52 Comments
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Nia Chiaramonte's avatar

Thank God for AOC.

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Joel W. Crump's avatar

She's the next president, in my book. Assuming she's interested in that.

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Monique Little's avatar

Riley is a true clown car. Lots of personalities coming out but no substance going in. *circus music*

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Zoë Michelle's avatar

Lia Thomas didn't even beat her. they had a FIFTH PLACE TIE WITH EACH OTHER.

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Amy RB's avatar

Came here to say this. They tied, so Gripy Gaines didn't even finish behind Lia Thomas. Gaines is a big wimpy bigoted baby.

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Marthe's avatar

If only that statement would follow Riley Gaines around with a sign on her back!

And also the fact that Riley Gaines never won a national championship as a swimmer.

Go back under your rock Riley!

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Kanna's avatar
1dEdited

Took the words out of my mouth AOC! Riley Gaines is a huge sore loser who'd rather drag others down than actually get in the pool and train harder. The best female swimmers out there are cis - why isn't she crying about them stealing her potential (and highly unlikely) victories? It's a SKILL ISSUE, RILEY. Get over yourself.

Elite sports is full of people with biological advantages - that's why they're ELITE athletes to begin with.

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Joel W. Crump's avatar

I like that point, it sounds like excuses, not accepting oneself, needing to blame someone else, rather than genuine concern over other competitors. The politicians are jumping on that to get votes from ignorant people. It's just not credible.

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Jordan's avatar

I am so grateful AOC is sticking up for trans people and all people. It is SO important that the world realize what a waste of legislative time, money and energy is being spent on trying to extinguish a population that is only 1% of the population. A population that I am a part of.

Maybe, just maybe if the republican's spent as much time, MONEY and energy on resolving almost any other issue. Really pick just one or many that actually help someone instead of hurting and creating HATE. (Poverty, food insecurity, gun violence, violence committed by cis-white men, violence against women, true pedophilias which are classily white cis men, ....)

They should learn to help not hurt. Living with so much hate must be difficult.

Riley Gaines is making a living from this which is criminal.

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Sandra's avatar

I can’t think of any recent denigration of human rights more bizarre, more intense, and more fraught with misinformation and cruelty than trans rights, which has been brewing since 2016 but has been especially prominent starting in 2023. It has been breathtaking and horrifying all at once…,particularly the legislative and judicial restrictions on trans minors.

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Joel W. Crump's avatar

They will find it's not a winning issue, in the end. Trump acts like his election by half the people who bothered to vote resolves this, he can dream on. People's dignity comes before some crooked fake politician like him.

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Sara's avatar

AOC 28!

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Jenn C's avatar

I wish. This country has already failed twice to elect a woman.

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Mad Girl Disease's avatar

The last election was closer than we remember it being. I think if they'd had a bit more time, and a more adept communications operations, Harris could very well have won, misogyny and racism notwithstanding.

I thought Harris should have picked Whitmer as VP. (Really.)

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Talia Perkins's avatar

"A hit, a hit, a very palpable hit!" - Osric in "Hamlet", by Wm. Shakespeare.

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Susan Tuzzolino's avatar

Your last sentence really speaks the truth of the matter! We need to stand up with confidence and say, "Not this time! Not today! Not ever!" Thanks Erin! I needed this, I think we all need this!

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Devin's avatar
1dEdited

AOC is so gracefully badass!!! Wish many of her dem colleagues had a shred of her guts and values!

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Don Jackson's avatar

Way to go AOC!! I love supporting her back-to-school backpack program -- so tangible! And I love supporting Erin in the Morning. Thank you!

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Ellen Adele Harper's avatar

If AOC runs for president, I will campaign for her.

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Karen Hagberg's avatar

So many politicians in the Democratic Party, sadly Pete Buttigieg among them, have attempted to carve out positions that include keeping trans women and girls from participating in female sports—clearly pandering to right-wing hysteria over this issue. For me, this is a clear metaphor for the pitiable state of the party. The “centrists” come off as weak and fear-driven, unable or unwilling to stand up to the MAGA crazies, for fear of what?? Losing their jobs?? Violence against themselves or their families? What??

There’s a reason why Zohran Mamdani is so popular in New York and why Bernie is clearly appointing AOC his successor. These people are the opposite of wimps and apologists. They put their lives on the line every single day. They’re the rôle models we Democrats have been waiting for. They, and those courageous enough to model after them, are the ONLY kind of democrats who will fully support transgender rights. This anti-trans-women-in-sports campaign is so hateful, so wrong (listen to that Senator above), so misguided and out-of-touch with actual trans human beings in sports competition, that it would be laughable if it weren’t hurting so many people.

What to do about this?? Send $$ to Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and/or Zohran Mamdani and/or Bernie Sanders. Let’s build up the Democratic Party with people who are committed to protecting us ALL.

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Joel W. Crump's avatar

I've never jumped to the conclusion that in every conceivable instance, a trans woman couldn't have an advantage in every athletic competition in existence - that being said, this dummy Gaines didn't lose to four of them at once, I'm reasonably sure, and moreover it's not clear that in the sport of competitive swimming, there's a material advantage. Is it because they might be taller, have longer legs? Are there no unusually call cis women? Is it because they aren't all taking potentially harmful hormone treatments? I presume most doing *this* are taking it, in fact. Something *big* is missing from this debate, and Gaines' brain.

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Terra M.'s avatar

Riley Gaines could have taken the loss—no, wait, the tie for fifth place—with grace and used it to as fuel to do better next time. The refusal to exist in reality was so strong that it has defined her every waking moment.

Now she lives a pale shade of a life, a black hole of bitterness and delusion that can never be filled no matter how much she tries, no matter how deeply she hates, no matter how loud she shouts, no matter how much money she is handed.

She would be pitiable if she wasn't so dangerous.

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Julie's avatar

Well said. Her life right now is no life at all, and she is young. She has some time to figure things out, but, unfortunately, she will cause damage to so many before she is ultimately dropped by her supporters who will inevitably be chasing the next attention-grabbing horror show...

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Stef's avatar

She's gonna need a bandage and some aloe for that burn :)

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