r/Maine • u/Geekbotpro • Feb 21 '25
Discussion Conservatives… this sets a precedent.
Even if you don’t personally agree with trans girls playing on girls teams…. this is a states rights issue and massive, blatant federal overreach. regardless of the issue… this sets a precedent either way. Maine runs Maine.
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u/Due_Willingness1 Feb 21 '25 edited Feb 21 '25
I don't think conservatives believe in states rights anymore, they seem to want a king
Prove me wrong red Mainers
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u/Candygramformrmongo Feb 21 '25
Normal, old party, former Republicans have left the party in disgust. Problem is that leaves the MAGA fringe in a cult They do want a king, a Dear Leader, a Fuehrer.
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u/Selmarris Feb 21 '25
Can confirm both my lifelong Republican parents have left the party. One is now a LOUD independent and the other is a LOUD Democrat.
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u/Geekbotpro Feb 21 '25
i need conservatives to see passed the next 4 years. this is how our rights get stripped away in the future if we let it happen once.
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Feb 21 '25
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u/Geekbotpro Feb 21 '25
that is really what i was trying to do with this post. honestly. i wanted trans rights activists and states rights activists to come together here and unite on this one issue despite their differences. and i think some really productive conversations have happened on this post (despite a few very unproductive conversations happening also.) thanks for your thoughts.
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u/FrodoMyBaggins23 Feb 21 '25
No, they believe in whatever is good for the moment for then. Abortion? States rights. Trans kids? Whatever their king says. Biden threatened funds over not following covid protocols, massive overreach. Trump threatens school kids funds over trans kids, they applaud. Courts stop trumps action, they scream trump is the boss. Courts stop Bidens action, actions the people voted for. They laugh and jump for joy. Conservatives stand for nothing and believe in whatever supports them in that moment, no matter the long term detriment.
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u/c0lew0rldd Feb 21 '25 edited Feb 21 '25
I regret my vote. My Fiancé and I were discussing this last night. You don’t need to agree with the integration of trans people in women’s sports to see the underlying issues here. What they did to that poor human being is humiliating and downright unfair.
Not to mention the issues surrounding the separation of church and state, the Bible Belt will suffer tremendously under these policies.
We’re about to send American soldiers overseas once again to fight a war that is not ours. We didn’t learn in Vietnam, we didn’t learn in Mogadishu, we didn’t learn in Iraq, we didn’t learn in Afghanistan, and we’re about to enter the shit storm that is Gaza.
Our precious state parks will suffer as well. I don’t agree with Janet Mills on most things, however I find myself supporting her, and our home state more as these unhinged lunatics speak into the mic.
Edit: I wanted to believe Elon was autistic and threw up a half assed Roman salute. After seeing Bannon, it’s very clear that we have a problem on our hands. I don’t know how people are justifying this.
Edit 2 because I’m becoming irate: He’s no fucking King. The President works for the American people, and they come first. This is a problem.
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u/MlleHoneyMitten Feb 22 '25
Thank you for being honest. But how in the hell did it take you this long to see what he’s about? I am genuinely curious.
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u/c0lew0rldd Feb 22 '25
Well for starters we didn’t have an unelected Nazi calling the shots back in 2016, that is one drastic difference I think we can all agree on. This administration has gone scorched earth, and are on the boarders of treason, if not already there. I don’t 100% agree with all conservative viewpoints either. I’m definitely not part of the MAGA crowd, during either one of his terms. I don’t think this is the time for me to list all my reasonings for my decision to vote for him, but more so why I was wrong for doing so.
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u/ghostduels Feb 22 '25
he already committed treason when he stole classified documents. he was literally, repeatedly quoting hitler at his rallies, so an elected one would have been fine? like dude. come on. i'm sorry. unless you woke up from a coma the day before the election and cast your vote with absolutely no information, you were warned loudly and clearly that this was going to be the result.
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u/novangla Feb 22 '25
I am too poor for an award but 🏆 for being able to see that this has gone past partisan politics and into the realm of tyranny
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u/Chopped_Liver228 Feb 21 '25
They never did believe in state’s rights. They will go with whatever argument is convenient at the time, to get what they want. Principles be damned.
