Over the past month, California Governor Gavin Newsom has been making headlines for all the right reasons: he's led an effort to respond to Texas Republicans' push to further gerrymander their state, used his profile to pressure Border Patrol and ICE, and found a very effective-and hilarious-way to get under Trump's skin through his Press Office's parodies of the president's writing style. All of these actions have catapulted him to national stardom, where he's taken on the role of leading the fight against the Trump administration.
However, to the trans community, his rise only brings fear. Because before these developments, he was trying to win over potential voters in a very different way: by abandoning the LGBTQ+ community.
In the United States, California has long had a reputation. And not just for its stereotyped sunny weather, surfer culture, and affluent, snobby culture, but for its liberal politics as well. California Democrats are synonymous-especially in more Republican-leaning areas-with the liberal style of politics conservatives detest. It's so difficult to overcome that despite California's large population and plethora of Democratic figures with a national profile, of the three presidents from California, none of them have been Democrats.
Evidently, Newsom is facing an uphill battle. So he's set off to appear more palatable to conservatives, starting with LGBTQ+ issues. Beginning in 2024, he started attempting to suppress pro-LGBTQ+ bills while they were still in the legislature in order to keep him from having to either veto them-losing progressives-or sign them-angering conservatives. Then, he went public with his new opinions during a conversation with Charlie Kirk on his podcast earlier this year, calling trans athletes' participation in girls' and women's sports 'deeply unfair.' And more recently, he signalled he changed his stance on gender-affirming care for minors as well.
Don't let perfection be the enemy of progress.
Don't let my human rights get in the way of your progress.
Help move the Overton window left or it will keep moving right.
Correct you do this by rejecting gavin and those like him who are false friends.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. When none of us have any rights left it won't even matter anymore. I understand the need to draw this line and stick to it and we should not overlook his treatment of transgender people, but the fact of the matter is we don't really get to pick and choose our allies right now. Personally, I have never liked the guy and never will, but he's at least fucking trying to do something while other politicians bend over or stick their head in the sand and wait for someone else to do something.
Sometimes the enemy of my enemy is also my enemy. If someone is willing to sell out one group of people, they are also willing to sell out other groups.
And Newsome has been very clear that he's willing to sell out multiple groups of people.
Kamala has been clear about selling out the palestinian people but eperyone kept believing her that she wouldn't sell them out.
Right? I keep hearing people say that she only said that she would side with Israel to get votes, but she was actually really secretly against the genocide. Just like I saw people say that Biden was "working tirelessly" to stop the genocide. It's been pretty obvious that wasn't true, but I guess calling a spade a spade is too much for some people.
from https://citationsneeded.medium.com/news-brief-us-media-top-dems-assist-trump-and-israels-unprovoked-attack-on-iran-d391810dc29b
Here's the thing with US presidential elections: either the Democratic or Republican candidate will take office. It's not right, it's not good, but it's true. If you want the candidate you want to win the election, you need to get that candidate nominated by one of those two parties. Primaries matter.
Once the primaries are over, you need to vote for the candidate you prefer out of those two. Voting outside of those two, or not at all, gives your electoral support to the candidate you don't want to win.
Yes, you may well be forced to choose between bad and worse. But that's the choice you have. To be clear, I really don't want Newsom to rise for all sorts of reasons. However, I can't deny that his tactics against Trump right now are brilliant, and taking on the Texas redistricting nonsense head on is a good thing.
Your human rights, along with a whole lot of other people's, are in serious jeopardy right now. Is Newsom doing things right now that are supportive of those rights? Yes.
Incorrect as harris found out. Its best you stop living in this fairy land of yours.
If dems want to win they need to start meeting their base where its at.
People don't vote this way and you can't make them.
What if I don’t want either to win?
Are you aware that you are posting this to Blahaj Zone?
How many dead trans people are acceptable in the name of progress?
This isn’t a hypothetical. Newsom is engaging in behavior that measurably worsens mental health among trans people. Or for anyone that doesn’t need a fucking scientific study for basic moral insight, political leaders legitimizing attacks on trans people very reasonably makes trans people live in fear.
So how much progress makes it worth terrorizing trans people? What’s the minimum you’d take in exchange? Do you think you’re actually getting that out of Newsom right now? Where’s the line that will make you go ‘okay, we’ve made enough progress, now it’s trans peoples’ turn’?
Does that point even exist for you?
Or was your comment just a thought terminating cliche?
Conversely: don't let just any progress subvert your pursuit of perfection.
Just because Newsom is better than Trump does not mean you should accept his primacy before the candidates are listed. At least wait to see who else is running before attempting to curtail criticism.
Newsome is probably one of the worst candidates they could run.
The right hates him because he’s the governor of California.
The moderates are ambivalent about him.
And the left hates him because he keeps trying to pander to the right.