Virtually every subgroup surveyed—from mothers to Black voters to even rural white voters—expressed greater confidence in the Democratic Party’s handling of transgender issues in the latest poll.
Good to see but only helps so much. Voters in general also rank trans issues close to the bottom of what they care about. So the extremely radical vocal minority if elected politicians continues the crucifixion and the majority of voters just don’t care enough to swing their vote away from Republican.
Except when the corporations that own the centrists of the “Democratic” party object against us! They are quick to change their minds when they are threatened with being Primary fodder!! They love the Money and Power First and Foremost!
Sad but true. The next Dem presidential nominee will be expected to publicly disavow trans people in the general election. Not sure whom among the field has the guts and integrity to stand up for us.
No, I think the expectation is definitely there. There is definitely a narrative being constructed in certain powerful factions of the Democratic Party that the reason for the loss in 2024 was because of the party's stances on, among other things, transgender issues. And I think they will put pressure on the next Dem nominee to distance themself from that in some way, likely by publicly repudiating trans women in sports (most likely), bathrooms and private spaces (possible), or by decrying trans youth healthcare (unlikely but possible).
Now, what I think is uncertain is whether those factions' hold on the party will be strong enough to overcome opposition from other factions. To use a sports metaphor, there are still a lot of innings left in this game, and it is unclear who will eventually emerge with an upperhand.
But we cannot assume the Democrats will always stand with us. They have turned their backs on other constituencies when politically convenient (for instance: the working class), and every day sees another editorial in a major publication that mentions trans rights as a reason the party lost in 2024.
I suspect, and strongly hope, that you may be correct in that assumption.
My worry is that it will come about as one of those classic general election shifts. Whatever is said in the primaries, once the nominee is chosen, that person will be asked to "move to the center", which in the minds of many means throwing trans people overboard.
Frankly, I think the same concern applies as well to immigration, but there's a lot of ground left to cover on that issue, too. Maybe a positive outcome of these nightmarish years will be a renewed commitment to basic human dignity. Or so I hope.
We have to give Democrats a REASON to stand with us - that we are among their most engaged voters / contributors / volunteers. Politics is less about the championing of noble principles and more about loyalty to those who put you in office.
I look at it this way: Dems threw us under the bus several times at the beginning of this Congress. However, when we started screaming loudly about it, they have been less willing to do so. I don't think it was just dumb luck that the anti-trans riders in this appropriations bill were stricken. The Dems had to have negotiated those away. I'd like to believe that my own two bus-bouncer Dem senators curtailed their bouncing in some part because I've been a solid contributor and supporter, and because I DEMANDED they stop doing it, loudly and frequently spitting expletives at their staffers over the phone, until I think I was finally understood.
Support relationships have to be groomed and nurtured. I am confident that we will have Dems on our side as long as we groom them that way and nurture our relationships with them.
As an Ally, 75 year old, lifetime Democrat that votes I totally agree with your comment-. "But we cannot assume the Democrats will always stand with us" <-- I certainly do not.
I'm glad I can read the actual question. That re-assures me no ambiguity or misinterpretation by answerers is involved. Thank you Erin, this is very good news.
Hopefully these polling data will get us a seat back on the Democratic bus. I hope we can purge the party of all the civil rights traitors who threw us under the bus.
Regarding the GOP, realistically, this only has the potential to change their tone. They probably won't be campaigning as fiercely with their anti-trans disinformation propaganda. However, they are unlikely to relent on their anti-trans policy ambitions. The reason is that the religious right demands it. Although most people apparently wish us no harm and don't like what they see the Republicans doing to us, we are among the top priority issues for the religious right - LGBTQ people and abortion. They want to eradicate us, because they imagine that's what their god wants them to do.
Most likely, Republicans will start trying to keep their anti-trans agenda low-key. Perhaps an effective way to campaign against them is to shine a light on their anti-people agendas - to show them as the cruel people they are.
But for now, let's hope we can step back on the bus. It's damned miserable underneath.
I sometimes get a smile when I read about high profile people share their support for their trans children. It seems more and more stories and people speaking out. I rarely contact my Oregon legislators because I am confident how they will vote. I concentrate on writing letters to those legislators I believe may be voting in opposition.
I think it would be wise if Democrat candidates did not make this a big issue until after the midterms. Once they regain power they can rollback antitransgender policies, but they need to get elected first. This may seem cowardly, but transgender people need immediate relief and protection that could get derailed by running on a pro-transgender policy. Democrats should learn from how Trump denied that he had any knowledge of Project 2025, then when elected he went balls out in implementing it.
They should not MAKE this a big campaign issue; however, they should also not demur when asked whether they support pro-trans positions. They should say that they do, and then say, "but there are so many more issues of importance to the other 99.5% of the population. I'd rather talk about that."
I think we need to look at parallels with other issues too. Attacks on trans people and reproductive health often co-occur, and approaches used to ban trans healthcare can also be used on abortion. I think we also need to be concerned that trans healthcare bans could be used to justify wider pre-existing condition exclusions returning (compliant scotus and a bit of legal maneuvering...)
Quick! Somebody tell Kansas!
Good to see but only helps so much. Voters in general also rank trans issues close to the bottom of what they care about. So the extremely radical vocal minority if elected politicians continues the crucifixion and the majority of voters just don’t care enough to swing their vote away from Republican.
Once again, white evangelicals are the nastiest demographic
Well 165 years ago they were Confederates, so, there's that.
