17 Montana Republicans Cross Party Lines, Defeat Anti-Trans Bill After Nonbinary Rep's Speech

I'm going to take this as a springboard for something only partially related

It's really easy to fall into the trap of refusing to engage with political opposition members in regular life. There's even people that will come at you over it, calling you a class traitor, or saying that you aren't a strong enough ally.

And the truth is that keeping yourself in communication with your neighbors and family that are polar opposites in the usual political sense isn't always going to end up well. It's often frustrating at best, and dangerous at worst, with no guarantees of benefits.

But if you entirely cut off everyone, then there's zero hope of changing minds.

Since the biggest divide overall is between entirely different ways of thinking, with "our" side focusing on compassion and human rights above other concerns, it's easy to just decide that the lack of compassion on the "other" side means that it can't exist there.

But it can. Not everyone right wing is a sociopath. I'd even argue that the majority of the regular people have plenty of compassion, they just don't know how to apply it, and don't value it the same.

There's nothing more powerful for triggering compassion than human connection though.

You might only see it happen 1 time out of 1000, but it can and does happen. Particularly if the process leading up to it is done with compassion as well. When you extend compassion to the normal Republicans out there, they respond to it. It may take a hundred repetitions to build up a connection that makes them think about things in a new way, but unless we're going to actually have a revolution, that's the goal. To change hearts and minds

Here's the thing though, our compassion has to be real. You can't fake that shit amd expect a real connection to occur. You can't show someone a path you can't walk yourself.

So, it isn't something everyone can, or should, do. That's where you get into trans specific factors of the idea. Y'all trans folks need safety and security too much to have to bear that weight if it isn't something that you can do while still living as you should be, free and safe.

The rest of us, though, if it's within our ability to feel compassion for the folks that are trapped in that state of fear and disconnection from others that leads to clinging to a party over humanity, we need to be open to doing to, and we need to be able to do so without interference or judgement.

Minds can change. And that very often requires that the person changing feel like they're gaining connection rather than losing the security blanket they've wrapped themselves in.

If you can genuinely give them that, give them the acceptance on a personal level that they voted to deny others politically, you have a much better chance of making change available. That means it can't be just a cynical tool wielded. You have to be open to the good parts of them for real.

Believe it or not, you can still be honest and up front about your beliefs, and resist their incompassionate speech when they use it, right to their faces. It can still work because the ones that have a chance of change will still recognize that you aren't walking away, that you're still treating them as a human first.

It may only be 1 out of a thousand that it can work on. But isn't that still worth it? It is to me, and I've seen it happen. I've been right there the first time someone says they never thought of it like that, or even that they're done with the old ways. It happens. But there has to be that human connection first.

I'm starting to repeat myself. Point is that even though this is a war, it can be shifted with words and honesty alongside more aggressive methods.

While I would love for the fact that republicans are seeing the potential over-reach of "trans bad" bills, this more seems like they are voting against a bill that punishes parents for their decisions in child care - as opposed to opposing a bill that punishes parents in their decisions for supporting their child.

The former is about what the parents think is right, the later is about respecting and supporting people.

The former could be in line with trans/gay conversion.
The latter is respecting humanity.

The whole "driving through the state" thing is also far too broad, considering there is no risk to life.
Driving through a state with state-illegal firearms, or quantities of drugs/alcohol/whatever that indicates intent to sell: I get it, you want a utopia without that bullshit (I don't get firearms, but "not my circus, not my monkeys"). Ultimately, these things have the potential to directly harm others.
Driving through a state with a kid you love, care for and support and some cop reckons they have the wrong genitals? Wtf. That doesn't hurt anyone. Wtf.

Cudos to the Rep Howell for being able to convince republicans away from "trans bad". For knowing how to talk to them, and speak to them in a way they can understand, and in a way that (potentially) changes their mind.
And cudos to those republicans that voted against this bullshit. For realising the bill for what it is.
Fuck the republicans that voted for it. I hope they invested in both Trump and Melania coin, got rug pulled, and are now watching the rest of their stock portfolio turn to ash

The fact that this bill was every floored is abhorrent. The fact that people think such a bill can be floored is abhorrent. The fact that it wasn't unanimously struck down is abhorrent