8mo ago

LGBTQ Americans and the 2024 election: "I don't feel welcome here."

www.cbsnews.com

Summary

LGBTQ Americans are deeply concerned about Donald Trump’s second term, citing his anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, policies, and ties to conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation.

His past actions and campaign ads targeting trans individuals have raised fears of eroding healthcare access, legal protections, and rights, especially for transgender people.

Trump’s alignment with the Project 2025 agenda, which promotes rolling back LGBTQ rights, heightens anxiety, despite his appointment of an openly gay treasury secretary.

Advocates warn of significant societal and legal repercussions.

63 comments

After hearing Democrats talk about how they were "too woke" on transgender issues, I don't blame anyone for feeling unwelcome.
My problem with that is, the only time I heard Harris say trans was when she was talking about prosecuting transnational gangs. Democrats didn't lose for being too woke, they lost cause they don't know how to talk about the economy to blue collar workers.
But with this Congress, this President, and this Supreme Court, including any additional conservatives judges Trump adds, no one in the crosshairs of Project 2025 should feel comfortable right now.
- Talking about the economy? Yeah I don't think the majority of Trump supporters care. That's way too abstract for them.
  
  And one of the many problems with Harris is she kept reaching right and changed approximately zero minds. She could have said "the economy" is the bank accounts of the rich and we all know it, it's time to change that. But yeah very unlikely to hear that from a politician whose name isn't Bernie Sanders.
  The problem is to the voters "the economy" is the price of gas or eggs or whatever. In fact it was the self-reported number one issue in the election. So politicians just keep talking past the voters because they mean completely different things by "the economy".
  
  According to AP VoteCast (who surveyed 110k voters), the top issue for voters was the economy, with 6 of 10 considering the economy to be not so good or poor, two-thirds were very concerned about the cost of food and groceries, 7 of 10 thinking the country is on the wrong track, and 8 of 10 looking for substantial change to how the country is run.
  This is why the Democrat messaging about the inflation rate coming under control (true) or stronger post-pandemic recovery than most other comparable nations (also true) fell flat for most voters. If someone's real wages didn't match the price increases to food, rent, and everything else over the last four years, then how good the GDP is doesn't really matter to them.
  Campaigning on "things will largely be the same", or saying you wouldn't have done anything differently over the last four years, is always going to be a real uphill battle against an overwhelming desire for significant change.
- After hearing Democrats talk about how they were “too woke” on transgender issues,
  This is the main thing that scares me....
  I'm actually worried it's a bout to be open season in both Blue and Red states alike for LGB and especially T.
Never mind not welcome, you're not safe here. Find a way to get out. Any way you can. Apply for any job anywhere you can think of that will offer you a work visa. I am really sorry for any who can't get out, but if you are queer, do whatever you can to try.
- I think there's a reason a lot of my family tree stopped branching between 1939 and 1945. You do you. I am getting my queer daughter the fuck out before it's too late.
- I will not be leaving California for a bit. That may not be sufficient to avoid all the crap, but it will help.
- I would guess you're still going to be relatively safe in an urban area like NYC, but if you're in, say, rural Oklahoma, it's time to pack your bags.
  
  It's good advice, but moving is out of the financial reach of most people. Especially moving to a safer place, which will have much higher cost of living attached.
I'm definitely feeling this.... My partner and I hate firearms but are looking into getting armed now
- Do it. Do it before January 20. My wife just bought her first gun and I'm getting a rifle.
  And what the fuck is up with the gay Treasury Secretary. This post was the first I heard of it. What a traitor. I mean I guess they're all traitors of some sort but damn.
  
  Please get ammo and go to the range. I work at a gun store, trust me, your hypothetical, alleged, enemy, has been armed, and has many hundreds/thousands of rounds downrange. Get proficient.
  Edit: also if that rifle happens to be an AR-15, I work more specifically at a custom AR shop, so please hit me with any possible questions either now, or the future!
- Make sure you take training, for safety, usage, and firearm law. People who merely own guns are likely to have negative outcomes.
  
  We're planning on taking safety courses, and my dad is a gun nut who will happily take us to a range
- What a messed up country where you have to arm yourself to feel free. Ridiculous.
  
