A question for everyone.

[kariann330]

Kariann,

Republicans want to forcibly block granting you any legal rights as a transgender human being. Period.

They oppose your very existence. They question your mental health. They absolutely want to be able to refuse you health care for your transgender situation. Republicans oppose ENDA, which would grant you legal protections. Paul Ryan and Eric Cantor, two very prominent and mainstream Republicans said the ENDA law was "dead on arrival" if it contained transgender protections.

Republicans are fighting a case in Texas to declare that you are what you are born as, period. If it goes to the Supreme Court and they win, this case will legally detransition you, force you to carry an ID that says male, force you into the male bathroom, and deny you the right to marry a man (if you lean that direction).


Republicans have publicly made statements that transgender people should be "rounded up and put in camps". And not one other nationally recognized Republican came out and condemned this man's statements. Not one.

The TV station of the Tea Party (Fox News) argues that they should be allowed to bully you and that laws against that infringe on their free speech. Fox News continues to target a transgender teen with a totally false story even after the school itself said the story is a lie.

The list goes on and on and on.

Why any transgender woman would vote for Republicans at all baffles me. Your guns won't mean squat if they pull the legal rug out from under you, deny you healthcare, deny you legal identity, and force you to live as a man.


Oh, and before you play the Abe Lincoln card, that was 150 years ago. Do you know what the Southern Strategy is? Do you know that the GOP has used it since Richard Nixon? Do you know that Ken Mehlman, the RNC chairman, went before the NAACP to apologize for openly racist tactics, yet the GOP used those same tactics again after that apology and have never stopped since Nixon won using racism in 1968?


All of the above and more is how the Republican Party views YOU, Kariann. You. They despise your very existence. How you can vote for the very people who would wipe your existence out is simply beyond me. I'm not saying vote Democrat. There are other parties out there. But voting Republican? I can't understand that once you know the facts.

$100 says she has an Obama phone and is looking forward to me paying half of there health insurance....all while my dad lost his health insurance, 2 of my friends lost there jobs in the healthcare industry, and 4 people i know are now part time employees.
To you i say if Ted Cruz and Rand Paul win in 2016 (won't be hard if Hillary runs [remember Banghazi]) ill drink a beer or 12 for ya cuz ill already be celebrating.

[kariann330]

Can't tell if OP is trolling or not.........

Not trolling one bit. Want me to upload a picture of the certificate i got from my county republican party when i registeredwith them as a thank you?

[Ltl89]

You are welcome to join whatever political party you choose.  Being trans doesn't mean you must become a left winger.  However, there is plenty of truth in saying that the current GOP isn't as friendly to the lgbt community as the current democratic party.  You may choose to vote Republican based on other reasons, but they aren't necessarily adoring of our community.  Look at the support for gay marriage, enda or anything else lgbt oriented.  The dems are generally more supporting of lgbt issues.  Still, there are many different people in each party and it's best to vote for who is most representative of your views and ideas.  And, of course, the dems have their own bigoted history when it comes to the lgbt community.  As it stands now, they seem to be the more sympathetic, but that doesn't mean you have to practice single issue voting.  Your political beliefs are your right.  No one should tell you who you should vote for; that is up for you to decide. 

One thing I will say is that Ted Cruz doesn't favor the Lgbt community based on his past statements and actions.  I know someone will drag up an innocent looking quote which attempts to negate everything he has said or has done, but that doesn't excuse everything in his past or justify every statement he's made. I can understand people voting for the Republican party or Cruz for many reasons, but support for the lgbt community is not one of them.  Well, at least for now.  Things can change as they have in past and parties shifted positions and priorities.  As it stands, the more inclusive party for the lgbt community is the democratic party.  However, if you have more important factors at hand when voting and you tend to lean right, then you have made up your own mind and should not worry.  There is no reason you should have to vote for the democrats just because you're trans.   I myself hardly go to the voting booth with lgbt issues in my mind; even if they are a factor in who I'll support, it is only one small element.  So you will be no different than me or any one else that doesn't practice single issue voting.  Personally, I don't understand voting on one factor alone unless it is urgent. 

[Isabelle]

I would beg you to do a little reading about the fallacy of market self-regulation... Or if you're too busy just watch Elysium as, that is the ideal future for libertarians.

[Thylacin]

$100 says she has an Obama phone and is looking forward to me paying half of there health insurance....all while my dad lost his health insurance, 2 of my friends lost there jobs in the healthcare industry, and 4 people i know are now part time employees.
To you i say if Ted Cruz and Rand Paul win in 2016 (won't be hard if Hillary runs [remember Banghazi]) ill drink a beer or 12 for ya cuz ill already be celebrating.

What?

So your dad, friends, and family are struggling to get by, and you want it to be harder for people who are struggling to get by? Do you think that social programs are only meant to help people who are unemployed? Don't you realize many full time workers can't get by, and some have to work two jobs just to make ends meet and still can't afford health insurance?

[Thylacin]

You are painting with a broad brush.

Care to explain?

