Another Democrat bends on trans rights in new ad responding to GOP attacks

[FreeState]

This is so disappointing - the correct way to respond to hate is not to agree with it.

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has become the second Democratic candidate this week to release an ad responding to the GOP’s transphobic attacks – an ominous turn for trans advocates who worry Democrats may be starting to throw trans rights under the bus.

Brown’s ad is a response to a smear campaign from the Ohio Republican PAC Senate Leadership Fund, which has spent millions of dollars on ads attacking trans people. One ad says Brown “voted multiple times to allow transgender biological males in women’s sports” and “supported allowing minor children to receive sex change surgeries.”

Brown’s response ad plays clips from the attacks and calls them “a complete lie.” But instead of proceeding to express support for trans rights, he reminds voters that Ohio’s state lawmakers had already banned trans girls from sports. He then expressed agreement with the state’s anti-trans Gov. Mike DeWine (R) that the issue of trans women in sports should be left to individual sports leagues and associations rather than the government.

...snip...

Trans activist and journalist Erin Reed said the language Brown perpetuates in the ad “reinforces the narrative that transgender women are ‘biological men’ and that his assertion about the Ohio state law “suggests a degree of distancing from transgender athletes.”

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/10/another-democrat-bends-on-trans-rights-in-new-ad-responding-to-gop-attacks/

[TommyT139]

1. At the same time

Both his statements are facts. Also, he has no power to change things for trans people unless he wins his election and Dems take the Senate.

Does it suck? Sure. But this election is life or death -- literally -- for trans people. As has been demonstrated even here, support for trans people in the Democratic party is not strong enough and all too often misinformed. I have no doubt that if Sherrod Brown wins his race, he'll vote in favor of the Equality Act, continued healthcare access for trans folk, reinforced protections for trans students in school, and yes, support for trans kids playing sports.

After all, most of the sports organizations are fine with youth on puberty blockers and appropriate HRT playing on the team consistent with their gender identity. The impossible situation is when trans youth who want access to care are denied it; and at the same time, they are denied access to some of the core social experiences of childhood and teen years.

[FreeState]

4. There is a problem with that reasoning though

This kind of reasoning is exactly what keeps harmful narratives alive. By saying “this election is life or death” and then defending a candidate who compromises on trans rights, you’re setting up a dangerous precedent. The problem isn’t just what Sherrod Brown is saying in the ad, but what it signals to trans people: that their rights can be negotiated away for the sake of political convenience. That hurts, deeply.

There are ways to acknowledge the stakes of an election without validating harmful rhetoric. He could have made it clear that the GOP’s attacks are based on misinformation and fearmongering, and that trans rights are not up for debate. Standing firm on human dignity doesn’t weaken a candidate’s position—it strengthens it. Saying “we need to win first, then we’ll protect you” is cold comfort to those who are already facing discrimination every day.

[In It to Win It]

5. Brown wouldn't be a step backwards

However, you define “compromising” on trans rights, Sherrod Brown wouldn’t be a regression, for lack of better words, but it would be if he loses.

You have to choose between maintaining the status quo (or maybe an inch of progressing on the issue) and regressing. Sherrod Brown is someone you could at least negotiate with even if he’s not all the way there. There is no negotiating with his opponent. Sometimes, politics puts you in the position of having to choose. This may be one of those times.

[TommyT139]

9. Reviewing in detail

Reviewing what is in the LGBTQ Nation article, it sounds like Sherrid Brown did make clear the GOP attacks were lies.
From the article:
Brown’s response ad plays clips from the attacks and calls them “a complete lie.”

Then, "he reminds voters that Ohio’s state lawmakers had already banned trans girls from sports." That is simply a fact, and no single legislator would have the power to change that.

Finally, "He then expressed agreement with the state’s anti-trans Gov. Mike DeWine (R) that the issue of trans women in sports should be left to individual sports leagues and associations rather than the government."
Do you fault him for wanting the government out of sports regulations, when it is such a complex and variable field -- where research is still coming in, which by and large does permit trans people to participate? Trans people - embodiments, Identities - are by no means monolithic, and policy cannot be, either. In addition, regional and national governments don't have the jurisdiction to impact international sports organizations.

Of course that is a different topic than the participation of school age children in sports...which policies have come from the Dept of Ed, on the federal level. Again -- Dems solidifying power in Washington DC is the best way to strengthen support for trans youth...and trans people overall, who after all, are the real target of the fascist theocracy.

As far as whether Brown should fall for the trap of being entangled in the fruitless uneven war of words with unethical rethugs, I don't fault him at all. There is no winning on that level, unless you are suggesting he take a momentary position that would likely be his last statement on the matter.

You said, "By saying “this election is life or death” and then defending a candidate who compromises on trans rights, you’re setting up a dangerous precedent."

First off, this election is life or death, for me, my loved ones, and literally thousands of other trans people I have known, worked with, and lobbied for, for over a quarter of a century. Taking a tactical approach has gotten us pretty damn far, despite what I pray is a temporary setback, culturally.

The "dangerous precedent" as I see it is the insistence on absolutist purity of messaging. Time and again we in the trans activist communities have lost allies for not being perfect enough, or for ensuring their own survival ahead of ours, when we need for them to survive as well.

I am a big fan of Erin Reed's, but when I saw Brown's ad, it seemed reasonable to me. Ohio has been a rough state for trans people for a long long time, and will be for years to come. Reed's larger point seems to be that we need to win at every level in the upcoming election, and then keep up the work that's been going on for years -- ideally with a corresponding change in the Supreme Court makeup. The alternative is terrifying.

[appmanga]

2. Those ads are an indication of the desperation...

...of Ted Cruz, Bernie Moreno, Donald Trump, and any other Republican who uses them. Anyone who questions Brown's progressive bonafides must know nothing about him. Let's be grownups. There was nothing wrong with Brown's response.

[FreeState]

3. Lets be grownups?

That's really condescending to tell gay people that their concerns are wrong. Seriously - read the article there are gay organizations calling it out because it IS HARMFUL to our trans family. There are a multitude of ways to combat hate but implying its not there or that the issue isn't an issue us harmful.

[appmanga]

6. Him saying laws exist is harmful?

More harmful than a senator who will vote to put people on the federal court who are anti-LGBT+ in all areas?

Yes, I said be a grownup because grownups don't expect perfection from politicians, especially when they're running.

Do you want an ally who actually hold office or do you want a full throated statement of support that might cost that ally an election?

[Initech]

8. It's really time to find out where this hideous conspiracy is coming from.

And why so many people are falling for this bullshit.

[appmanga]

10. It might very well be a lie...

...or if it's true, it's an isolated case. I think we all know there's no great rush of transgender kids trying to compete in high school sports.

[Initech]

11. No doubt it's a lie. And it's definitely outrage bait.

In fact, I'd bet good money that the people who are fueling the outrage over this don't give a flying fuck about women's sports and are only using this to further right wing hatred.

[Initech]

7. The thing is the people who are concerned about this have probably never seen a single women's sporting event.

Or could name one famous female athlete. I feel like this issue is outrage bait.