Of course you know about the religious right...

[RileyG]

All drag queens who are male and dress up as females are transvestites. Not all transvestites are drag queens.

It’s a sexual fetish. Definitely not ok in front of children.

 

[rjs330]

Maybe learning to accept that others have different beliefs wouldn't be such a terrible thing for them.

Accepting isn't the issue. Everyone accepts that others have different beliefs. I'm pretty sure that you accept that there are white supremacists who believe different things than you. Or perhaps christian nationalists out there who believe differently. I would think you accept the fact that they believe differently than you. So acceptance that others have different beliefs isn't the real issue is it?

 

[rjs330]

Nobody mentioned 'language police'. This is entirely up to you. Mary appears to be simply a woman. You've know her for some time. Such a nice person. Very helpful. Great company. Then you find out she used to be Dave. So do you now call Mary he or she? No-one has asked you to do one or the other. No-one has said 'this is what you must do.' It's entirely up to you.

So no excuses about being forced to do something you don't want to. I want to know what your personal decision is.

No one should care what my personal decision is. That's the issue. People want to force me to do something specific concerning my use of a pronoun. I mentioned language police. And I did it for a reason. If I said I would call Mary he/him what would you say to that?

 

[RileyG]

No one should care what my personal decision is. That's the issue. People want to force me to do something specific concerning my use of a pronoun. I mentioned language police. And I did it for a reason. If I said I would call Mary he/him what would you say to that?

It’s usually blatantly obvious if a “woman” used to be a man (actually is male). Deep voice, Adam’s apple, facial structure, hands. Surgery usually doesn’t change that.

 

[rjs330]

I doubt Mary would fool me. I know a Carl that used to be a Mary but I just call him friend.

My best friend has a transexual daughter who used to me female and has transitioned to male. I use the chosen name. I will slip now and then and call her "she". My buddy is understanding and we just move on. "Bill" has a lot of mental health issues struggles. I feel so bad for her.

 

[The Barbarian]

Accepting isn't the issue. Everyone accepts that others have different beliefs. I'm pretty sure that you accept that there are white supremacists who believe different things than you.

But I also accept that they have a perfect right to believe those things and even to spread their filth so long as they don't impose it on other people. Which is to say, they can have their cross burnings on their own property, but not across from the home of a non-white family. Pretty much the way that other people have a right to do their thing as long as they don't do it in the street and scare the horses.

So acceptance that others have different beliefs isn't the real issue is it?

It is for me. But maybe for other people, those right have conditions.

 

[BPPLEE]

My best friend has a transexual daughter who used to me female and has transitioned to male. I use the chosen name. I will slip now and then and call her "she". My buddy is understanding and we just move on. "Bill" has a lot of mental health issues struggles. I feel so bad for her.

The one I was speaking of is an EMT and I see him at work, we usually don’t call each other by name.

 

[rjs330]

And from there to Trump bashing

Every thread goes to Trump bashing. You should know that by now. The hatred for the man never ends.

 

[BCP1928]

My best friend has a transexual daughter who used to me female and has transitioned to male. I use the chosen name. I will slip now and then and call her "she". My buddy is understanding and we just move on. "Bill" has a lot of mental health issues struggles. I feel so bad for her.

And some of those mental health issue struggles are made worse by the reaction of society (in the person of no doubt well-meaning people like you) to his condition.

 

[The Barbarian]

My best friend has a transexual daughter who used to me female and has transitioned to male. I use the chosen name. I will slip now and then and call her "she". My buddy is understanding and we just move on. "Bill" has a lot of mental health issues struggles. I feel so bad for her.

Not long ago, in a university setting, I was being helped by a person dressed as a female. Clearly transgender, and didn't try to hide it. At one point, I said "thank you, sir." They didn't blink an eye. Intent matters, I guess.

 

[BPPLEE]

But I also accept that they have a perfect right to believe those things and even to spread their filth so long as they don't impose it on other people. Which is to say, they can have their cross burnings on their own property, but not across from the home of a non-white family. Pretty much the way that other people have a right to do their thing as long as they don't do it in the street and scare the horses.


It is for me. But maybe for other people, those right have conditions.

What would you think about white supremacists being invited to libraries to read to pre schoolers?

 

[The Barbarian]

Every thread goes to Trump bashing.

Well, it's not surprising that the rise in homicides during the Trump administration has been called "the Trump Bump." Blaming it on COVID only sharpens the focus, since bungling the pandemic response was also a Trump decision, one that cost hundreds of thousands of lives.

If he'd just own up to messing up once and a while, it probably wouldn't hurt so much.

 

[BPPLEE]

Well, it's not surprising that the rise in homicides during the Trump administration has been called "the Trump Bump." Blaming it on COVID only sharpens the focus, since bungling the pandemic response was also a Trump decision, one that cost hundreds of thousands of lives.

If he'd just own up to messing up once in a while, it probably wouldn't hurt so much.

