Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has earned praise for her response to a question on trans rights during a town hall hosted by the progressive campus group More Perfect University.
At the organizationās Students vs. Billionaires town hall in Maine on Thursday, a trans student from the University of Southern Maine asked for Ocasio-Cortezās response to the fact that āa lot of trans people in America feel that we have been abandoned by the Democratic Party, that we are a losing issue, that itās not worth defending us.ā
The woman was referring to the fact that many trans advocates feel some Democrats have missed the mark on trans issues, or in some cases have actively made decisions that hurt the trans community in an attempt to defend themselves against Republican attacks. Since the 2024 election, Democrats have disagreed on the effect of the GOPās anti-trans ads, with some suggesting the need to throw trans people under the bus in order to win future elections.
Without hesitation, Ocasio-Cortez responded, āTheyāre wrong.ā
ā¦
ā¦"The focus is strategicā¦ Itās not just about trans girls in sports; itās about all girls in education,ā she said, emphasizing that itās about attacking Title IX and trying āto get everyone on board with supporting defunding their own civil rights.ā
She explained that Title IX is also the mechanism through which women report campus assaults and that while the Trump administration is distracting everyone with anti-trans fearmongering, it āquietly defunded the civil rights division of enforcement in the administration on Title IX.ā
yep, exactly. they say theyāre protecting women as a screen to harm women.
Because as soon as they ban trans women from something, ātransvestigationsā and genital inspections will be happening the very next day.
Any woman who doesnāt perfectly conform to their idea of what a woman should be will become a target.
The definition of ātransgenderā will simply expand to include any cis woman that doesnāt conform to conservative standards of appropriate female dress, behavior, and career choice.
Oh, youāre a woman who wants to study engineering? Sorry, we canāt allow that at this school. We donāt support transgender people here.
I think they would do āgenital inspectionsā, as an excuse to violate women. For fun.
And children, of course.
Every day more nazi things are happening. everyday.
I feel like im going insane. 20 years ago, if you said āthe Tvs and phones are all listening to usā youd be thrown in the grippy sock hotel. But today, it is truth, and each day, our low trust society grows.
I cant even leave the house without eyeing some people up wondering if theyre a fucking nazi or not. I cant trust a man who dont have a beard. I see young, clean shaven, buzz cut men with crosses around thier neckā¦ and I just, worry. Yesterday I saw a latino man with that nazi looking eagle on his sweater.
Im glad for sane, smart voices. But, its so real out here. I live by a small airport, and the back hawks and shinooks normally run drills 3 days outta a month. Theyve been running drills everyday, all day, for over a week now. I feel paranoid. Just saw an article they fired a woman for supporting trans healthcare in the military :(
Im just a dumb dumb, but this is seriously some frog boiling in the pot of water shit. It is so terrifying to see.
I know how you feel and itās not wrong to be worried - stay safe out there. But I would be careful reading too much into that appearance. Beards to me indicate more often right-wing men, but in truth, itās just a bad heuristic. Itās hard to tell for most people and being suspicious of too many in the gray area is just tiring.
Anyway, all us sane people are all in this together, remind yourself that weāll eventually reach bottom. Nothing lasts forever, including the bad times. And if youāre in the US, please vote.
For what itās worth, I appear every bit the stereotype of dumb old conservative. I can lean into it even harder if necessary. I am fully prepared to use this ability to thwart fascism. Iām also a firearm owner, and I know Iām going to have to make some difficult choices in the near future.
The other day I stopped at a coffee shop I rarely go to and was accused of being a cop. That was kinda funny.
Though, in retrospect, I do happen to look like I stepped off a nazi propaganda poster, and instead of spending money on sunglasses I just wear the UV safety goggles my lab buys by the crate, which look kinda similar to the wraparound Oakleys that populateā¦specificā¦profile pictures.
Now imagine if you were black and were seeing this.
The one blackish friend I had (immigrant at 14 from Trinidad) believes in evangelical christianty and is a maga supporter.
I tried to talk to them, but they hate trans people and anyone not from thier specific carribean island.
I live near a lot of folks from puerto rico. I befriended a few over the the last few years, who I was chill with until politics came up. 3/3 maga supporters. Fucking makes me very sad. Its the same, they hate trans people and anyone not from thier island.
