So, it’s Transgender Day of Visibility, a day I often do not particularly emphasize seeing as how my mirrors still work, but which I write about today only because this is a Visibility Day thing I did not see coming:
President Biden, in a first for any U.S. president, has issued on Wednesday a formal presidential proclamation recognizing the Transgender Day of Visibility https://t.co/zoyEKAZxYy
— Washington Blade (@WashBlade) March 31, 2021
The Washington Blade, as both my readers likely know, is the hometown gay paper of Washington D.C. which just happens to have national relevance because of its hometown being the seat of the federal government of the USA. There are other sources of this news, of course, but FUCK THEM, SUPPORT YOUR GAY PAPER, OKAY?
The whole article is here. But for fun and because I am a tease, let’s read a small excerpt together, eh?
Biden also recognizes long-standing issues facing the transgender community, calling ongoing violence against transgender people “a stain on our nation’s conscience.”
“In spite of our progress in advancing civil rights for LGBTQ+ Americans, too many transgender people — adults and youth alike — still face systemic barriers to freedom and equality,” Biden writes. “Transgender Americans of all ages face high rates of violence, harassment, and discrimination.”
I would write more, but some onion ninjas have apparently attacked my home.
I might very well say this again, but let me say this here for the first time: I was wrong about Biden. I had him down – justifiably, I thought – as the “business as usual” candidate, in the same way Clinton was. I was gutted Sanders and Warren were beaten to the nomination, because I thought they were better bets for progress.
A good summary of exactly why I was wrong is here: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/26/joe-biden-left-parties-power-radical-winning.
And this here is another.
No, I have conjunctivitis or something.
OK wow. I underestimated Biden too. I know he’s not going to be perfect but I’m just going to feel really glad about this right now anyway.
Biden wasn’t my first choice. I did vote for him, cuz back then, it was brain-smashingly obvious that (a) he was orders of magnitude less horrific than the Angry Cheeto, and (b) he actually, you know, listened to people and could even be persuaded to change his mind.
Seeing what he’s done in office… is a very pleasant surprise.
cubist @3: yes to all. And I’ll be pleasantly surprised even if Crip Dyke’s mention of onions points to the source of the second quote in the OP.
Someone must have given Biden a list of “Things that will piss off the Right”.
Kind of refreshing to see democrats not chase right-wing voters for a change. Maybe they finally figured out that the majority of Americans are far more liberal—when asked neutrally—than the party distribution would imply. (There are numbers about this out there, but I’m too lazy to look them up. Basically, most Americans mistakenly assume that the US is a very liberal country already, so they don’t bother voting/fighting for basic social policies.)
@billseymour #4
It’s a meme. ‘Onion ninjas’ stealthily enter your home and slice your onions. How do people usually react to onions being cut?
NBC News and the PBS Newshour both reported that Biden signed an executive order allowing transgender folks to serve openly in the military. He was reversing a Trump edict, and restoring an Obama one, not going somewhere we haven’t been before. There was no mention of Transgender Day of Visibility. Maybe he did both, and the order that had an actual effect was bigger news.
At first I read and then re-read that as “opinion ninjas” and I thought you had some cutting-edge analysis on this political development that’s been already published by other people.