Being on the left of the political spectrum seems to mean a lot of things these days. But what does it mean to you? Being a leftist can be associated with being for workers rights, a socialist, or even communist. For others, the most important thing is diversity and inclusion (also for the disabled). The other thing 'we' seem to be associated with is being green, unanimously vegetarians or vegan and all have a lot of armpit hair. A thing you often hear from more religious conservatives is that the left wants to expand abortion rights, and supports euthanasia. I am curious to see what it means to you!
To be honest, I would put myself on the conservative left. I tend to prioritize subjects like healthcare, housing, workers rights and inclusion over other things. Those are the things that are closest to my heart. As I person, I accept and have friends who currently are in transition. Others heavily support Greenpeace and don't even want to fly on an airplane because of the environment. To me that's fine, I accept all of that, but being left for me stands for:
1] affordable healthcare by publicly funded insurance for all 2] affordable housing - a human right, not a market. 3]* inclusion*: no matter your disability, gender or sexual preference: you should be allowed to participate and feel valued. 4] We make sure *we take care of our elderly & children *With available state pension, elderly homes, and childcare (However I would prefer grandparents or parents to take care of children) 5] no corporate mass surveillance by data brokers, capitalist tracking, age verification or censorship. Freedom of speech and information and proliferation of open source software.
An incredible eye-opening article pointing out the hypocrisy of capitalists due to their selective selective and hypocritical indignation. I think the democrats do have good intentions and fail to highlight the hypocrisy of the pro-life anti-abortion movements against the suffering of the ones already living. Those single moms or, the disabled or elderly not having access to proper healthcare, whilst seeing the social security offices closed by DOGE. Advocating for protecting the children against 'exploring which gender they feel most comfortable with', but yet protecting a child trafficking ring and pedophiles.
I don't even think the left is doing this purposefully... they just like myself seem often 'trapped' inside the loop of choosing sides, being left or right. Everything seems to be black or white these days, with no shades of grey or nuance.
Personally, however, I do not think it is a good idea to promote surgical gender reassignment or hormone therapies for minors. If I use myself as an example, I was desperate for a sense of belonging during puberty; I often felt different, rejected, and lonely. I could have easily felt at home in an open-minded group where peers discussed gender identity, especially if those issues were presented to me as a solution. I definitely would have seen that as an opportunity to fit into the LGBTQ+ community, which I always perceived as a more accepting and open-minded sphere. Now in my thirties, however, I am glad I was never part of the crowd hanging out under the bridge smoking weed; I am glad I never got a tattoo, and I now am absolutely certain that I am a man attracted to women. While I did experiment with men during puberty, it seems dangerous to me to begin any transition at such an early age; some changes cannot be undone, especially while the human body is still undergoing natural development and hormonal regulation.
That does not mean I am transphobic; the person who is currently my closest friend is in transition, and I would defend her choice against anyone insulting or mocking her. I actually think she would agree with me on this point; I will ask her the next time I see her!
Lastly, this does not mean the Republicans are not also using 'transphobia' to rally people against one another. The article is entirely right in that sense; they simply want to create a common 'minority enemy' for the unhappy group of mostly working class white-Americans who have nostalgia for the 1950s.