Or LGBT+
I cant trust a man who dont have a beard.
And even then, goatees are somehow worse.
I donāt want them ādefending trans rightsā though.
I want them enforcing the protection of trans rights through legislative action and enforcement of those laws.
āDefending trans rightsā is when Republicans go on the offensive about transgender issues so we have to go from being on the offensive on issues like affordability, healthcare and a strong working class to ādefendingā trans rights. Look at the pamphlets in Texas, theyāre no longer talking about gas and grocery prices in Texas, itās all about who sent the pamphlets.
What is the offensive for trans rights though l? Like what needs to be codified into law that is not?
Off the top of the dome
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Creating a sensible universal policy that creates standardized guidelines on what medical requirements allow prisoners to be housed in the prison matching their sex. At present you can be fully physically transitioned with a vagina, fully sterile from having ones testicles removed and on feminizing horomones and still be forced to be housed in mens prisons creating the conditions for guaranteed rape and endemic exploitation by both guards and inmates.
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Rights that protects trans prisoners from forced de-transition. Removing horonone treatments from prisoners is effectively creating situations where trans prisoners are effectively put into menopause or face issues like bone loss.
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Rights that allow trans people to change their legal documents to reflect their chosen sex. This allows for less discrimination as employers and law enforcement individuals should not be privy to someoneās medical history and often being forcibly outed causes potential harassment from bigoted people in a position of power.
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Rights to protections against hostile work conditions based on sexual characteristics
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Rights to be protected from having the children of trans people either removed by the state OR trans kids themselves remanded into foster care on the basis they or their parent is trans
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Rights to access bathroom facilities of their choice and not be barred or harrassed in bathrooms
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Rights to bodily autonomy, in the case of adults to be able make the choice to medically transition. In the case of minors to allow the guardians of the minor, a panel of doctors, social workers and psychiatric professionals to prescribe blockers and hormone interventions once appropriate signs of proof that the transition is in the best interest of the minor with veto of continuity of treatment from all parties if signs of distress or incongruence are shown
Honestly very solid list.
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I donāt want to discount trans issues but also I feel like engaging the republicans with anything more than a āwhy are you talking about this when people canāt afford anything you stupid fucks?ā is a waste of time. Even if every trans person was as evil as they say they are there are far bigger problems to focus on. Like why do we need fucking legislation to dictate how trans people are medically treated or if they can play sports? Leave that to the doctors and sports organizations to determine. There should be protections against discrimination and if theyāre not already included in those they should be, but other than that I canāt really think of anything that requires legislation. It pisses me off so much every time I hear one of those ads from these idiots.
Itās never the wrong time to do the right thing. Fighting a ālosing issueā is exactly how you persuade people youāre right about the issue. Thatās called āleadershipā.
This is exactly it. Itās what politics is supposed to be about. AOC gets it. For clear moral issues like this, you canāt back down.
Itās a big reason why Democrats are so weak. Most, especially those in leadership, have given up trying to persuade people by doing the right thing. We need to persuade especially on issues that are inspiring violence and hate on the other side. Taking the other sideās stance, particularly when itās so clearly on the wrong side of morality/history/humanity, never made sense as a strategy to me. Itās disgusting.
I constantly rail against the āBoth sidesā thing because, well, both side are NOT the same. Even establishment Dems are radically different than Republicans.
However.
I am also firmly of the opinion that establishment Dems are corrupted and taking money from our oligarchs, and that they try to use things like ābut we have to compromise and not scare off the centristsā as a smokescreen for their corruption.
The fact of the matter is that we are largely fucked. That we have any hope at all from folks like AOC and other true progressives seems on a slight upswing since Trump and the fascists have mangled things so visibly in the last couple of years, but midterms always swing the other way, so Iām scared that this is another temporary swingback and come 2028, weāll be fucked again.
But maybe those associated with the DSA and those like AOC and Mamdani are finding ways of breaking through some of the fascist propaganda. I sure hope so, because the only other way out will cost lots of blood and isnāt a sure thing by any stretch of the imagination.
Iāve never seen anyone say theyāre the same. I have seen a lot of people being accused of "both sides"ing if they dare to criticize the Democrats. Two things can be bad in different ways. Losing a finger and losing a leg arenāt the same. I donāt want to lose either.
