Analysis: Texas officials bully transgender kids for political points

[LetMyPeopleVote]

Paxton and Abbott are attacking and threatening trans children for political points

Link to tweet

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/03/11/texas-transgender-politics/?utm_campaign=trib-social-buttons&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton are turning the law-and-order Republican Party into a gang of bullies, targeting transgender kids — and the parents who support them — with their decision to treat gender-affirming health care as child abuse.

That health care is legal under Texas law, but this is election season. Cynics who think politicians will say anything to get reelected have a new, sparkling piece of evidence......

But most of those aren’t sexy election issues. Paxton is in a runoff. Abbott faces a well-known, well-financed Democrat in November. And as The Texas Tribune’s Patrick Svitek has reported, they think they’ve got a hot item to entice Republican voters.

“This is a winning issue,” Abbott’s top political strategist, Dave Carney, told reporters last week. “Texans have common sense.”....

“How is that considered child abuse to accept them and love them?” one mother told them. “How can they overstep their power and try to come and tell me how I should love my child?”

[Alexander Of Assyria]

1. Evil. Only explanation.

[Magoo48]

2. Texas and Florida battling it out for most-degenerate-government award. Pond scum all!

[IngridsLittleAngel]

5. Idaho and Georgia have entered the picture...

Georgia trying to do what Texas is doing.

Idaho taking it even further - a bill going through the system trying to lump providing care for a trans kid under "genital mutilation" laws, and punishable by life in prison.

And we're going to see it in every single red state until they're stopped... Except I fear someone is gonna pull an "Idaho, hold my beer" and cook up something even worse before this is done.

[IngridsLittleAngel]

3. I think they're bullying trans kids because they like it..

And I am glad the author used that very word. Bullying. Not "protecting." Not "helping." Bullying. The very point of this, as I've said many times here, is to inflict cruelty and hate upon people who are different, and don't live the way they want.

But, I'm very much of the belief they would do this, no matter what the polls suggested. This is why they wanted power in the first place - to punch down and hurt "the others." If the pollsters said "This will help your election," they'd do it. If they said "It could hurt your election," they'd still do it. Just like Drumpf couldn't understand why he had nukes if he couldn't use them, the likes of Abbott don't get why they have power if they can't use it to bully and harm others.

That "This is something you could use in your campaign and could help get you re-elected" is just icing on the cake for them.

When this whole ugly nightmare is over, I hope a lot of people have their eyes opened. That they see that, no, attacking LGBTQ's is not "protecting children." That, no, the QOP is not "the party of families." And they sure as hell aren't the "party of small government," not when they think they have the right to harm children and destroy families because their narrow minds can't comprehend trans people exist, and they want to get rid of anything they can't understand or relate to.

Nothing but hugs and love for all the trans kids in Texas and other red states dealing with this shit right now.

Nothing but hatred and contempt for Abbott, Paxton, and any other Nazi thug pushing this systematic and targeted bigotry upon the innocent.

[SharonClark]

6. Well said.

[mopinko]

4. ""This is a winning issue," Abbott's top political strategist, Dave Carney"- that's why.

that is exactly why. cold, cruel political calculation.

[bucolic_frolic]

7. This is attempted conversion therapy through public shaming

and should be litigated as such.

[IngridsLittleAngel]

8. I agree...

Worse: I have seen and know first-hand what public shaming can do to a trans person, especially a younger one... It won't "convert" them, unless by "convert" they mean self-harm or suicide..

But you know what makes me sick and scared? I think these fascists would be just fine with that. Maybe even see it as the desired goal.

[area51]

9. I agree it's probably their desired goal.

They're sick f*cks. And the TX lege has no excuse; they need to stop taking bribes and fix the power grid.

[IngridsLittleAngel]

10. Yes they are...

And, of course, typical QOP leadership... Serious problems with the power grid, so... let's go after trans kids. That's how to solve problems...