beliefs.

True. Their morals are not the problem. The problem is them trying to pass laws that force everyone else to live by their morals

The only problem is that the religious values have served mankind very well...

Name a war, mass murdering of people, enslavement, or other oppression and abuse of people that wasn't connected to religious beliefs.

, this new religion of wokeness? not so much.

Define the tenants, dogma, teachings and/or edicts of this "religion of wokeness" of which you speak.

Name a war, mass murdering of people, enslavement, or other oppression and abuse of people that was connected to this "religion of wokeness" of which you speak.

Can you tell where same sex marriage is illegal in this country? No where?

As I already said and you choose to ignore, same sex marriage is currently protected everywhere by a fairly recent Supreme Court decision. Before then it was illegal in most states and it was based solely on religious beliefs.

DeSantis believes the Supreme Court's decisions was wrong and wants it overturned so that states can once again make same sex marriage illegal. Members of the current Supreme Court have signaled a willingness to remove the protection for same sex marriages. There is a Republican backed effort to legally challenge the Supreme Court's protection of same sex marriage. Most of the Republican leadership is actively calling for the removal of the Supreme Court's legal protection of same sex marriage, so that it can be made illegal again.

Do you want same sex marriage to remain a legally protected right or do you want same sex marriage to be made illegal again?

So you don't want equal laws...

Actually, I want equal laws.

...you want to stop people from participating in what you and your religion considers wrong think.

The only laws I want are laws that stop people from harming other people and laws that help people who need help.

I don't have a religion.

As far as I'm concerned people are free to think whatever they want to think. I'm only concerned about their actions.

Most people call this forced conversion.

Christians should know all about forced conversion, because Christians wrote the bible on forced conversion.

 

[Optimus Prime]

In a packed hearing room on Wednesday, lawmakers gathered in Missouri to embark on a nine-hour marathon session, aiming to pass new legislation focused solely on one topic. The bills considered did not address the economy, healthcare, jobs or inflation, all ranked as top issues for US voters in 2024. Instead, the lengthy committee session concentrated exclusively on agenda item: transgender people in bathrooms, books, schools and doctors offices.

One bill under consideration would allow pharmacists, desk workers and nurses, among others, to refuse to dispense medication or complete paperwork for transgender patients seeking gender-affirming care. Another bill would force trans youth already receiving treatment off their medication, eliminating a grandfather clause allowing them to continue. One bill would end all legal recognition of transgender individuals in the state, echoing the recent anti-transgender laws inRussia and Hungary. Yet another bill would prohibit transgender individuals from using bathrooms of their gender identity in workplaces, potentially mandating small businesses to construct separate bathrooms for them.

The state government, controlled by Republicans, has fallen into an intense moral panic about transgender people. This year, legislators in Missouri have proposed 49 bills targeting transgender people in the first three weeks of January. Though this is higher than any other state this year, there are already 250 bills targeting trans and LGBTQ+ people across the United States – double the pace of 2023, which itself was record-breaking. There appears to be no end in sight; what started with a handful of bills targeting elite sports in 2020 has become a firehose of legislation that touches every aspect of trans people’s lives.


In Missouri, the Democratic state representative David Tyson Smith pointed out the deluge of legislation in the hearing, stating: “This is dominating the airspace. There is only so much bandwidth in this building, as you know, there’s only so much we can do and only so much time we have.”

His fellow Democratic representative Doug Mann concurred and focused on the relentless encroaching of the bills into every aspect of public life, stating: “I’m going to be honest, I do not trust that this is the end. I do not trust that if this passes, that people will be placated, that people will be happy. … Everything I have seen as a student of history, as a student from politics, as a student of government, tells me that it is going to go farther. Things are going to get worse, not better.”

The panic is not contained in Missouri, it has spread across the Republican party nationwide. Early January, the Ohio governor, Mike DeWine, vetoed a gender-affirming care ban, stating that it is parents and doctors who should make decisions about gender-affirming care. In the days following, however, the governor faced endless attacks from rightwing anti-trans media personalities such as Riley Gaines and Matt Walsh, who stated that he must be “run out of Republican politics forever”. Within a day, Republican presidential candidates joined in on the frenzy, with Donald Trump claiming that he had fallen “to the radical left” and DeSantis urging the Ohio legislature to override the veto.……

Missouri is ground zero for the firehose of anti-trans legislation | Erin Reed

Legislators proposed 49 bills targeting transgender people in the first three weeks of January, more than any other state

www.theguardian.com

 

[MT15]

In a packed hearing room on Wednesday, lawmakers gathered in Missouri to embark on a nine-hour marathon session, aiming to pass new legislation focused solely on one topic. The bills considered did not address the economy, healthcare, jobs or inflation, all ranked as top issues for US voters in 2024. Instead, the lengthy committee session concentrated exclusively on agenda item: transgender people in bathrooms, books, schools and doctors offices.

