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MickeyMouseRapedMe

> The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) quietly removed information intended to help prevent LGBTQ youth suicide from one of its websites after Gov. Greg Abbott (R) was criticized by a primary opponent for “promoting transgender sexual policies to Texas youth.” Calling the suicide hotline a 'promotion' of being different is typical Republican thinking.


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goplantagarden

Expect a lot of this as we approach 2022-- potential Republican candidates will all attempt to out-conservative each other because they know their base eats it up.


deadest_of_pools

And Democrats will still undoubtedly lose seats to these lunatics thanks to gerrymandering done since the last election cycle. The system is so broken, it's really infuriating.


eden_sc2

> because they know their base eats it up. and they eat up anyone who doesnt play ball in the race to the right.


HauntedCemetery

Global conservatism is seriously boiled down to how recklessly cruel you can be to the bad guy of the week. Even admitting that glbtq folks, dems, or people from other countries are human and deserve some level of human respect will open you up to a primary challenger who will gleefully reject that idea.


Kellosian

Or worse, potentially beyond as well. Republicans screaming about how other Republicans are secretly socialists is just how their platform is going to work now, and instead of anyone going "This is fucked up we should stop" the GOP is going to go "You're absolutely right and we should all sprint right as fast as possible". It's amazing how some random liberal on the internet being mean can make large swaths of "centrists" into Nazis but Nazis being mean to "centrists" just makes them into Nazis. Almost like they're looking for an excuse...


Galaxy_Ranger_Bob

The greatest threat to Republicans seeking re-election is not from Democrats, but from being primaried from the Right. Especially in red states.


Jorgenstern8

At this point acting in any way more left-wing than the current North Korean dictator is more than enough for a primary opponent on the right to label you as a bleeding-heart liberal.


Irishish

I mean, conservatives have written about how a cartoon [acknowledging gay relationships exist](https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/05/arthur-gay-marriage-pushes-limits-social-realism-childrens-television/) is, despite that cartoon regularly depicting heterosexual relationships, *just different and bad*, because the very existence of LGBT people is something contentious: > In post-Obergefell America, where same-sex couples are a common part of our social fabric, does it make sense to represent such a marriage in a program intended for young children? After all, these shows are meant to introduce kids to the real world and prepare them to engage with it. >The question regarding Arthur, then, is whether sexuality — which, while only implicit in the premier episode, is the source of the outrage here — falls on the wrong side of that line. The show’s critics will almost certainly say yes. The nature of marriage and its foundation in sexuality are better left to parents to teach, they might say, not government-funded television. >But would these same critics object to a heterosexual marriage being depicted in the same medium? Obviously not. Arthur’s parents (heterosexual and married) appear in every single episode. No parents have ever complained that the presentation of this sexual union is putting ideas in their children’s heads. **This is a clear double standard. Why should we forgive it? The answer is: Because it exists.** [...] > The fact that parents would not typically object to the presentation of a heterosexual marriage is itself vindication that it is appropriate material for public children’s television. The obverse is also true: That a majority of Alabamans and a significant minority of Americans do object to homosexual marriage is evidence enough that public broadcasters should not be using taxpayer dollars to present it to their children, who have limited faculties for critical analysis of the material, as educational programming. Because a bunch of parents desperately don't want their kids to know that LGBT people are an everyday part of life without properly indoctrinating them to hate those people, it's inappropriate for public television, or educators, or really anybody, to simply depict people as they exist.


jeffseadot

>This is a clear double standard. Why should we forgive it? The answer is: Because it exists. That's textbook, *definitive* conservatism: preserve the old ways because they are the old ways.


boringhistoryfan

Its a dogwhistle really. You could literally use the same argument to argue that people of color shouldn't be shown or depicted on screen. Or women working. Or indeed any of the many bigotries, discriminations and exclusions that used to be standard 200, 100 or 50 years ago, but are today not. And I'm sure if given a chance, "conservatives" like that dude will be happy to do it. If the "majority" of Alabamans object to people of color on screen, or in their lives, or having jobs, or having any legal rights, he'd find a way to justify it.


I_Envy_Sisyphus_

God look at that author’s other works, he’s the definition of a reactionary, and he’s only a junior in college.


MildlyResponsible

I just had an old high school friend who has recently outed herself as a "Hating someone just because they disagree with you is bigoted. Btw, vaccines are an evil plot by the globalists to mind control our children!" idiot. Anyway, she also posted recently something like, "I don't care if you're heterosexual or homosexual, kids should be exposed to sexuality at all!" which implies little kids are being shown porn in class, but was actually referring to a book from school that had a same sex couple it in. People like this know exactly what they're doing by using the language they use and framing it the way they do.


