Rep. Eugene Vindman came to a predominantly Republican Virginia county Tuesday night expecting to tell local Democrats why they needed to help him win reelection and put their party back in control of Congress. Instead, the first-term Democrat spent much of his visit defending himself to transgender members of his own party before leaving after a profane confrontation with a constituent.
At least two transgender women and one transgender man challenged Vindman over his May vote for GOP-backed legislation affecting transgender students. Some described being outed to unsupportive parents. Others questioned why transgender people should trust Democrats to protect them when members of the party sometimes support Republican measures targeting them.
“Kids can’t consent to puberty blockers cuz it’s a big decision without permanent bodily changes.”
“Kids’ consent doesn’t matter when it comes to puberty, which has permanent bodily changes.”
From my limited experience talking to people against puberty blockers, first of all, they never remember the first part, that blockers are reversible and that the whole point is that they’re temporary and don’t leave permanent bodily changes. They always forget that aspect. That’s not relevant to their concerns. What makes them firm in their position is that they say it’s to protect kids from making the wrong decision.
(same thing they tell full-grown adults as to why we all need some random stranger’s permission before we’re allowed anything in the way of medical transition, to “protect” us from ourselves. indefinitely infantilized regardless of age.)
It doesn’t matter how many times the suicide rates are brought up or how they’re arguing for the protection of hypothetical cisgender kids who somehow accidentally go through transition as a result of being allowed blockers, at the cost of real transgender kids who can and do advocate for themselves only to be told no. Nothing changes these people. Because they would honestly rather that lots of trans kids die if it means they could possibly “save” even one cisgender kid from accidentally transitioning (which again, is not what blockers are for). They view trans people as lesser and a worthy sacrifice so as to save someone from being transgender.
I hope that was coherent enough, I’m tired, in many ways. have some trans: 🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️
edited to make it slightly less annoying to read here, have some more trans: 🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️