[Just Shelly]

Lots of hate and ignorance directed at the Tea Party in this thread, from people who evidently like taking individuals' views and applying them to the whole, or who got their ideas of what the Tea Party is from watching "news" organizations that are actively biased against it.

Sound familiar to anyone? Just replace "Tea Party" with "transgender" and you've got a slice of life for many people here.


Now, as has been noted before, I'm a conservative Christian transwoman. I've seen both sides. And I'll tell you right now, the people you're spewing hatred at are just as unworthy of that hatred as we are of the anti-trans extremist faction's. The Republican Party - and especially the Tea Party - is not the party of "hate" - it's the party of Not in My Back Yard. In other words, the vast majority don't care what we do, as long as we don't get in their faces, force them to agree or act as though they agree, or teach their kids things they don't believe.
Which is no less than any atheist wants from any Christian, or any Liberal wants from any Conservative.

And to answer the "Hey, they made insensitive comments" crowd: People do that. There were a ton of liberals talking about putting Ted Cruz on a sinking ship, for crying out loud! And many many liberals implying that Conservatives shouldn't have the right to vote/make their voice heard. Does that mean when push comes to shove they'd even want to try to do it? NO!


So yes, OP - feel free to be part of the Tea Party - the real Tea Party of low taxes and small government, not the bigoted caricature I'm ashamed to see people here believe in. I am - and just as proud of it as I am of being a woman.

I don't hear to many trans telling others that being transgendered is the norm and it must be the law of the land. Seems that Cruz and others KNOW that marriage between two people of the same sex is not right and IT should be the law of the land. I do not hate anyone personally, I am just disgusted with the hate that spews from their mouths. If I were to try and force my values and morals on to someone else, then I deserve the same respect Ted Cruz deserves.

[Isabelle]

So your dad, friends, and family are struggling to get by, and you want it to be harder for people who are struggling to get by? Do you think that social programs are only meant to help people who are unemployed? Don't you realize many full time workers can't get by, and some have to work two jobs just to make ends meet and still can't afford health insurance?

^ this ^

Proudly supporting the Tea Party is so counterintuitive to being a civilized human it's almost staggering. There are so many parallels between that movement and the extreme right wing movements that occurred in Europe after world war 1, that your support of that movement is actually pretty insulting to the millions who died as a result of and fighting to end extreme right politics in world war 2.
Seriously, educate yourself. Please. Most of the developed world looks at America and with sadness and confusion. It's a far cry from when America led the world in certain aspects of personal freedom. These days, American politics is a joke to a lot of people.
Your country has always been considered intensely racist, separatist, hegemonic, divisive and selfish but when Obama was elected there was an almost global sigh of relief. Sadly not much has changed but, it was a step toward America joining the civilized world. You guys will hopefully get it right sometime.

[Jamie D]

Care to explain?

Yeah, you are making blanket statements and generalizations about groups of people.

For instance, in the US general elections of 2008 and 2012 elections, Mr 0bama won about 75-80% of the GLBT vote.  That means, by deduction, 20-25% of the GLBT vote went to the other candidate, a Republican.  Not all people are one-issue voters, nor should transperson become one.

I could also make the case the 0bama, when he had an iron-clad majority in Congress from 2009-2011, failed to pass ENDA, failed tp repeal Clinton's DOMA, and failed to do much at all for the trans community.

And just one note, I think you should re-read the parts on the Announcements page about reputation rules.  You are laying on the red thumbs down pretty hard, and that could be considered abusive.  Word to the wise.

[Isabelle]

Slightly off topic but, are you aware of the many studies that show direct correlations between low IQ and conservative politics? I'm not trolling, there is very solid science behind it. Unfortunately there's this thing called "the Dunning Kruger effect" where incompetent people tend toward obliviousness in regard to their self perception of competence. I'm not saying we should have minimum IQ figures in order to vote but, in an ideal world all the clues that might "twig" someone to the fact that perhaps they're not quite able to grasp the complexities of political systems and their power to improve peoples lives, would hopefully lead them to refrain from using their voice to make the world harder for others.
We are all in this world together, shouldn't we at least TRY to care, just a little, about each other's right to enjoy this short time on earth? For all we know, it's the only shot we get.
Sadly though, this is where your cultures love of anti intellectualism comes into play. The failure of people's ability to grasp the implications of the impartiality of the scientific method and it's ability to inform and impact social change is truly depressing, and that, more than anything else is why the civilized nations of the world look at The USA, scratch their heads and carry on with life in the 21st century. You should join us

[Paige]

Politics always end up corrupt given enough time. It's practically an unsolvable problem. My best solution is that we just wait it out another 50 years until the self replicating robots take things over, and they'll probably do a better job at running things than we ever could.

You know, there are certain people that love to hear this.  The more they get people to give up on the system the easier it is for them to run it their way.   They want people apathetic. 

There are lots of screw ups in government, but there have been lots of successes too, some LGBT ones recently.  Do you really want the alternatives, to be run by corporations or total anarchy?  I've worked for big corporations and they can be just a screwed up as government, if not more.  The Wall Street meltdown should be fresh in everyone's mind, that failure was because of politicians doing the bidding of corporations.  As for anarchy, I'm guessing that's not going to be a very transgender friendly place.