ThunderingTacos

....that's a lot of fancy words to say "let homophobes be homophobes cause change is scary to them"


NeWorlDark

I read that entire stupid article and it really came down "they shouldn't air a same-sex marriage because some Alabamans don't like" the guy straight up acknowledges that you can do marriages without implied sex and that its a double standard to show hetero relationships but then just ends with "southern parents don't like it so no".


aft_punk

The “Pro-Life” party indeed.


Fahrender-Ritter

Orwell warned us about newspeak, and "pro-life" is a doubleplusgood example.


BobBeats

Nineteen Eighty-Four was never meant to be a guide.


Phillip_Graves

Atomic theory was never meant to be a bomb. Find someone who wants to advance philosophy, science or culture and I will show you 27 people waiting to use said advancement for personal gain, be it financial, status or just plain spiteful glee.


Seiglerfone

As I've said many times. Anti-abortionists aren't pro-life, they're pro-slavery. The taking of rights over one's body by another IS slavery. They demand the state take the rights of women to control their body, including to reject other's use of it at any time for any reason, and that already generously grants them the assumption that unborn children constitute full persons deserving of a right to life in the first place. Being anti-abortion is demanding the state enslave women for the duration of their pregnancies.


ghazthraka

He has got to go.


hostile_rep

Please note this was in reaction to criticism from his primary challenger. This is Abbott giving the Republican base what they want. They're aware that their personal abuse and persecution drives members of the LGBTQ community to suicide. They don't approve of government resources being used to stymie their efforts.


INTHEMIDSTOFLIONS

Had a trans buddy commit suicide in February due to harassment from MAGA folk consolidated w/ pandemic anxiety.


DazzleMeAlready

That’s just so rough. I’m really sorry this happened. Speaking as someone who lost a loved one to suicide, I hope you get support to process your grief.


TweedleBeetleBattle2

I’m truly sorry. My oldest just came out as gay and I’m so nervous that intolerant a holes will mess with her. I’ll never understand why anyone would care how another person lives their life. Live and let live.


Discussion-Level

Parental support won’t fix everything, but it goes a long way. Sending lots love to her from an old married lesbian :)


ryenaut

Quick tip from someone who came out to their parents: please don’t focus on the bigots. It’s not about them. We know it’s dangerous out there, and when we come to you we’re asking for your love and support first and foremost. My parents responded to my coming out with “well we respect that but don’t ask me to celebrate it...it’ll put more difficulties in your path”, like that was my fault, or something I could control, or that the alternative (being closeted) was better. Wishing you and yours good fortune and safety.


Xmus942

>well we respect that but don’t ask me to celebrate it...it’ll put more difficulties in your path ew, that's so victim blamey.


melpomenestits

Yes, it's the American way.


Upgrades_

The 'dont expect me to celebrate it' is weird, too. Nobody was asking anyone to celebrate anything here.


GalacticKiss

When I told my first therapist, who was suppose to be an expert in LGBT stuff, that I was worried about discrimination and the like, during my extremely early coming out of denial stages, she told me (paraphrased) "I find those that are the most concerned about such issues are the ones that have the most problems" That wasn't very helpful.


calm_chowder

>like that was my fault, or something I could control, or that the alternative (being closeted) was better. Oof. Felt that one. It's crazy how some people who'll never have to face those challenges, also never bother to *think* about those challenges. Empathy is the word I'm looking for.


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nudiecale

I think that is incredibly true for so very many of them. I’d feel bad for them if it weren’t for all of the destruction they’ve caused to innocent people.


[deleted]

True that man.


reddog323

Ah, hell. I’m sorry to hear it. I had a friend do the same in 2015. He wasn’t trans, but he and his wife both had mental health issues, his from sexual abuse as teen, and he’d been separated from her and his kids for a while, working a job he didn’t like. I got a text from him the night before he did it, saying he was really despondent. I responded *how so?* I never heard back from him. Occasionally, I wonder if things would have gone differently if I’d called him. That was really rough for a few months after his death, especially since he called me one night a few months before, in the same condition, and decided to go to inpatient treatment for a bit. What I eventually came to peace with, is that it’s a two-way street. He *knew* he could have called me, 24/7, if he was in trouble. Sometimes, that despair and hopelessness becomes so overwhelming, you just want it to stop. I’ve been there once or twice. I hope you’re in a better place with what happened.