One bill under consideration would allow pharmacists, desk workers and nurses, among others, to refuse to dispense medication or complete paperwork for transgender patients seeking gender-affirming care. Another bill would force trans youth already receiving treatment off their medication, eliminating a grandfather clause allowing them to continue. One bill would end all legal recognition of transgender individuals in the state, echoing the recent anti-transgender laws inRussia and Hungary. Yet another bill would prohibit transgender individuals from using bathrooms of their gender identity in workplaces, potentially mandating small businesses to construct separate bathrooms for them.

The state government, controlled by Republicans, has fallen into an intense moral panic about transgender people. This year, legislators in Missouri have proposed 49 bills targeting transgender people in the first three weeks of January. Though this is higher than any other state this year, there are already 250 bills targeting trans and LGBTQ+ people across the United States – double the pace of 2023, which itself was record-breaking. There appears to be no end in sight; what started with a handful of bills targeting elite sports in 2020 has become a firehose of legislation that touches every aspect of trans people’s lives.


In Missouri, the Democratic state representative David Tyson Smith pointed out the deluge of legislation in the hearing, stating: “This is dominating the airspace. There is only so much bandwidth in this building, as you know, there’s only so much we can do and only so much time we have.”

His fellow Democratic representative Doug Mann concurred and focused on the relentless encroaching of the bills into every aspect of public life, stating: “I’m going to be honest, I do not trust that this is the end. I do not trust that if this passes, that people will be placated, that people will be happy. … Everything I have seen as a student of history, as a student from politics, as a student of government, tells me that it is going to go farther. Things are going to get worse, not better.”

The panic is not contained in Missouri, it has spread across the Republican party nationwide. Early January, the Ohio governor, Mike DeWine, vetoed a gender-affirming care ban, stating that it is parents and doctors who should make decisions about gender-affirming care. In the days following, however, the governor faced endless attacks from rightwing anti-trans media personalities such as Riley Gaines and Matt Walsh, who stated that he must be “run out of Republican politics forever”. Within a day, Republican presidential candidates joined in on the frenzy, with Donald Trump claiming that he had fallen “to the radical left” and DeSantis urging the Ohio legislature to override the veto.……

Missouri is ground zero for the firehose of anti-trans legislation | Erin Reed

Legislators proposed 49 bills targeting transgender people in the first three weeks of January, more than any other state

www.theguardian.com

The people of MO need to wake up and vote these idiots out.

 

[brandon]

I find it hard to believe that your naive enough to not understand every single person supports or wants laws based on their values.

I think you might be on to something here. I started out a post generally agreeing with @LA - L.A. about how an abortion would not be right for me, and I personally don't like abortion unless absolutely necessary, but I don't think it's a good idea to legislate that away from people, etc. etc.

What I realized as I was typing my post out was that you were actually right. I do generally want laws consistent with my values.

For instance, I value others not having a say in how I choose to live my life, but I also recognize that that means I won't have a say in how they choose to live theirs.

I value people having the freedom to make choices about their own religion, rather than having religion forced upon them.

I value upward mobility and every person, regardless of background, socioeconomic status, race, or creed, having a fair chance at the American Dream. I also recognize that because we don't all start in the same place, fairness may dictate that some are given more support than others.

I could go on, but these are good examples of where we differ.

The difference here is not that I do not want my values enshrined in law. It's that my values are explictly about not interfering with someone else's life, whereas your values explicitly are about interfering with someone else's life.

What it comes down to is whose values are more consistent with the Constitution and the vision of the American experiment? In other words, whose values are right?

Historically, progressivism has consistently been on the right side of history. Since you guys like to quote MLK this time of year, there's this quote of his that I think is relevant: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

Your values are consistently about reducing the level of freedom people have in this country. Mine are about expanding freedoms and increasing self-determination.