Apathy is what makes government suck.  Government needs to be better not destroyed.  Sorry for the rant.

[Ltl89]

Yeah, you are making blanket statements and generalizations about groups of people.

And just one note, I think you should re-read the parts on the Announcements page about reputation rules.  You are laying on the red thumbs down pretty hard, and that could be considered abusive.  Word to the wise.

Insinuating that the member in question is on welfare is also making generalizations about them for their political beliefs and also slightly abusive.  Many would take offense to that (myself included) and I've seen members do that on more than one occasion without anyone saying something to correct it; in fact, sometimes others jump on board.  I wouldn't expect most here care about it when it doesn't suit their agenda, but maybe we could also see why people would be personally insulted on both sides and make an attempt to keep the peace for all involved.  Making broad assessments isn't right, yet it has been done by members of all different backgrounds on this very thread (among others).  Whatever the case may be about the nature of the discussion at hand and other political threads on this board,  it's not cool for any of us to take personal jabs at each other just because we vote differently or see things in a different perspective.  I wish we didn't have to stoop to insults when discussing the issues and that goes for everyone single one of us here. There is nothing wrong with holding different political views but let's do it respectfully and not let our biases impact how we treat each other.  Disagree as much as you want, but don't make it about the person in question or their character.   

As for the down voting system, I really don't understand why it's there.  Personally, that's why I believe the down voting system should be done away with as it isn't conducive to a support site.  It just creates bad vibes and does nothing productive.

[Paige]

I love big diesel trucks...democrats are trying to choke them out because of there polluting exhaust.

If you can, try riding in a real electric vehicle like a Tesla.  The low end torque will absolutely amaze you. 

[Cindy]

 

Discuss opinions according to the ToS or GMs will step in.

Can I also make the suggestion that the reputation system is used to applaud rather than to smite.

An applaud is greeted with a smile and the knowledge someone respects you.
A smite is usually remembered as something that was unpleasant.

There are enough people in society who think that being unpleasant and even down right rude is what we deserve.

We do not.

Let us be above that.

Thank You

Cindy
Global Moderator.

[LizMarie]

Kariann, your generalizations about me are both incorrect and offensive. All I did in response to you was point out to you actual statements and court cases supported by the GOP against you and every other transgender person in the United States. I am gainfully employed so put that thought out of your mind. You know nothing about me other than the contents of a few posts that I've made.

You can make whatever claims you wish but the Republican party is openly anti-trans. There are a few understanding senior politicians in the party but the vast majority? No. Your decision to vote against your own self-interest is just that - your own decision. Do not presume that others must see things as you do. All that I did was post for you a very short summary of why I view transgender people voting Republican to be hard to understand. I have trans friends who are libertarians, which I do understand even if I don't agree. Libertarians accept trans and gay people as we are. But Republicans? No.

I realize that there are trans people who vote Republican. I simply do not understand why when they have alternatives available that both accept transgender people yet focus on the smaller government meme as well.

[kariann330]

If you can, try riding in a real electric vehicle like a Tesla.  The low end torque will absolutely amaze you.

Never....can't hit a mud hole in an electric car. Ill keep my truck and keep rolling coal at every prius i see behind me.

[Ltl89]

Discuss opinions according to the ToS or GMs will step in.

Can I also make the suggestion that the reputation system is used to applaud rather than to smite.

An applaud is greeted with a smile and the knowledge someone respects you.
A smite is usually remembered as something that was unpleasant.

There are enough people in society who think that being unpleasant and even down right rude is what we deserve.

We do not.

Let us be above that.

Thank You

Cindy
Global Moderator.

I agree.  We should all respect each other.  That's why I find the selectiveness of enforcement peculiar as some verbal smites are accepted and others aren't.  When in reality none should be tolerated.  Respect is a two way street and we should all do our best to exercise our judgement before making personal accusations or smiting another individual. 

As for the voting system, despite my dislike of some comments on the site, I wouldn't use them to smite anyone or hurt the feelings of others.  That is counterproductive to the goal of the site.  If we are really going to stand up against smites, wouldn't it be wise to disable that aspect of voting?  I know it will be seen as a bold move to speak up, but we really shouldn't have the ability to smite someone with our votes on a support site.  If such a heretical comment puts me at the displeasure of others here, I'm sorry.  But the fact remains that both verbal smites and voting smites cause others hurt and diminishes the support function this site intends to be.  No one, regardless of their views, should have to face that.  If you are trans, you should be welcome to come here for support without feeling disliked or unwelcome.  Verbal and voting smites do just that.  If saying that get's me in trouble, so be it. 

[Cindy]

OK I'll lock the topic.

LtL I'm not locking because of your concerns about the voting system. Susan is responsible for the features on the site that she wishes to have.

If you have a problem with it take it up with her.

I'm locking to let people cool down for a while.

Thank You

Cindy