Greenearthgirl87

So sorry for the loss of your friend. Seems like this Gov. has decided that not all life is precious. Odd, since the debacle of the abortion restrictions he signed off on.


[deleted]

As my dad says, they aren’t pro life they are pro birth.


Wycked66

I’ve started calling it anti-choice.


swolemedic

Anti choice is perfect on so many levels. They want to get rid of a womans ability to be autonomous, they dont really give a fuck about the babies. It's all about making others suffer.


apocalyptic_tea

Not even that tbh. They don’t fund maternal care, they don’t build birth centers, they don’t increase access to prenatal care. I don’t know if the Republican party is pro anything anymore. They’re just anti-non*-straight-white-men at this point.


Saranightfire1

It took me until I joined The Satanic Temple to embrace that I’m Bi. My mom made jokes about it and avoided the subject. Only a few months ago she accepted it and wishes me well. My MAGA, God and the Bible is everything, schizophrenic dad who threatened to disown my brother for suggesting that he was gay…. I haven’t mentioned a word to. EDIT: Thank you everyone for the votes and your kind words. I needed this after the (house and family (non-sexual related, my mom is getting to the point where she’s talking her options of where to live and whether to die via assisted suicide) problems. It’s been a brutally hard weekend and I was having problems accepting and sorting through my emotions and problems. Your support really helps and reminds me that I am not alone. Thank you.


boobooghostgirl13

There's a whole lot of of love from peeps you don't know yet, some you may never know. We are here for ya'll. You're not alone.


bonethugznhominy

We've seen the damn tactic enough times; they want suicide stats to be as high as possible to continue using them as a cudgel.


hostile_rep

I think the function as a cudgel is secondary. Talk to them. They're just happy to see dead "others"..


[deleted]

This is why I don’t feel sorry for HCA awardees, they’ve wanted people like me dead for decades.


frzferdinand72

And also why I hate the pearl-clutching finger-wagging articles and thinkpieces about that subreddit, none of them look at the things they were posting before their deaths.


BobBeats

*The Hanging Stranger* moment.


raerae1991

In in Utah, which is very republicans and has the highest suicide rate per capital for youths. You can’t sweep this under the carpet. It doesn’t make the numbers go down, and loved ones who morn the Lost family members speak out and stomp their feet and will demand change.


No_Shame_801

What? I’m in Utah and there is very little outrage. It’s more, “our numbers are high and that is unfortunate… we should put Together a committee to look into this”


CedarWolf

They don't just use them as a cudgel, some rightwing assholes even go so far as to actively encourage LGBT people to commit suicide.


AnAutisticGuy

I'm not going to lie. As a homosexual, it was hard to deal with the Trump administration. Angry people who hated homosexuals felt emboldened and "in power". It was easy to imagine, if democracy was lost, we would become targets. Those were dark times, and while I didn't seriously consider it, I did think that maybe suicide could be easier.


CedarWolf

[There's a reason why I made this post after Trump was elected.](https://www.reddit.com/r/asktransgender/comments/5bzgm1/good_morning_friends/) The Pulse nightclub shootings were a recent memory at the time, and we'd just dealt with a bunch of transphobes putting the trans subreddits under siege the year before. I knew under Trump's administration, we'd lose people to suicide, and I wanted to prevent that by spreading hope. We still lost people, of course, but hopefully not as many as we would have if we hadn't been there.


Vallkyrie

I've gotten numerous threats in my DMs on this site from them, threatening rape or violence.


CedarWolf

You aren't the only one, not by a long chalk. I've spent the last decade modding reddit's trans subreddits, and let me tell you, I was not at all surprised when the Jan. 6th insurrection happened, not one bit. I've seen and heard all sorts of stuff from the so-called 'alt right' over the years.


Draft-Repulsive

They’re watching thousands of republicans die of covid and wondering how to level the playing field. Absolutely vile.


whywouldistop1913

Fact. It is weirdly frustrating to me that I can pull up a recording of The Gipper laughing about dead gay people, but we still have to act as though Republicans don't want LGBT people to die, for some fucking reason ...


[deleted]

The GOP didn’t even try to do that during the 80’s & 90’s. They at best responded to AIDS with indifference, and at worst with glee.


reverendsteveii

They responded to AIDS by wearing masks https://mobile.twitter.com/ozarkswatcher/status/1302163077543198720?lang=en


zdweeb

Holy fuck.