Except when the corporations that own the centrists of the “Democratic” party object against us! They are quick to change their minds when they are threatened with being Primary fodder!! They love the Money and Power First and Foremost!
Sad but true. The next Dem presidential nominee will be expected to publicly disavow trans people in the general election. Not sure whom among the field has the guts and integrity to stand up for us.
"The next Dem presidential nominee will be expected to publicly disavow trans people in the general election."
I am far from sure that is likely.
No, I think the expectation is definitely there. There is definitely a narrative being constructed in certain powerful factions of the Democratic Party that the reason for the loss in 2024 was because of the party's stances on, among other things, transgender issues. And I think they will put pressure on the next Dem nominee to distance themself from that in some way, likely by publicly repudiating trans women in sports (most likely), bathrooms and private spaces (possible), or by decrying trans youth healthcare (unlikely but possible).
Now, what I think is uncertain is whether those factions' hold on the party will be strong enough to overcome opposition from other factions. To use a sports metaphor, there are still a lot of innings left in this game, and it is unclear who will eventually emerge with an upperhand.
But we cannot assume the Democrats will always stand with us. They have turned their backs on other constituencies when politically convenient (for instance: the working class), and every day sees another editorial in a major publication that mentions trans rights as a reason the party lost in 2024.
I have no doubt that expectation is there on the part of some. I doubt they have the pull you anticipate.
"But we cannot assume the Democrats will always stand with us" <-- I certainly do not.
I suspect, and strongly hope, that you may be correct in that assumption.
My worry is that it will come about as one of those classic general election shifts. Whatever is said in the primaries, once the nominee is chosen, that person will be asked to "move to the center", which in the minds of many means throwing trans people overboard.
Frankly, I think the same concern applies as well to immigration, but there's a lot of ground left to cover on that issue, too. Maybe a positive outcome of these nightmarish years will be a renewed commitment to basic human dignity. Or so I hope.
We have to give Democrats a REASON to stand with us - that we are among their most engaged voters / contributors / volunteers. Politics is less about the championing of noble principles and more about loyalty to those who put you in office.
I look at it this way: Dems threw us under the bus several times at the beginning of this Congress. However, when we started screaming loudly about it, they have been less willing to do so. I don't think it was just dumb luck that the anti-trans riders in this appropriations bill were stricken. The Dems had to have negotiated those away. I'd like to believe that my own two bus-bouncer Dem senators curtailed their bouncing in some part because I've been a solid contributor and supporter, and because I DEMANDED they stop doing it, loudly and frequently spitting expletives at their staffers over the phone, until I think I was finally understood.
Support relationships have to be groomed and nurtured. I am confident that we will have Dems on our side as long as we groom them that way and nurture our relationships with them.
As an Ally, 75 year old, lifetime Democrat that votes I totally agree with your comment-. "But we cannot assume the Democrats will always stand with us" <-- I certainly do not.
It'd leave me with more hope and confidence if the Democrats actually had a decent stance that wasn't simply opposition
What a great comment. Democrats are always on the defense.
I'm glad I can read the actual question. That re-assures me no ambiguity or misinterpretation by answerers is involved. Thank you Erin, this is very good news.
let's make sure they know this!
"you like me, right now, you like me" Sally Field upon winning her second Oscar and me while reading these bar graphs.
Hopefully these polling data will get us a seat back on the Democratic bus. I hope we can purge the party of all the civil rights traitors who threw us under the bus.
Regarding the GOP, realistically, this only has the potential to change their tone. They probably won't be campaigning as fiercely with their anti-trans disinformation propaganda. However, they are unlikely to relent on their anti-trans policy ambitions. The reason is that the religious right demands it. Although most people apparently wish us no harm and don't like what they see the Republicans doing to us, we are among the top priority issues for the religious right - LGBTQ people and abortion. They want to eradicate us, because they imagine that's what their god wants them to do.
Most likely, Republicans will start trying to keep their anti-trans agenda low-key. Perhaps an effective way to campaign against them is to shine a light on their anti-people agendas - to show them as the cruel people they are.
But for now, let's hope we can step back on the bus. It's damned miserable underneath.
I sometimes get a smile when I read about high profile people share their support for their trans children. It seems more and more stories and people speaking out. I rarely contact my Oregon legislators because I am confident how they will vote. I concentrate on writing letters to those legislators I believe may be voting in opposition.
Love wins! 🏳️⚧️💕🏳️⚧️
I think it would be wise if Democrat candidates did not make this a big issue until after the midterms. Once they regain power they can rollback antitransgender policies, but they need to get elected first. This may seem cowardly, but transgender people need immediate relief and protection that could get derailed by running on a pro-transgender policy. Democrats should learn from how Trump denied that he had any knowledge of Project 2025, then when elected he went balls out in implementing it.
They should not MAKE this a big campaign issue; however, they should also not demur when asked whether they support pro-trans positions. They should say that they do, and then say, "but there are so many more issues of importance to the other 99.5% of the population. I'd rather talk about that."
I 100% agree with you. Your response is perfect.
I'm reasonably sure that not emulating Trump's dishonesty is preferable.
Very good news!
Most welcome news.
I think we need to look at parallels with other issues too. Attacks on trans people and reproductive health often co-occur, and approaches used to ban trans healthcare can also be used on abortion. I think we also need to be concerned that trans healthcare bans could be used to justify wider pre-existing condition exclusions returning (compliant scotus and a bit of legal maneuvering...)
Once again the bigots have over shadowed the Epstein files.