Remember, Hillary was against until it was popular; now she's not only for, but she's taking credit.

@1: Some politicians are weathervanes. So get out there and make wind.

When I was a kid (and had no idea that I would grow up and turn out to be trans) I nevertheless really wanted to be a girl and was abnormally preoccupied with trans stuff. It never crossed my mind that I might ever transition because I didn't want to turn out to be a prostitute or in porn. So even as a gender-conflicted person I had negative views of trans people. It was only though seeing and meeting real life trans people with mainstream jobs that I started to shed those fears and see trans people as benign, often boring, regular people.

I hope that society as a whole goes through that shift, in part due to things like this, and in part due to people like me being open about our trans-ness as boring ol professionals

Nothing describes the progress of LGBT rights in this country better than the old cliche "two steps forward, one step back." A moment of big progress followed by a backlash, then a pause, then another moment of progress.

Fortunately, the process does not have to go on forever; we're actually getting pretty close now to the real deal; full recognition, full equality. Just a few more years. Write letters, support progressive candidates, speak out and change minds.

@2: And perhaps it is a mistake to elect those "weathervane" politicians since people's rights should not be decided by who makes the most wind.

Ever consider that?

@5: The lesser of two evils is less evil. I will happily vote for Bernie, should he win the nomination. But if he doesn't... I will vote for Hillary, and I hope you will join me in making a mighty wind.

@6 you kinda left yourself open to a whole slew of fart jokes.

The link in that tweet is awesome. The original Science article is very easy to read, though, so you might as well go to the source. The study shows that if canvassers want to change the mind of someone prejudiced against trans people, they just need to teach said bigot how to empathize with trans people. They didn't teach them anything about transgenderism, or the brain science, or hormones, or crime statistics, or any of the facts about transgenderism. They just taught them how to relate to people different from themselves. The whole thing is fascinating. What isn't mentioned in the article is the implication that the bigots* they chose to get the experimental "treatment" began as pretty small-minded (and a little horrible, IMO) if they had to be taught how to care about other human beings.
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*I wish they had said more about the people who did not initially show animosity toward trans people. I mean, I think this study shows that they have more empathy to begin with.

Wait, so the Daily Show went from having no black people to being on BET?

@9, it's on Comedy Central.

@1,2: We can't fault politicians whom have grown in their acceptance and love for their LGBT friends, relatives, and constiuents; no more than we can fault ourselves and our own family for such growth and understanding.

Holding smoldering animosity otherwise isn't helpful for anyone.

What is sad about this is it's ever and thus. Humanity always, always seems to need to find that generation's boogieman/scapegoat. "The other". Why do we as a species never, ever get past this? The fear of what some perceive as 'different'? And we can't just let 'different' be - we have to find fault with it - and not just find fault - we have to drum 'different' up as something bad and evil and possessed, even; a threat - to children, to society, to humanity. For all of our big brains, we as a species really are as dumb as fucking posts.

@1 - What is it "it" you are referring to? Is it a transgender issue? Because I'm not aware of Hillary taking a position against transgender rights. Can you elaborate?

Or are you referring to marriage equality, since that's the LGBT issue that everyone always seems to refer to? If so, then who is this candidate who isn't a weathervane that you think we should elect instead? There isn't a candidate running who was for marriage equality from the get-go.

Oh, surely you don't mean Bernie Sanders? But he opposed marriage equality in Vermont, too. Oh, sure, eventually he changed his position LIKE A WEATHERVANE, but initially he was opposed to it.

You might say, "Yeah, well, he changed his position first." But when he changed his position, Hillary was Secretary of State and propriety and custom decree that the Secretary of State not take public positions on domestic issues. That said, she took unprecedented steps to address LGBT issues on an international level as Secretary of State, and came out in favor of marriage equality as soon as she left office.

So in essence, her timeline and Bernie's on marriage equality are essentially the same.

Or were you referring to something else? Please be specific.

I have a dream that someday everyone will be able to transition into whatever it is they want to be, then intolerance will rarely be an issue. I'd love to be thin and rich, please and thank you. /dream

@1, Stephen Colbert had a great line he delivered about (and right in front of) GW Bush: After some setup about his beliefs "...he believes the same thing on Wednesday as he did on Monday. No matter what happened on Tuesday."
I like Bernie and the fact that he's been pushing a lot of the same points for decades, but I also appreciate a politician who can change on an issue when the facts and circumstances prove that to be the right choice.

@16 That line is great on its own. Even funnier if you watch the video and see dumb "W"'s idiotic smirk through the whole thing.

Another right wing attempt to get the base excited in an election year. We’ve seen it before, and indeed it was nothing but a short term hate victory.

Demography is indeed on our side, as so many youngsters have trans friends and peers.
Older folks may have grown up on movies and shows that often portrayed trans as serial killers, prostitutes, or just plain crazies. Some may come around once a child or a niece is involved.

HB2, and the other bigoted and idiotic "trans" laws that have been popping up over the past couple of years actually make me really optimistic. Just like with marriage equality or LGBT rights in general: you know you have won when the old white guys panic and make prejudice into law.

It will take a few more years, but it is stuff like HB2 that moves us forward! Most of us on this blog are aware of the issue, but it is only after discriminatory legislation is made that we get news headlines, Daily Show segments, and a national conversation. When the small-minded haters actually start to show their deficiencies in law and the light of day, people who might not otherwise know or care about the issues come over to our side.

It is truly sublime that the bigots are the agents of progress and change.

[Phoebe @12, but we can fault people who misuse whom]