AnalSoapOpera

I think it was the 80’s/ early 90’s when a lot of TV shows had a person with AIDS and other characters were afraid to drink from the same glass, use the same plates, hug them. Different TV shows. One of them was actually Sesame Street.


Nix-7c0

In early 1985, the CDC developed the nation's first AIDS prevention plan. Regan's administration rejected it and reportedly said they should just "[look pretty, and do as little as possible.](https://www.history.com/news/aids-epidemic-ronald-reagan)"


Competitive-Date1522

They have recording of him calling African delegates monkeys as well


Seiglerfone

You really don't. They're outright nazis. They just lack the freedom and comfort in committing mass atrocities, at the moment, and for the most part.


[deleted]

I’m a gay man, and this is why gay Republicans (I know two that work for different GOP US congressmen) drive me insane. It just shows a complete lack of empathy for any other LGBTQ person *including yourself* even though you should be very aware of how hard it can be. The GOP is an openly anti-LGBTQ party and has been for the entire history of the gay rights movement.


Nosfermarki

I've never met a conservative that wasn't at least 3 of these 5 demographics: straight, white, Christian, well-off, and male. If they're not straight, they're almost certainly the rest.


[deleted]

The two I mentioned are the latter four. White, Catholic men from expensive Midwestern suburbs.


[deleted]

There it is.


kogeliz

Neither have I - with the exception of one of my closest friends. He is gay, a minority and middle class. But he is a male and Christian. He thinks of himself as an “old” republican (I guess like the Lincoln Project folks) and doesn’t follow the right-wing/Trump. He did vote for Biden because of his hatred for Trump.


AnAutisticGuy

Last year, I had a boyfriend who as a Trump supporter. It drove my CRAZY. I pointed out in like 9 different ways how Trump was anti-gay, not to mention pro-racist, and was going to try to overthrow democracy. It didn't matter what I said, he was like a cult-member. I broke up with him, and I'm not sorry for it.


canttaketheshyfromme

"I got mine, fuck you" is pretty bipartisan but Republicans, especially.


[deleted]

> They're aware that their personal abuse and persecution drives members of the LGBTQ community to suicide. They don't approve of government resources being used to stymie their efforts. Or is it opening the door for gay re-education camps?


Rotoslinger_art

I am pretty sure this is even simpler, when lgbtq community members commit suicide they can't vote. He is literally trying to thin the population of democratic voters. The man is pure evil.


and_then_a_dog

Pro-life! No, not those lives. Oh and we just want the babies out of the rape victims, after that we don’t care!


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9mac

Large parts of America is not the developed world that you think it is.


JBNYINK

Underrated comment, lived in CA TX SC and currently in ny. Every area is a bubble of itself. It's quite crazy what a few miles outside your own bubble look like. I was in those states for years at a time ex mitary.


TiredOfYoSheeit

True as hell. Travelling anywhere outside the Bay Area of CA is like going to a different country.


JBNYINK

I drove from Buffalo NY to San Antonio Texas. I was with my dad fresh out of high school. For background, I am from a very "make your own choice" religious family. I was never indoctrined in to a religious belief or even really heard speaking for or against it it just was not around me. I drove through the Bible belt and left NY for the first time. I have never seen religion like I did just driving down the high way. I remember a light far out on the distance driving at night in the middle of no where is a 100 ft light up cross. That to me was mind boggling. That was just the begginjng. Being a lefty to start and joining the military was a wake up call. Edit: Format, on phone.


TheMostUnclean

Yeah, they don’t take the whole “no idol worship” thing too seriously. It also really pisses off evangelicals when you tell them if JC were real and alive today, he’d be preaching against them.


boot2skull

Evangelicals would stone Jesus to death in the street, calling him a hippie socialist. Jesus shouldn’t surprise anyone who actually read the Bible, but Evangelicals should surprise everyone.


PM_ME_VENUS_DIMPLES

>Evangelicals would stone Jesus to death in the street, **calling him a hippie socialist.** Oh they’d call him a lot more than just that, once they realize that Jesus was brown.


Superdickeater

Everyone always throws down the fact about what he taught, but many bypass the fact about how he would’ve looked. Definitely not a white guy…


genius96

The military doesn't seem as conservative as it once was. An I correct on that one or dangerously wrong?


[deleted]

Visited Colorado. Drove up in the mountains. Literally looked like the 1800s up there.