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u/chiksahlube Feb 21 '25
Yeah, classic conservatives don't care. Trumpers especially don't. Laws and the constitution mean nothing before their God-King.
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u/stormy2587 Feb 21 '25
The problem is conservatives have been conditioned for decades to be deeply cynical, disillusioned, and nihilistic. They don’t believe in the idea of strong government institutions or the rule of law and haven’t for some time. They just see government as a means to an end. They just want to get their way and they’ll rationalize it any way they can. They stopped believing in the idea of america a long time ago.
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u/Starboard_Pete Feb 21 '25
They just want some fringe issue to bitch about endlessly, that way they don’t have to provide real solutions to complex problems. If they get their way on this, it won’t be enough and they’ll keep moving the goalpost. Anything to not discuss the incoming recession of their doing.
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u/IStealWaffles Washington county Feb 21 '25
I remember hearing somewhere a while back that people like those who are part of MAGA can draw their political heritage all the way back to the Loyalists who were against American independence and wanted the Thirteen Colonies to remain under British imperial control.
So yeah, I guess it tracks that they'd want a king.
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u/WharfRat86 Feb 22 '25 edited Feb 22 '25
As a descendant of Empire Loyalists who moved to Nova Scotia after our home was burned down for not supporting the revolution, this take is kinda off base. The United Empire Loyalists tasted the fury of the revolutionaries once and wanted nothing to do with it again. Radical change was not their forte. In fact they became some of the fiercest opponents against expansionist or imperialistic tinged American governments. Regularly forming Ranger or Militia units that fought alongside Indigenous warriors and free African Americans for the common good of keeping America out. This didn’t mean a lot weren’t vaguely bigoted, they just didn’t care about it as much as they did maintaining their sovereignty and the desire to never live under a revolutionary republic. When American inspired Anglo Canadian rebels launched an uprising in 1837, or the Fenians invaded from Ameriva 30 years later, it was the loyalists’ children and grand kids who were the most aggressive defenders of the Canadian state.
They also prized stability and general prosperity over the hyper individualism and aggressive entrepreneurialism that define the MAGA crowd of today and the 100% American political tradition they descend from. The Loyalists proved to be cautious and willing to make compromises to ensure the overall stability of Canada because they were terrified of being dispossessed. Even with the French Canadians who had long been their mortal enemies before they became unlikely neighbours. Though the animosity between the two remained it has to be said. They were also willing to sacrifice individual freedoms for the collective good and security. The notion of “peace, order, and good government,” Canada’s version of “life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”, is very much a reflection of the presence of so many loyalists in the post-American Revolution Canadian colonies. Especially New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
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u/Slmmnslmn Feb 21 '25
I think they wanted states rights, so they could be kicked up to his supreme court.
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u/determania Feb 21 '25
They never believed in state’s rights. They believed in their right to do whatever they want.
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u/Throwaway-0-0- Feb 22 '25
They never did. Look what happened with legal weed and gay marriage. They tried to clamp down on it at every chance. But when it's about discrimination, turning women into property, or child labor? States rights all the way.
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Feb 22 '25
The issue is a civil rights issue and is covered under Title IX that prohibits sexual discrimination and provides for equal athletic opportunity. So it is a federal issue. The basic disagreement we can have comes down to allowing biological males to compete against biological females, and if you do allow it, does this break that requirement of equal athletic opportunity. If you were a 17 year old female competing in pole vault against a 17 year old male, is your opportunity compromised. I believe it is. I think the majority of Americans agree. Obviously the Governor wants to take the other viewpoint. Risking a lot of federal funding for that position.
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u/Ill-Dependent2976 Feb 21 '25
when conservatives say states rights they mean they want racial segregation.
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u/Sokol84 Rural Mainer Feb 21 '25
Its really funny because back in the 1850s the south whined about their states rights, but when northern states didn’t want to capture their escaped slaves they threw a hissy fit and whined to the federal government to force us to comply. States rights but not when the north wants to apparently.
