I’m not banned yet because the admin’s at least a bit sympathetic, but I sure as hell don’t think 90% of the group’s gonna want to speak to me after this. I told them I’m voting and campaigning for a 3rd party candidate who is anti-Israel and pro-trans and explained that I could not in good conscience vote for Biden after his blatant and willing complicity in genocide. Here are some of the arguments I encountered in response to that:

  • “Not voting for Biden makes it easier for Trump to win, and Trump will genocide trans people in addition to Palestinians. Therefore anything you do supports genocide, so you might as well support less genocide.”
  • “Your trans friends will all know that you’re functionally anti-trans.” (I’m sure this would be a shock to my trans friends in my org, all of whom have made it clear they will also not vote for Biden)
  • “Trump would genocide Palestinians even harder.”
  • “Biden wants to stop the genocide, but the Republicans won’t let him.”

Some choice quotes:

Have pride in your self centeredness, I guess.

Choosing someone who you know cannot win, especially as they’re not the chosen candidate, is only symbolically different than choosing apathy.

It’s just objectively how it works in this system. There is no non vote.

And it is most depressing your friends here at home are not important enough to check one box for.

And this:

[The Palestinian] genocide is going to happen regardless of the two. But the one that’s happening here, that one can be stopped. And you refuse to do anything about it because you think you’re so much better.

You’re right about one thing, though. I do think I’m better than people who give their endorsement to running over Palestinian children with tanks.

And I’m better than people that choose two genocides at once, I guess. If we’re ranking each other. I’d laugh if it wasn’t stupid.

  • Kiagz [she/her]@hexbear.net
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    5 months ago

    Liberals alway seem to conveniently forget that trans Palestinians exist, and that the biggest danger to trans people living in Gaza currently is not Hamas, but the fascist, genocidal settler state that “lesser evil” Biden is doing everything possible to support

    • ExtimateCookie [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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      5 months ago

      They always like to think of Palestinians and maybe all Arabs as this monolithic mass, instead of a culture that also contains a lot of diversity. I live in a Muslim country and there’s a lot of diversity. There are trans people, and openly gay people, progressives, atheists, feminists, etc. Even between Muslims with traditional values there’s a lot of disagreement.

      • Kiagz [she/her]@hexbear.net
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        5 months ago

        Yeah, and western mainstream media only ever acknowledge that these groups exist in Arab countries when they can use them to pinkwash imperialist actions such as sanctions, coups and invasions