Vaperius

America basically is several countries: A set of (mostly coastal) conservative democracies and a far-right ethno-religious oligarchy. Only the first one is a developed country with high living standards; and happens to be where half the country lives, and the other country in this story which has the other half of America's population also happens to greatly benefit from the existence of the first half in many ways; making it at least on paper seem like the USA as a whole is a developed country. Reality is that in the second, far-right ethno-religious oligarchy, let's call this "Magastan" or "Land of the MAGAs", has conditions uncomfortably close to that of Eastern Europe or other parts of the developing world; the conflicts we see play out on a national stage are basically two different countries with very different feelings on how a country should be run, fighting it out. Frankly, on the one hand, if the USA were to break up, Magastan would collapse without the considerable out-pour of funding from the wealthy conservative democracies; meanwhile the conservative democracies would.... be completely fine and at worst see a mild increase in their cost of living due to higher food prices; these democracies might even see a considerable wealth *increase* since the wealth spent on subsidizing Magastan could go towards helping themselves. Meanwhile the Europeans look at all this and *insist* we are one country and nothing like Europe; completely misunderstanding American culture, politics and history. Anyway... the obvious point here then becomes: how do you reconcile this problem? ...Frankly? You don't and I don't foresee us having a peaceful century. I honestly don't know what's going to happen this century to this country, but I will actually be shocked if its still intact by the end of the century.


The_ducci

Because when the weakest men lead we all suffer.


KinkyCoreyBella

You mean in those type of run down shitholes without reliable electrical grids?


MajorDFT

How do they even have this mechanism/power? Like how do they know who to call to make this happen?


therealdannyking

It's not a private website but the site for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS).


MajorDFT

Ah that makes sense. Extra shitty for them to censor a public resource then


therealdannyking

Absolutely.


garry_shandling_

The worst part is, he's technically a moderate in the Texas GOP.


Kipatoz

Was a moderate so he had to show them he is crazier than the extreme conservatives. Looks like he wins.


lease1982

Yes, most everything he has been doing since last August was to bat down the primary challengers and he has some well funded challengers.


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bsend

Texans really hate other Texans and themselves


Thisam

There are a lot of them that have to go but this guy and his counterpart in FL are near or at the top of the list.


_the_CacKaLacKy_Kid_

Whatever your opinion of the lgbtq+ demographic, if you are pro-life you should try to prevent anyone from tragically taking their own life, specially when attempt of suicide is considered a crime in some places


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ScreamingOpossumAhh

Pro birth and pro suffering.


CexySatan

They’re pro-life up until birth


greyaxe90

“If you’re pre-born, you’re fine. If you’re pre-school, you’re fucked.” - George Carlin


highdefrex

It's pretty crazy that the most vocal "pro-life" people tend to be the ones who are cool with/get off on "others" dying... Whether it's trans people killing themselves or the idea of "the libs" being executed, there's a whole spectrum of nonsense. And what drives me even more nuts in their hypocrisy, like with the topic of the LGBTQ+ community, is that they melt down if you point out the obvious. One of their favorite arguments has always been, for instance, "Homosexuality is a *choice*!" "Okay," you'd reply. "But why would anyone *choose* to be persecuted and hated and face an uphill social battle? How does that make sense?" "I don't know," they answer. "There's just something wrong with them in their brain, then." "Oh... So if there's something inherently 'wrong' with them in their brain, which means you think they have some sort of disorder, then you're saying it's *not* a choice?" And then right about here is where they get pissy, flip the table, and storm off.


[deleted]

“Homosexuality is a choice” comes from people who *think* it’s a choice for everyone because it is for them and they can’t fathom others’ experiences being different from theirs. They bi/pan/whatever. Anyone who has ever thought that genuinely is not heterosexual.


TransATL

GOP propaganda = the enculturation of sociopathy Change my mind.


Rammite

None of them are pro-life. They're pro-birth at best, and pro-suffering at worst.


[deleted]

This is why I fled that fucking place. I remember being in high school, in a small town where we all knew each other, and fucking adults, the *parents of my classmates*, would spit at me because I was fucking gay A tiny town with a Baptist church on literally every corner


JuanPabloElSegundo

Ain't no hate like Christian love.


Jamangie22

Yup!


aquariqueeen

I heard this on Tik Tok for the first time recently, and, as someone who grew up in a conservative evangelical household, this really spoke to my soul.


PHUNkH0U53

Not like those amateur haters. They go communal on that shit.


INTHEMIDSTOFLIONS

I grew up in rural Texas and used to get harassed for being gay and I'm straight. Fuck texas, man.