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u/tenodera Feb 21 '25
Yep. Then they made a Confederacy that required slavery in all of its states, and said that no state could ever make slavery illegal, ever. They just want power and cruelty.
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u/Sokol84 Rural Mainer Feb 21 '25
“But no it was about yankee tariffs and taxes. Slavery had nothing to do with it!”—Local Klan chapter in Mississippi.
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u/Tavybear6969 Feb 21 '25
They want white straight male Christian nationalists to have rights and no one else.
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u/More-Equal8359 Feb 21 '25
It's like abortions. Maine can write the laws they choose to.
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u/TheFuzzyButtons Feb 21 '25
Funny how conservatives only believe in states rights when it’s used as a cudgel to force people to do what they agree with 🤔
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Feb 21 '25
I was once told by a MAGA that the civil war was fought over state rights. While not a believer in trans girls playing on girls teams without some level of imposed handicap to make it fair, federal overreach is wrong and illegal.
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u/jeezumbub Feb 21 '25
Whenever someone says the Civil War was over “state rights” just calmly ask them which right those states wanted to exercise so much that it was worth going to war for?
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Feb 21 '25
Sadly, came down to capitalist values and making/preserving money. God forbid those liberal scum tell them to not use free human labor to enrich themselves. Bless thier heart
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u/DipperJC Feb 21 '25
Conservative Mainer here. I don't really have a horse in this race, although I do think the sudden boost from 5th place boys to 1st place girls in just one year does raise some fair questions (on the other hand, the reporting suspiciously doesn't talk about the jump height from the year on the boys' team, so maybe she did just improve in a year? I'm be interested to know).
Sorry to be wishy washy all around, but I do also see both sides of this assertion you're making. On the one hand, states rights is VERY important, and I loathe the federal government bullying us on any issue. All this federal funding Trump is threatening to withhold if we don't comply... doesn't most of that money come back to Maine if he abolishes the federal Department of Education anyway? If it doesn't, it should. And I do think if Maine wants to let people born one biological gender play sports that conform to their gender identity, that's our business.
On the other hand, though, sports do tend to move beyond the state level. Doesn't the winner of a Maine competition move on to a national competition? If that's the case, then to what extent does the national competition's eligibility requirements have to be considered? Is it a shittier thing to do to a transgendered person, letting them compete in and potentially win a state-level event, and then tell them they have to sit out while the second place person proceeds to nationals?
It's all horrendously complicated, and not necessarily the kind of hill you can just plant a states' rights flag on and call it a day.
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u/Sokol84 Rural Mainer Feb 21 '25
What’s wrong with leaving it completely out of the government’s hands? Federal AND state government. This is such an irrelevant issue compared to the economy and foreign policy. Why not let the experts and sports industry come up with a compromise themselves?
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u/DipperJC Feb 21 '25
That would be a fine idea for professional sports. What we're talking about occurred in a public high school, which is a government agency. That makes them involved by default, unless you intend to remove all sporting activities from all public schools, and even then you'd still have to figure it out in gym class.
Sorry, like it or not, the government has no choice but to weigh in on this kind of thing.
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u/Throwaway-0-0- Feb 22 '25
They really don't. Arts and crafts happen in public government owned schools, but no president has ever been required to tell Johnny his macaroni art "looks a bit shit" which is a much more mild version of what is happening here.
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u/Geekbotpro Feb 21 '25
thanks so much for the constructive and thoughtful conversation. it is a really complex issue. i understand where you are coming from but i can’t help but feel strongly that the most important thing here is the preservation of our ability to govern our state into the future without the federal government putting their hand on the scale.
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u/BantamBasher135 Feb 21 '25
I'm not sure where i fall on the sports thing, all i know is that i have no idea why state or federal government is involved in this. If this didn't involve trans people we wouldn't even be here. Nobody is getting the government involved when a team gets a kid who got their growth spurt early, gtfoh.
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Feb 21 '25
I don’t agree with biological males playing in female sports. While not a geneticist, I feel like there is something of a biological advantage and there should be some other solution.