Ergo, the problem is not that you want laws consistent with your values. It's that your values suck.

 

[coldseat]

In a packed hearing room on Wednesday, lawmakers gathered in Missouri to embark on a nine-hour marathon session, aiming to pass new legislation focused solely on one topic. The bills considered did not address the economy, healthcare, jobs or inflation, all ranked as top issues for US voters in 2024. Instead, the lengthy committee session concentrated exclusively on agenda item: transgender people in bathrooms, books, schools and doctors offices.

One bill under consideration would allow pharmacists, desk workers and nurses, among others, to refuse to dispense medication or complete paperwork for transgender patients seeking gender-affirming care. Another bill would force trans youth already receiving treatment off their medication, eliminating a grandfather clause allowing them to continue. One bill would end all legal recognition of transgender individuals in the state, echoing the recent anti-transgender laws inRussia and Hungary. Yet another bill would prohibit transgender individuals from using bathrooms of their gender identity in workplaces, potentially mandating small businesses to construct separate bathrooms for them.

The state government, controlled by Republicans, has fallen into an intense moral panic about transgender people. This year, legislators in Missouri have proposed 49 bills targeting transgender people in the first three weeks of January. Though this is higher than any other state this year, there are already 250 bills targeting trans and LGBTQ+ people across the United States – double the pace of 2023, which itself was record-breaking. There appears to be no end in sight; what started with a handful of bills targeting elite sports in 2020 has become a firehose of legislation that touches every aspect of trans people’s lives.


In Missouri, the Democratic state representative David Tyson Smith pointed out the deluge of legislation in the hearing, stating: “This is dominating the airspace. There is only so much bandwidth in this building, as you know, there’s only so much we can do and only so much time we have.”

His fellow Democratic representative Doug Mann concurred and focused on the relentless encroaching of the bills into every aspect of public life, stating: “I’m going to be honest, I do not trust that this is the end. I do not trust that if this passes, that people will be placated, that people will be happy. … Everything I have seen as a student of history, as a student from politics, as a student of government, tells me that it is going to go farther. Things are going to get worse, not better.”

The panic is not contained in Missouri, it has spread across the Republican party nationwide. Early January, the Ohio governor, Mike DeWine, vetoed a gender-affirming care ban, stating that it is parents and doctors who should make decisions about gender-affirming care. In the days following, however, the governor faced endless attacks from rightwing anti-trans media personalities such as Riley Gaines and Matt Walsh, who stated that he must be “run out of Republican politics forever”. Within a day, Republican presidential candidates joined in on the frenzy, with Donald Trump claiming that he had fallen “to the radical left” and DeSantis urging the Ohio legislature to override the veto.……

Missouri is ground zero for the firehose of anti-trans legislation | Erin Reed

Legislators proposed 49 bills targeting transgender people in the first three weeks of January, more than any other state

www.theguardian.com

This targeting of trans people needs to stop. The hysteria and mob driven anger that is pushing these laws is extremely corrosive to our social fabric, our peace and the strength of our country as a whole. I get that most people are turning a blind eye to it because it doesn't directly affect them and because it's easier to stay quiet then fight about something else with Republicans, but this will lead to a horrible outcome for our country. The people pushing fear and loathing of trans people won't stop at just them. They always target the smallest "other" communities first to build fear and loathing among the general public. This has worked very well with trans people. But it never stops there, trans people are just the first victims of this vitriol and sustained effort to make their existence illegal. They will eventually come for the other "others". They always do. If they are not stopped now by people speaking up, our society will continue to splinter to point of breaking our country.

 

[LA - L.A.]

This targeting of trans people needs to stop. The hysteria and mob driven anger that is pushing these laws is extremely corrosive to our social fabric, our peace and the strength of our country as a whole. I get that most people are turning a blind eye to it because it doesn't directly affect them and because it's easier to stay quiet then fight about something else with Republicans, but this will lead to a horrible outcome for our country. The people pushing fear and loathing of trans people won't stop at just them. They always target the smallest "other" communities first to build fear and loathing among the general public. This has worked very well with trans people. But it never stops there, trans people are just the first victims of this vitriol and sustained effort to make their existence illegal. They will eventually come for the other "others". They always do. If they are not stopped now by people speaking up, our society will continue to splinter to point of breaking our country.

An increase in violent attacks and murder are on the way, as intended.