Con(dem)nation
palestine + trans rights
The Republican Party and the Democratic Party are no longer just opposing sides with differing beliefs on where we should spend our money or what social issues we should tackle. They’re rival high school groups with the goal of gaining the most popularity while ignoring the needs of their lower-status peers. One of these groups is now in charge. They voted their egotistical leader for class president, and now he rules the school, causing devastation with every policy.
But what about the other group?
Call me a crazy radical leftist, but there are many flaws within the Democratic Party, and just because Trump won doesn’t mean I’m only allowed to criticize him. He’s a monster, but we all know that. So what now?
Silently hoping that our democratic friends will help us is ultimately ineffective, so what we need to do is fight for the change we want to see and actually urge the Democrats to do more.
My two complaints that I’ll be focusing on are the Democrat's support/complicity with the genocide and their anti-trans rhetoric.
The Biden administration’s complicity in Israel’s actions and Harris’ refusal to reconsider Biden’s policies severely weakened the party’s leftist support. Many young pro-Palestine individuals refused to vote in the 2024 election or even cast a vote for Trump because of this reality. While I don’t particularly agree with abstaining or voting for Trump, I hear what people are saying. I acknowledge this major flaw within the Democratic Party, and I wish more Democrats did too.
In October of 2023, a group of progressives in Congress introduced a resolution urging the Biden administration to call for an immediate ceasefire (H.Res.786). This resolution also called on the president to send immediate humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Despite the overwhelming positive effect such a ruling would have, Democratic U.S rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Democratic U.S Senator Chuck Schumer refused to back it. Instead, they both participated in a pro-Israel rally, highlighting their loud support of Israel’s actions, and disgraceful disregard of Palestinians.
When South Africa brought a genocide case against the Israeli government at the International Court of Justice, over 60 House Democrats joined 148 Republicans to condemn the 84-page filing, calling it “meritless” and “grossly unfounded.” Over 60,000 Palestinians have died, severe famine is unfolding, soldiers chant that no civilians are uninvolved, and Netanyahu calls for the extinction of Palestine, yet “it’s simply just a war,” or better yet, “a conflict.” I don’t know about you, but I think South Africa probably knows better than most about apartheid violence, and with the confirmation of many reputable peace organizations, I think it’s safe for Republicans AND Democrats to call it what it is. A genocide.
It’s no secret that the US treats our allyship with Israel as sacred. It feels like no matter who’s in charge, they’ll be twirling their hair while drawing hearts around Netanyahu’s yearbook photo.
According to Chuck Schumer, “The United States has always stood with Israel…And we will do everything to see that that never, ever changes.” It’s scary to hear that thousands of human beings can die and it still won’t be enough for us to cut ties with an oppressing regime.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/11/15/orfq-n15.html
Nancy Pelosi states, “Israel and America are connected now and forever...We will never allow anyone to make Israel a wedge issue." She then adds, “We must also be vigilant against bigoted or dangerous ideologies masquerading as policy, and that includes BDS.” For those that aren’t aware, BDS is a non-violent movement run by Palestinians that promotes boycotts, divestments, and sanctions against Israel. The only thing bigoted or dangerous is stances like Pelosi’s that focus more on money and power than safety and wellbeing.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/03/26/bombs-rain-down-gaza-pelosi-praises-aipacs-leadership?
So we’ve established that democratic empathy extends to oppressors seeking to ethnically cleanse, but what about, I don’t know, trans people?
Well, no. Sadly, that’s too much to ask.
Democrats, despite being perceived as more progressive than Republicans with their stance on LGBTQ+ rights, don’t really care. When faced with backlash from the right, many Democrats are willing to go back on their words and pander to conservatives. This is highlighted especially with the topic of trans women in sports, but you could find evidence of this anywhere.
One example of this sinister switch-up is Democratic Representative Seth Moulton, who, in the beginning, co-sponsored the Transgender Bill of Rights and opposed anti-trans sport bills. After the 2024 election, Moulton told the New York Times, "I have two little girls. I don't want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat, I'm supposed to be afraid to say that."
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/boston/news/seth-moulton-trans-athletes-democrats/
Not only is this such an ignorant statement, but it’s also filled with assumptions. First, the assumption that there has been conclusive evidence that trans athletes have a universal biological advantage against cis ones - there hasn’t. Second, the assumption that there are even enough trans girls playing sports that this is a real issue - there aren’t. Lastly, the assumption that grown men would ever be playing sports with little girls - they wouldn’t be. I understand that “male” doesn’t exclusively mean adult, but using that word to refer to trans girls that would realistically be your daughter’s age, is weird and likely intentional. You can’t tell me that that choice of language isn’t a subtle nod at the bigoted stereotype that mtf trans people are just grown (potentially creepy) men dressing up.
Another instance of a Democrat going back on their words about trans people is representative Tom Suozzi, who previously supported the Equality Act, participated in pride events and also opposed anti-trans legislation. After 2024, Suozzi said, “I don’t want to discriminate against anybody, but I don’t think biological boys should be playing in girls’ sports… Democrats aren’t saying that, and they should be.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/11/13/moulton-transgender-comments-democratic-party
Let’s break this down.
“I don’t want to discriminate against anybody, but…” - already a lie. No previous support can convince me that you don’t want to isolate and otherize trans people. And the “but” isn’t helping your case.
“I don’t think biological boys should be playing in girls’ sports…Democrats aren’t saying that” - this is also false. Democrats are, in fact, saying that.
Many Dems also blame their more progressive party members for their loss in the 2024 election, stating that their hard stance in support of trans people went too far and alienated voters. Funny enough, this is also what they said about pro-Palestinian Democrats. Rather than taking accountability for harmful policies and fake advocacy, I have seen too many democrats blame anyone but themselves…
Lastly, I want to emphasize that the reason I wrote this is not to be overly pessimistic or some so-called “centrist”. I really am rooting for the Democrats, hence why I want them to do better. I would say, “I’m not mad, just disappointed,” but the truth is, I am mad because the belief that Palestinians shouldn’t be starved and killed and that trans people should exist and be protected shouldn't be considered “radical,” especially not from the party that claims to care. I know the state of the US sucks right now, but that doesn’t mean we should stop trying. Shout out to those in the Democratic Party who are putting in a good fight, and to those who aren’t - do better.
Additional sources:
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trans-democrats-election-trump/tnamp/
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna179370
https://bdsmovement.net/news/bds-condemns-us-democratic-party
https://al-shabaka.org/briefs/depressing-the-vote-genocide-and-2024-us-presidential-race/
While I disagree with some of this, I would like to add a few important points; the U.S cannot stand against Israel because we helped make Israel. Also, I feel a lot of these issues stem from the 2-party system and the American political process because at some point you have to try to reason with and "play nice" with the other side in order to get legislation passed. But, Zohran Mamdani winning gave me immense hope that this doesn't have to be reality forever if the democrats don't want it to be.