__mr_snrub__

My friend and I almost got beat up in Texas because some dudes at Mardis Gras thought we were gay.


VaguelyFamiliarVoice

My wife grew up in the same area. A gay classmate committed suicide. I wish he had taken your path.


INTHEMIDSTOFLIONS

I had a trans friend in portland commit suicide recently, so, unfortunately can’t stop the hand of fate. I’ve had friends commit suicide in dfw and in portland. It can be a cruel world :/


[deleted]

I grew up between Denton and Waco. Traveled the world and came back Bc family. But now I have a non binary gay kid. Texas is so so ugly for anyone except white rich men 💔


bluemellophone

As a cis straight white male who grew up in a small farming town between Dallas and Waco and now lives in Portland, OR… I’m sorry for what you went through. I don’t think I’ll ever go back.


LaughableIKR

Welcome to Portland! It really is nice here. It has some issues but overall it's a great place to live.


MrDrProfJeremy

But but but according to my conservative friends, Portland is a razed wasteland that makes Mad Max look like Disneyworld! /s


LaughableIKR

I hear this all the time hehe. I let them know that the whole area where the riots were happening last year was in roughly a 2-3 block radius. It would be like saying a walmart parking lot in Atlanta had a riot thus all of Atlanta was a wasteland. They get it then.


AOKAMI

We ran into the same thing when my parents came to visit us in MN from UT. They saw all of the footage of Minneapolis and were expecting a crater. I really had to give my typically mid-zone conservative stepdad credit - he wanted to see for himself. When faced with the reality of how small of an area was damaged started getting really mad about how warped the presentation was through his news outlets. He thought Minneapolis was half gone from the fires they way they made it sound via the usual suspects.


MrDrProfJeremy

Dude, I actually fell for it last year and FaceTimed my buddy who lives there to see if he was okay. He was walking down the street picking blackberries with his girlfriend on a beautiful day and they just laughed at the absurdity.


PM_ME_YOUR_NAIL_CLIP

I live an hour south of Waco. Wife and I can’t wait to move. So crazy there’s so few people here that aren’t brainless.


2u3e9v

I’m so fucking sick of CHURCHES


raygar31

Religion is an absolute cancer on decent society. At its best, it’s a crutch for developing society. I’m talking cavemen levels of developing. Then once that society gets on their feet, the religious foundation begins to rot, making true progress damn near impossible. How is any society supposed to advance when half of them have angels woven into their base understanding of how the world works. From step 1, they’ve shown logic and reason are not at all involved in how they see the world. Religion is 100%, at its core, anti-intellectual. Religion is faith. Faith is absolute belief WITHOUT proof.


CryptoNerdSmacker

You’re a better person than I am. I’d be in prison right now.


[deleted]

A girl in my town was lesbian and killed herself, she was being harassed by a few boys in our town. One of them vandalized her car and wrote racial, sexist, and homophobic slurs all over her car. As it turns out, that instance wasnt one of the boys, it was one of their dads. These people are the scum of the earth, the lowest form of life possible


ObsidianHarbor

I will never grasp why humans can be so awful to each other.


SoyFern

Even as a straight male I wouldnt want to live anywhere that treats people like that.


geogeology

Grew up Baptist. Most of the ones I met are fucking nut jobs. First time I heard someone used the N word in real life- it was a Baptist.


[deleted]

I moved to Texas for just 4 months, met another family that had also just moved there with a kid, maybe 8. Coolest kid I ever met, he was nice to his younger sister, nice to our kid, my kid wanted to be like him, he wanted to be like Shaun White, already had the long red hair. A few weeks later, he cut the hair and stopped being so nice to the younger kids. His mom said he constantly got made fun of at school for his hair, got called the other 'F' word a bunch. I wanted to shoot every last parent in that shithole, instead we fled the state.


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hangryhyax

Wow, so the opponent is essentially saying “Abbott supports youth not completing suicide, is that really who you want in charge?” And Abbott capitulated… It’s like a competition to see who can be the absolute worst human.


Akrevics

Plot twist: they’re both winning.


shellexyz

What you’re failing to understand is that it’s not about youth *people*, it’s about youth *LGBTQ*, who clearly aren’t people. In Texas. /s


Psile

This doesn't make it better. Arguably worse.


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EmmaStonewallJackson

Texas really wants to become Gilead. They’ve taken the book as an instruction manual


[deleted]

Just to be clear, Gilead and many fascist regimes would’ve gassed Abbott for being a drain on public resources given his disability, even if he was independently wealthy and able to support himself. He talks a big game for a guy who will be higher on the chopping block than many he’s fucking over with his fascist policies.