Sure. Just as soon as Biden takes responsibility for the disaster at the border

 

[Bradskii]

No one should care what my personal decision is. That's the issue. People want to force me to do something specific concerning my use of a pronoun. I mentioned language police. And I did it for a reason. If I said I would call Mary he/him what would you say to that?

I don't want a 'what if' situation. And I said this wasn't a case of you being forced into something you didn't want to do. I want to know what your personal, unforced decision would be.

This isn't a difficult question. We're removing any possible rejection of what the 'language police' might demand. Because yeah, I don't react very well sometimes when I'm told I must do something as well. So that's off the table. What's your personal decision?

 

[BCP1928]

There is no such thing as Christian gender conformity.

Of course there is. Doesn't the 'Christian Family Values' model provide for fairly sharply defined social and sexual roles for men and women? And look at the Culture Wars issues: from strictly gendered dress codes for schoolchildren all the way to concern about the feminization of men. It's all about adhering to those roles. Even LGBT. You are rightly concerned that some of their actions are sinful, but you make it plain that your concern would be much less if they only would keep it in the closet and take up the roles you prescribe for them.

 

[The Barbarian]

Sure. Just as soon as Biden takes responsibility for the disaster at the border

I notice that Biden's request for more courts to more quickly process asylum requests to end the backlog, and his request to beef up the border patrol have been stalled by republicans after Trump ordered them to do so. It's on them, now.

Aside from tying up the immigration courts and overwhelming facilities at the border, what has the "disaster" actually done to Americans? As you probably saw from the evidence, illegal immigrants add billions in GDP in this country, and they are generally more law-abiding than most native-born Americans.

 

[BPPLEE]

I notice that Biden's request for more courts to more quickly process asylum requests to end the backlog, and his request to beef up the border patrol have been stalled by republicans after Trump ordered them to do so. It's on them, now.

Aside from tying up the immigration courts and overwhelming facilities at the border, what has the "disaster" actually done to Americans? As you probably saw from the evidence, illegal immigrants add billions in GDP in this country, and they are generally more law-abiding than most native-born Americans.

Then NY and Chicago should be booming

 

[The Barbarian]

What would you think about white supremacists being invited to libraries to read to pre schoolers?

As long as they didn't advocate anything unlawful or harming anyone, what would be the problem? For example, Ron DeSantis has visited elementary schools. From all reports, he behaved himself, and did not advocate anything unlawful.

Yes, he had the state standards changed to require teachers to say slaves benefited from slavery because some of them learned trades, but while it's racist, it's not illegal to say that.

I think it's good for kids to know that there are people like that out there.

 

[The Barbarian]

Aside from tying up the immigration courts and overwhelming facilities at the border, what has the "disaster" actually done to Americans? As you probably saw from the evidence, illegal immigrants add billions in GDP in this country, and they are generally more law-abiding than most native-born Americans.

Then NY and Chicago should be booming

In cities, it's a housing problem. Chicago, for example, has an unemployment rate of about 4.2, which means that there's a worker shortage. But they don't have housing for lots of new people. Chicago's economy is growing about 4% annually right now, which is higher than that of the nation as a whole by about 25%. I guess you might call that "booming."

Chicago, IL Unemployment Rate Monthly Trends: Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment | YCharts

In depth view into Chicago, IL Unemployment Rate including historical data from 1990 to 2025, charts and stats.

ycharts.com

https://www.bls.gov/regions/midwest/summary/BLSSummary_Chicago.pdf

I can look up NYC if you like.

Meanwhile, you could help by writing your congressperson to get off the stick and pass Biden's bill to toughen up enforcement and speed up adjudication of asylum requests at the border. Assuming you actually care about it. As you know, Trump is opposing any increase in enforcement because he needs a campaign issue.

 

[BPPLEE]

Aside from tying up the immigration courts and overwhelming facilities at the border, what has the "disaster" actually done to Americans? As you probably saw from the evidence, illegal immigrants add billions in GDP in this country, and they are generally more law-abiding than most native-born Americans.


In cities, it's a housing problem. Chicago, for example, has an unemployment rate of about 4.2, which means that there's a worker shortage. But they don't have housing for lots of new people. Chicago's economy is growing about 4% annually right now, which is higher than that of the nation as a whole by about 25%. I guess you might call that "booming."

Chicago, IL Unemployment Rate Monthly Trends: Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment | YCharts

In depth view into Chicago, IL Unemployment Rate including historical data from 1990 to 2025, charts and stats.

ycharts.com

https://www.bls.gov/regions/midwest/summary/BLSSummary_Chicago.pdf

I can look up NYC if you like.

Meanwhile, you could help by writing your congressperson to get off the stick and pass Biden's bill to toughen up enforcement and speed up adjudication of asylum requests at the border. Assuming you actually care about it. As you know, Trump is opposing any increase in enforcement because he needs a campaign issue.

Chicago residents speak out against migrants welcomed by city: 'Junking up our country'

Chicago residents tore into city leaders at a meeting of the city council over the illegal immigrant crisis, accusing them of caring more for foreign asylum seekers than for Americans.

news.yahoo.com