This could be a temporary swing back, or the left wing version of thr tea party
I was hoping it was going to be a āfuck youā.
āGet Bentā is how i auto completed it
Or āfuck offā alternatively
Iād have said āget fuckedā, but ātheyāre wrongā is good, too.
āTheyāre wrongā is three words though. Only partly why I like āget fuckedā better.
I think a reasonable argument for people to use is that they care about trans rights at this point in time because they are under threat, but what they actually care about is everybodyās human rights. Start from empathy, respect, and dignity, then look for what supports that.
People shouldnāt need to grovel for medical care, they should be able to access it. People shouldnāt have to jump through hoops for gender affirming care, cis men with erectile dysfunction should be able to access medical support. People shouldnāt have to prove their mental health is impacted to modify their body, women should be able to get whatever tattoos or piercings they like. It doesnāt matter who you are, you should be able to access reasonable levels of care and support from the society you are a part of.
Right now trans people are the most under threat, but at some point that will be a historical fact and a different group will the current target, at which point they become the focus of defence and support. Ideally being trans would be like getting tattoos, something that is your business, nobody elseās, and something people feel impolite for asking too much about.
I donāt think most democrats have an issue with defending trans rights. The issue is instead of dealing with issues that affect the majority, they only deal with issues that affect the minority. Worry about people not getting killed and abducted to concentration camps at the border. Then maybe we can talk about trans rights.
nobody told you to fuck off in 10 hours so iām a bit disappointed, and also
fuck offThank you for your service.
Defending attack ads in general is a losing strategy. Focus on the issues and ignore attacks, more people are likely to listen to what you have to say that way. As for trans issues, itās not a good look to bully suicidal kids for political clout.
Thatās three words.
That is technically correct and part of learning English (for non native speakers).
If you guys are shocked these Republican morons fall for this shit, look at this https://youtu.be/MrehpxfLNrg
These people are literarily brain dead itās genuinely insane how stupid they are.
Proud to have voted (fuck) no on an initiative today to āban children who were born male from playing girls sportsā because I live in a (sane) state that allows people to
changecorrect their birth certificates this law said it would be on the girls wanting to play to undergo physical inspection, genetic or hormonal testing, and their expense of course. Disenfranchising transgirls and adding scary, invasive or expensive bars to girls sports, everyone loses, even the people who support this, living in a less free state where girls are denied opportunities isnāt good for anyoneRemoved by mod
Whoās shoving preferences in anyoneās face??? Do you know anyone in the LGBTQ+ community? Are they shoving things in your face?
Also, communal showers/changing areas have been weird the entire time theyāve existed, and thatās the ONLY way youād even know what someone has under their clothes.
ALSO, WHY ARE YOU AFRAID OF OTHER PEOPLES BODIES?
āCommon senseā is a dog whistle. People are complicated. Depending on who you talk to, youāll find things that people consider ācommon senseā that are only common to their local areaā¦
Actual common sense is minding your own business. Bet 10 bucks this asshole doesnāt even watch womenās sports lol, they never do.
Do you know anyone in the LGBTQ+ community? Are they shoving things in your face?
This reminds me of:
My god, Iām saving this
Communal showers are weird yes.
Labeling common sense as dog whistle now will work against you. Society doesnāt have the resources to adhere to every complicated personās needs and wants. Bringing those trans topics into the focus while a family struggles to care for their baby makes the family vote someone else. Itās a niche topic, really.
Iām not running for office. Iām just a guy trying to highlight inconsistency.
You donāt get to decide what is a dog whistle sadly. It already is one.
It really is a niche thing, so why is it such a big deal if they get treated no different than anyone else? You yourself said that they should be treated equally. It costs society NOTHING to treat them the same.
I believe there are a TON of other articles about affordability right now, you CHOSE to talk about the one highlighting Trans issues.
Edit: what is the āfamilyā vote? Everyone has a family. Trans people have families. I have a family. My wife and I always vote in favor of Trans Rights. They are Human Rights.
Isnāt it funny how reactionaries always target minorities and then act like itās the fault of the people who stand up to their persecution?
Not āha haā funny, more like āthe rotten smell behind the dumpsterā funny.
Topic here is, will it win her votes. Iād say no because overfocus on minority topics will drive all other people, not adjacent to that group, away. And comments going apeshit crazy only because there is one voice not following their line is not helping the acceptance.