  Trust me it's not too feel free. The illusion of freedom has long since vanished.
My passport showed up today. I need to get started on reclaiming EU citizenship now. Maybe I just commit and use this as a chance to start over somewhere better and safe enough to actually build a life.
But having already done that once, I'm not keen to restart my life thousands of miles away from everything I've ever known.
Fuck politics, one should just strive for justice and fairness in all situations. Remember that laws may not be applied justly or fairly, but laws change. Principles and ideals shouldn’t change. People who care should become lawyers, politicians, police, entrepreneurs and more. A lot of the anti-lgbt trash comes from religious fervor, all religions are trash.
- Given that you said "all religions are trash", would you mind if drag applied your statement to a specific religion of drag's choosing and assumed you had great familiarity with the religion? And would you feel at all misunderstood or misrepresented if drag then proceeded to get upset with you for attacking this specific religion, and drew a number of conclusions about your political views based on you calling this religion trash?
  Based on personal experience, drag guesses that you wouldn't like this. But if that's the case, why'd you say ALL religions are trash?
  
  Apply to any religion you like 🤷‍♀️
  People who need to rely on religions to make sense of the world are indulging in coping mechanisms. I don’t want to judge people, but I will judge the system and the abuse it perpetrates.
  But if someone is unwilling to learn and resolve their cognitive biases, and instead use said cognitive biases to make others’ lives worse, then those people should be judged.
  Humanity can do better than unsubstantiated mythologies. We’re more capable than living in a dark cave of our own making, and I choose to believe that.
  If you believe in a just and fair God, then know that religions are not God, and God is not that religion.
  
  Religion is poison
  
  Religion is a mental deficiency.
It honestly feels like even the Left in this country is thirsting for Trans blood. And that scares me as a trans woman.
- Don't confuse the left with the neoliberal-run Democratic party because they're keen on abandoning more and more of us on the left day by day.
That's kinda the point. I don't see anyone rushing to be the Czar Of Extremely Low Egg Prices, but I do see them making a performative rule against one particular person in Congress about where they can relieve themselves...
With the qons, cruelty is the point. It's not about making anyone's lives better, even their own base.
If you're unwilling to leave, at least have the foresight to arm yourself.
- Many people are willing to leave. It’s actually very difficult and expensive.
- So ok I’ve been hearing the arming argument, but what situation exactly would we use it? Is this for a hypothetical civil war? Or to defend yourself from far right mobs? These are the only two scenarios which it would seem to make sense; and they seem mostly far fetched. Anything less than that is just a great way for the police to add charges and or give them an excuse to shoot you.
  
  The second, and it’s far more likely than you think. See the Tulsa Massacre, Chicago Race Riots, Rosewood Massacre, and the Wilmington Insurrection as depressing examples.
  
  Better to be judged by twelve than carried by six. To me, it's solid advice (so long as the individual can own a firearm responsibly, which is an individual decision) for individuals of minority groups to arm themselves.
  The majority of situations will be like the other commenter said: arm yourself to protect yourself against groups looking to do you harm. It won't surprise me to hear about groups of bigots rolling up on LGBTQ+ clubs and following people home to attack/assault/kill them, or if we see more Pulse Nightclub shooting events.
  Remember, Reagan pushed for gun control as the Gov of California only after the Black Panthers started carrying weapons to their rallies. Yeah, push comes to shove, the police/government have way bigger and better weapons than the average American.
  But that was true back then too, and it still scared the government enough to pass firearm restrictions. Peaceful protests can remain a lot more peaceful when the police know the other side is packing too. (I say CAN because obviously once weapons are introduced to any situation, violence is introduced as a potential consequence)
  No one wants to be the first one shot, even if you've got a tank/machine gun behind you as backup.
You aren't.
I'm fine with you being here, it makes conservatives mad, so it's a win-win for me, but I don't run the place, so... not really my call.
Next up from no shit news, water STILL wet?!? Check in tonight at 9, the answer may surprise you!
Pure speculation and fear mongering.
- Well, considering you have no friends, as someone who does and a lot of them are LGBT, no boomer, they are afraid as fuck.
  
  Im actually GenX. Being 'afraid' is just a way to keep the focus on them....because they hate it when its not.
  Nothing bad is going to happen to anyone.
- Eat shit, cuck.

63 comments