Sarah McBride Wins Senate Seat in Delaware, Plus First Non-Binary Representative Elected

[thebobmaster]

This is some pretty big news. With the major election still underway, and who knows how that will turn out this point, I thought I'd inject some positive news. Sarah McBride defeated Steve Washington for the seat in the 1st Senate District of Delaware. As of now, she is the only openly transgender senator, as well as the highest ranking transgender official in the country.

It really shows that, despite everything else going on, we are starting to make progress in some areas, and I'll take all the good news on that front I can get.

Sarah McBride to become first transgender state senator in U.S. history

McBride, a prominent LGBTQ advocate, easily won her race for a seat in the Delaware state Senate.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Worgen]

Thats neat.

 

[Revnak]

Rad!

 

[Gergar12]

The only good news so far.

 

[Trunkage]

The only good news so far.

I thought the Qanon chick was pretty progressive. Go girl power

 

[thebobmaster]

Piggybacking this, as both are pretty closely related. Mauree Turner won their seat on, of all places, the Oklahoma state House, becoming the first non-binary state legislator in US history, as well as the first Muslim lawmaker in Oklahoma history.

Mauree Turner is the first nonbinary and first Muslim Oklahoma state lawmaker

Mauree Turner won her race for Oklahoma state House for District 88, becoming the first nonbinary state legislator in US history and first Muslim lawmaker in Oklahoma.

www.cnn.com

 

[Kwak]

I thought you were talking about two different people and 'nb' meant native born as in American Indian. Are there any first nation senators?

 

[thebobmaster]

I thought you were talking about two different people and 'nb' meant native born as in American Indian. Are there any first nation senators?

Sorry for the confusion IRT NB, but I am referring to two different people. One is transgender, and was nominated to the Senate, while the other is non-binary, and was nominated to their state House of Representatives.

As for First Nation senators, there are sadly none of those. There are, however, currently 5 people with Native American heritage in the House of Representatives.

 

[XsjadoBlayde]

It's good to hear we're not anxiously fighting just to regain the bare minimum of human decency in this flustercluck.

 

[Tireseas]

Cool.

Also, when it comes to LGBTQ+ politicians, the key word to always include is "openly." There's actually several instances of transmen holding state legislative offices as late as the 1980s, though this is very much something I learned at a CLE lecture and not something I have citations for. And closeted gay politicians were all over the place until the 2010s when it was considered more acceptable to be openly gay.

 

[Buyetyen]

Shit show of a year, but at least some good has come of it.

 

[Kyrian007]

And it isn't just Oklahoma, this happened in Kansas.

Kansas voters elect Stephanie Byers, state’s first openly transgender lawmaker

A retired music teacher in Wichita will become the first openly transgender member of the Kansas Legislature.

www.ksn.com

 

[Specter Von Baren]

If our entire country is made on systemic racism such that even having a black president doesn't change anything, then how does having a transexual on a state senate change anything?

 

[Thaluikhain]

If our entire country is made on systemic racism such that even having a black president doesn't change anything, then how does having a transexual on a state senate change anything?

Having a black PotUS doesn't change everything, that's not to say it doesn't change anything. Likewise a trans person in a less important role.

 

[Tireseas]

If our entire country is made on systemic racism such that even having a black president doesn't change anything, then how does having a transexual on a state senate change anything?

Two things:

1) The word you're looking for is trans or transgender. Transexual is an older, outdated term used almost exclusively by bigots.

2) It matters because a lot of legislation that affects minorities disproportionately and sometimes it's easier to advocate for said minorities when we have someone with our experiences at the table in a way that can't be dismissed.

Plus the whole "younger people seeing more opportunities for people like them" is still very much a thing.

 

[Specter Von Baren]

Two things:

1) The word you're looking for is trans or transgender. Transexual is an older, outdated term used almost exclusively by bigots.

2) It matters because a lot of legislation that affects minorities disproportionately and sometimes it's easier to advocate for said minorities when we have someone with our experiences at the table in a way that can't be dismissed.

Plus the whole "younger people seeing more opportunities for people like them" is still very much a thing.

If transexual is an outdated term but now people are using transgender to describe the same thing then does that not mean that sex and gender are interchangeable as terms? I was originally going say "trans" but unfortunately I seem behind the times as I thought that terms was the one considered insulting to use.

My point is that Obama reaching the highest office apparently changed nothing, so why would this change anything? Just getting someone into government won't change anything, legislation changes things. If there was an accompanying story about hardships they went through to get the job then I would consider it quite something and heroic but it's just "This person is a minority and now has this job".

Also what is "lavender ceiling" supposed to mean? A ceiling of flowers?

 

[Tireseas]

If transexual is an outdated term but now people are using transgender to describe the same thing then does that not mean that sex and gender are interchangeable as terms? I was originally going say "trans" but unfortunately I seem behind the times as I thought that terms was the one considered insulting to use.

No. Sex is literally the biological components observed in nature. Gender is a larger socially constructed roles, behaviors, expressions and identities of girls, women, boys, men, and gender diverse people. They are not the same.

My point is that Obama reaching the highest office apparently changed nothing, so why would this change anything? Just getting someone into government won't change anything, legislation changes things. If there was an accompanying story about hardships they went through to get the job then I would consider it quite something and heroic but it's just "This person is a minority and now has this job".

Whatever you say.

Also what is "lavender ceiling" supposed to mean? A ceiling of flowers?

Lavender is often the color associated with the trans-specific rights projects.

 

[Specter Von Baren]

No. Sex is literally the biological components observed in nature. Gender is a larger socially constructed roles, behaviors, expressions and identities of girls, women, boys, men, and gender diverse people. They are not the same.

Then why is transgender now used to describe the same person that transsexual used to describe?

Whatever you say.

?????? What are you trying to say with this?

Lavender is often the color associated with the trans-specific rights projects.

So why would trans people want to break through a ceiling representing themselves? This is like calling something Farmgate because of the Watergate scandal. The gate doesn't mean anything. A glass ceiling has a metaphorical purpose to it and would actually work much better for this.

 

[Buyetyen]

Then why is transgender now used to describe the same person that transsexual used to describe?

Because "transsexual" was deemed an inaccurate assessment of the observed phenomenon. Don't be difficult.

 

[Houseman]

Because "transsexual" was deemed an inaccurate assessment of the observed phenomenon. Don't be difficult.

1) The word you're looking for is trans or transgender. Transexual is an older, outdated term used almost exclusively by bigots.

Was this determined sometime in the last couple of months, because people have been using that word on these forums and nobody bothered to correct them

https://forums.escapistmagazine.com/search/2649/?q=transexual&o=date

I even used it, then you, Tireseas, quoted me and didn't correct me. Then I gave everyone an N-word pass.

How do you expect that people should know all the rules to your terminology if you're not being consistent about it?