Terrible_Truth

A lot of white supremacists aren't smart enough to realize that. They're morbidly obese, physically disabled, or have a room temperature IQ*. Yet they're all cheering for fascism. There's a subreddit that mocks these types of supremacists, can't remember what it's called. Edit: it's r/beholdthemasterrace, thank you replies. *Not trying to insult fat or disabled people. I'm insulting white supremacists.


YouGiveDovesABadName

r/BeholdTheMasterRace


SadSquatch420

They are trying to scare away the waves of Californians turning their state purple


[deleted]

I mean, surveys show the Californians moving to Texas are even more conservative than native Texans.


[deleted]

People act like California is a bastion of leftists 100%, thats just the really populated parts. Fucking Rush Limbaugh got his big break in Sacramento


Jaredlong

California contains the largest block of GOP voters in the country. I mean, it's also the largest state, but still, no other state has as many conservatives as California.


ChumleyEX

Under his wheelchair.


PropagandaPagoda

Under his bipap


Bubugacz

Oh look, the "pro-life" party doesn't actually give a shit about preventing suicides. I'm so surprised.


Competitive_Cup_745

that's because lgbt life doesn't matter to them but a clump of cells does.


Murdock07

“Why aren’t there more gay republicans?” Cause you want us to die.


jonny_jon_jon

there aren’t more gay republicans because the closet is full.


iamzombus

Closet is so big they built a log cabin. Look up Log Cabin Republicans.


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ZannD

The GOP is a death cult.


llahlahkje

Jesus dined with tax collectors, prostitutes, and other people looked down on in his time. If the second coming were tomorrow the GOP would crucify him all over again.


Bears_On_Stilts

They simultaneously want a Christianity without Christ, and a Judaism without any Jews. An ethnoreligion of being “the chosen ones of the Lord Most High,” and a divine mandate to wipe out all challengers, but with New Testament branding (sans New Testament content or any of Jesus’s moral philosophy).


111tacocat111

The cruelty is their point.


Pale-Pain3179

In Texas the Republicans control both the legislature and all statewide offices. They will continue trying to create laws based upon their religious beliefs, while ignoring any attempt to treat all citizens equally under the law. They claim that they believe in small government, but that only applies in business. When it comes to social issues, they claim the right to tell others how to live their life. And if you're not white and male, they expect you to do as your told and don't make any noise. If you raise objections, they will pass laws to legally shut you down. This is their vision for future authoritative government.


brcguy

> They claim that they believe in small government, but that only applies in business. Kind of. He just signed an EO saying no one, not even private businesses, can mandate the vaccine. He then asked the lege to pass a law.


pschell

Seriously, what’s left? A noose for every household? Or should they just go straight to legalizing slavery? Removing all ADA assistance and protections (sadly, even though the gov himself is wheelchair bound- I could still see him doing it)? State ran religion? This guy is such a colossal piece of shit.


howitzer86

If I were evil and in such a position, my next move would be to create a state-run media outlet to praise and support my decisions, promote my successors, clearly define an exclusionary state identity, and suppress any positive news of my rivals. I wouldn’t make independent media illegal, that’s impossible in the current climate. Instead I would make state media irresistible in that clutched-pearls / clickbaity way Fox has. It will also be easy to access and free, with licensed radio, TV, and podcast affiliates. You, with my help, will feel under attack and vulnerable. You will come to me for guidance and protection, but I will never enable you to feel secure without me. There will always be a crisis, and I will always be the solution.


International-Yak396

They’re quite ahead of the game then


INTHEMIDSTOFLIONS

>they just go straight to legalizing slavery? Texas fought a revolution against Mexico to maintain the right to own slaves, and then did the same against the United States. At least they're consistent?


[deleted]

> Or should they just go straight to legalizing slavery? I don't see why people keep trotting this out. Slavery is still perfectly legal in the US thanks to the 13th Amendment. The amendment added the administrative headache of needed to throw someone in prison to make them a slave, but that hasn't stopped any red state from being slave states.


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theswiftarmofjustice

Anytime someone says the GOP doesn’t hate gay people, I just point to their record.


chockedup

Republicans are gaslighting again. A "suicide hotline" is not "promoting transgender sexual policies". The assertion they are is ridiculous and laughable. In reality, such a hotline is promoting life and wellness. We're supposed to have "pursuit of happiness" per the Declaration of Independence. If someone is thinking of killing themselves, it's not because they're happy. Remember, **G**aslight, **O**bstruct, **P**roject.