Iām not playing your reactionary game.
Solidarity means solidarity. We donāt chip away at peopleās rights so that bigots can feel superior.
the right of some people to exist in society isnāt an important stance?! the size of the community determines its worth?! lots of dog whistles packed into this comment.
I donāt need your shitty bigotry shoved in my face. Reported for transphobia. Hope you end up with a ban.
ācommon senseā is an extremely weak appeal. Many things that are today are considered unacceptable were considered ācommon senseā by many people for many years. Racism, patriarchy, absolute monarchyā¦
Who else are they going to support though? Two parties have a stranglehold. Your options are between not good enough, horrible, and not participating at all. Not preventing Republicans also disempowers your voice in regard to all other issues and means revoking support for everyone elses issues. So why would those people keep supporting yours as much?
So where does it end? If you compromise on somebodyās rights with the justification that you need to protect everybody else, whereās the line you donāt cross? Thereās no principle built in to that approach. Theoretically, you can justify throwing all people of color under the bus in order to protect white women, with that logic.
If Democrats abandon trans people now, the fascists wonāt be satisfied. Whoās next?
If you compromise on somebodyās rights with the justification that you need to protect everybody else, whereās the line you donāt cross?
Voting is mere harm reduction. Voting for a candidate doesnāt mean I agree with them or that Iām compromising on anyoneās rights ā Iām just ticking the box that will cause the least near-term harm.
The real decision whether to compromise or not happens in real life. In the streets, at your work or school, in your home.
Well said.
Yes, there is no good option. Everything is a risk. But everything is also at risk. We canāt trust people will help after? Can one endure a disproportionate amount of sacrifice to fight for the entire progressive movement? This entire situation is not about any specific issue, its about the entire framework of law and governance. All rights. All of it.
If someone canāt see anything beyond their own grievances, were they ever a progressive? Or were progressives the only option for trans? Are trans rights somehow more important than brown rights? Or immigrant rights? Womenās? Everybodyās rights?
This is not business as usual. This is potentially the end of democracy in America and if someone wonāt help because theyāre not getting enough attention, they an asshole. That is a level of selfishness that is cruelty, to anyone that was once called an ally. The safest spaces in American for trans are still the progressive side. So not supporting the best available option is wise?
There are no good options, so refuse to pick the best one? Insane to me. Massive strategic error. It ends wherever the left is capable of ending it and right now, nobody knows where that is but it isnāt where it is now. You donāt think the left is trying just because they havenāt succeeded? Maybe more participation is what halts the Nazis marching as soon a possible. But disengage insteadā¦that will help youā¦
Not sure how to parse this comment. The point here is that, as a practical matter, no oneās rights are safe unless everybodyās rights are safe, and AOC is correct that Democrats are wrong to disengage on trans rights, because itās ultimately abandoning everybodyās rights, which is the end of democracy.
I disagree with that stance. Some rights are more safe than others and some are more costly to maintain. The only thing one can say is a ruler who doesnāt respect some rights, may not respect others. Tons of rights have been abandoned, those of the poor vs the rich for instance, and it didnāt erase all rights.
Not all at once, of course. But, reading the news, it sure looks to me like the erasure is proceeding apace.
But at a pace, over time, in steps. Failing to stop the first step doesnāt mean failing to stop all of them. This is a battle, not a polite discourse. They are rounding up immigrants and putting them in camps, revoking their rights. The first step wasnāt even trans and all rights are not gone because of it.
As you point out, the fascists are rounding up immigrants into concentration camps. We keep losing rights by the week. And it didnāt start with trans people? Then why did it get as far as them? So far, we have failed to stop any step in the process. Itās understandable, because when anybodyās rights are contingent rather than inalienable, we can always rationalize why itās okay to abandon the next group.
There is a difference between politics thatās aimed at getting elected and politics aimed at improving things. You can absolutely throw trans people under the bus (so to speak) before the elections and then after winning the elections use your power to improve their position.
You donāt have to be blatant about it. You donāt have to say āfuck themā, just answer those questions quickly and shift focus to the things people care about.
Donāt be weird.
Unfortunately, when they do get into office they barely use their power to do anything, let alone help the trans community.
