For a simple example: my mother is Catholic and until Trump came along, a lifelong single-issue Republican voter who always said she would be a Democrat if it weren’t for abortion. She attends church in an extremely progressive, famously LGBTQ-friendly town.

There’s a transwoman who attends her church (let’s call her Rita). This lady is probably in her mid-50s to mid-60s and has been a fixture at the church for at least 5 years. My mom has been in choir and bible study groups with her for years now. She still just can’t see Rita as a woman. Treats her politely but behind her back refuses to call her “she” and says she’s a “man in a dress”.

She’s really offended that Rita uses the ladies’ room. I’ve asked her why and she can’t articulate it, she just feels like it’s an invasion of her privacy, because men don’t belong in the ladies’ room. And when I point out that Rita isn’t a man, she just rolls her eyes. I’ve asked her if she’s worried that Rita is in there for predatory purposes and she admits that she doesn’t think Rita intends any harm. I’ve asked her how she’d feel if she were forced to use the men’s room and she says “but that’s different!”

My mom prides herself in being a moral person, and still can’t manage to get past her bigotry to see Rita as a woman. There are just too many mental blockades against it. But since she thinks she’s so highly moral, she thinks she must be correct in this situation. It excuses her from finding empathy and bettering her attitude toward trans folks.

My longwinded point is that when people who consider themselves highly moral are bigoted, there’s almost zero chance of getting through to them. And I think a lot of the people who are bigoted against trans folks feel that morality is on their side and being trans is morally deviant, so they think they’re justified in their prejudice.

Those are pretty great cat thumbs.

Republicans

I didn’t change my name. My perspective is that my identity doesn’t change just because I got married. My name has been mine since birth and it’ll remain that way.

Bitty is a treasure!!

Yeah also 4chan

Ear is beak

Holy piss I did not expect that

Do you not have a VPN?

Mochi is adorbs, give hug now!!

That’s pretty reductive. How much power do you think the Israeli people have?

I’m American. I know my country is funding this genocide. All I have is my vote, which has very little impact. I care a lot, but other than my vote I’m powerless to stop my government from arming Israel.

The Israeli citizens are similarly powerless.

You should care. The people are not the leadership.

“They brought me a turkeyberder instead of a HAMberder?! Call SEAL Team 6!!”

Ugh true :(

Does whatever a spidercat does

Huh, TIL… well let’s not tell my catholic mom I got that wrong haha

Or a habit.

They didn’t even bother with a phase shift smh

Oh mylanta… little Bitty and her lil bitty sweater!! 😍

The severity of this storm is likely due in part to climate change brought about by the oil industry.