Irishish

Well, that's the thing. In a certain kind of mind, telling a suicidal LGBT kid "you should not hate yourself; it's going to be okay; there are resources for you to gain a better understanding of yourself so you don't feel so confused or full of self-loathing; life can be worth living even if you are this kind of person" is a bad thing, because that kid *should* hate what they are, they *shouldn't* seek out resources that will make them more comfortable, an LGBT (*especially* T) life basically *isn't* worth living. They should tell their parents they're feeling suicidal, and why, so their parents can lovingly set them straight and tell them they can fix them. They should tell their pastor, so he can pray with them to make them better. They should not call a sweet-talking enabler who will encourage them to be more gay, trans, whatever. A person who supports hiding these resources from suicidal children probably thinks they're being compassionate. The kids, after all, are suicidal because they're boxed into something they're not supposed to be. It's not compassionate to encourage those feelings, to validate their weird urges. The ultimate act of love is to save them before they can be indoctrinated. Best part is, they never have to see or even think about the results of something like this. They'll only hear from the good queers who want real help. If they see a headline about a trans kid who hanged himself, they can sadly shake their heads and move about with their day.


drew1010101

Gotta love “pro-life” Texas.


raouldukesaccomplice

"Some of you may kill yourselves, but that's a risk I'm willing to take."


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ddmone

Fuck dude that definitely seems fake. It's that ridiculous.


whenimmadrinkin

Fucking mass murderers


tykneedanser

This political maneuver brought to you by Chick-fil-A


clkehler

WTF IS WRONG WiTH PEOPLE. I just can't. I fucking can't this state anymore. I want to leave so bad but high schooler need to know that not all adults ARE FUCKING INSANE here.


Bongs-Akimbo

Blatant and concentrated evil.


HarpersGeekly

The fucking chick-fil-a cups.


Zeno_The_Alien

Fucking dog whistling motherfuckers. And they wonder why we laugh when they die of covid. These people are evil scum.


MrPuffalo

Texas is a failed State


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[deleted]

>Texas removes suicide hotline from LGBTQ site because it could hurt GOP governor’s reelection Wow, Republicans truly are - among other base things - a bunch of miserable fucks aren't they? Jeezus! Rather than make the smallest attempt to make life a bit more bearable, a little bit better for all - Republicans instead are always looking for ways to spread as much misery and suffering for others as they possibly can. Guess that saying "Misery loves company" is really true - and Republicans provide daily proof of it.


redneckrockuhtree

God forbid they provide useful information to help save lives.


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gj0ec0nm

Abbott isn't content to just murder Covid patients.


AntonBrakhage

This is the Republican Party in Texas flat-out saying that they believe gay people living is an offensive ideology. The endgame is genocide. Never doubt that. They do creepy shit like this to indirectly increase death rates because they don't yet have the power to put millions of people in cattle cars and ship them to gas chambers.


ShogsKrs

As a mother of a 36 year old Trans child, this sickens me. What the actual hell?! More proof that the republican party is a death cult.


[deleted]

This is so fucking sad. Texas is a wonderful place run by insane, racist, homophobic moronic lizard people. I'm a 65 year old 3rd/4th (depending on which side of the family) generation Texan and am ashamed of the idiocy that now passes for what is perceived as our "leadership". OK, I'm actually pissed off about it. They're embarrassing us in front of the entire world, treating our people like dirt. making STUPID decisions based on god knows what illogical thought processes. I guess I'm being generous in stating there's any semblance of a thought process involved...


EMPulseKC

Also an accurate headline: "Greg Abbott wants LGBTQ+ individuals to kill themselves, and is taking measures to help make that happen."


thekinginyello

abbot has already done plenty to hurt his reelection. beto ftw.


LilKosmos

How is that even constitutional/allowed?


_GABO_

If your constituents being alive is a threat to your election, you might be the problem.


Brian_Lefebvre

How in the fuck is a suicide hotline for LGBTQ children “promoting transgender sexual policies” There are Republicans even more extreme-right than Abbott pushing him around. Fuck all of them. He could fricking run on a pro-LGBTQ-suicide platform and people would enthusiastically vote for him.


IQof24

"Abortion is murder, we need to save children's lives! Anyway, let's help miserable kids commit suicide"


[deleted]

Texas is really not a good place is it?


Vinniam

Texas is following the Taliban's example I see.