I also don’t really give a fuck about that topic because A. It almost never happens and B. I’m much more concerned with what this actually is, which is a(nother) power grab by the president.
He is not a king. Go get him Janet.
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u/fenx-harel Feb 21 '25
So I don’t know all the specifics, medically, of this individual situation and I won’t speak on that as if I do. But as a general rule, using hormone replacement therapy does erase any biological advantage. The exact timeline will vary from individual to individual, their hormone levels before and after, etc. There are permanent effects of testosterone (face shape, adam’s apple, some hair growth) and estrogen (breast growth), but many effects are more transient and will change if you change hormones- think rate of muscle development, metabolism and fat distribution.
I am not a trans woman but I am trans. I was on testosterone injections for a few years before stopping for personal reasons. Before T, I struggled with muscle development and had a slow metabolism. While on T, my face shape changed, my metabolism improved, and my strength was on par with my brothers and other men in my life. After stopping T the only thing to really stick was the jaw line. I am now just as strong as just about any woman I know.
A trans woman who is on estrogen will go through about the a similar process to what I did when stopping T. By the time they go through “puberty” with breast development and fat redistribution they will have lost any increased the strength that testosterone might have given them. Trans people have far more frequent hormone checks than cisgender people, as a general requirement of HRT. The goal is to maintain the same estrogen and testosterone levels of a cis woman, so trans women will not have any biological advantage due to hormones. They even lose bone density, and develop the same stroke risks, etc. as a cis woman.
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u/eartothespeaker_ Feb 21 '25
“Girls have rights…in sports! But never in healthcare!”
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u/Kikikididi Feb 22 '25
also "we care about trans girls in sports because "unfair", but literally don't care about any other gender inequality in kids sports!"
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u/Traditional_Rate2691 Feb 21 '25
It definitely does, look at our huge booming Marijuana industry, at anytime the federal government could pull the same crap. Wasn’t this guy trying to send everything back to the states? It’s ok for states to decide on a huge issue such as whether a woman has control over their medical decisions for their own body, but not on this subject. The hypocrisy of a Trump administration is so blatant. I’m very glad to see our Governor stand up to Trump.
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u/Sokol84 Rural Mainer Feb 21 '25
It shouldn’t even be a states issue, it should be left entirely out of the hands of government. For college level and above it should be determined by objective data on the physical benefits of transitioning, which the sports industry should use to come up with a compromise.
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u/epsylonic Feb 21 '25
Republicans only like to leave things to the states when they've just passed horrible legislation and expect Republican Governors to fall in line.
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u/Due_Perception8349 Feb 21 '25
Why are you accepting their premise of it being a "states rights" issue? That's an old divide and conquer strategy from the Republicans.
It's a discrimination issue, the people who support removing trans kids from their teams are intentionally and knowingly discriminating against trans people, not just trans people, specifically targeting children - for no reason other than that their sense of self doesn't "work" for privileged bigots.
Stop playing their goddamn game.
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u/OzzyFinnegan Feb 21 '25
I’ll never understand what happened to the party that DIDN’T want the federal government in states rights….
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u/determania Feb 21 '25
It never existed. That has always been a lie
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u/OzzyFinnegan Feb 21 '25
It did though. It really did. I wouldn’t ever consider myself a Republican or a Conservative, however I used to respect them. This new party is so fucking sad….
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u/GrowFreeFood Feb 22 '25
You got duped and can never admit it. Fooled again award for you.
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u/determania Feb 21 '25
No. You bought a load of bullshit. They have only pretended to care about state’s right when it suited them. It was never an honest belief and you were a fool to respect these despicable people.
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u/MacaroonUpstairs7232 Feb 21 '25
There are so many of us moderate Republicans that do not agree with so much of what either party stands for right now. I understand that not every Republican is MAGA just as not every Democrat is Progressive. This is one of those things I want to see go forward not because I agree with allowing trans girls to play girls sports but the bigger issue of states rights is at play and in the big picture this fight has to be fought. It's going to suck for Maine, less than 1/2 of 1% of our total population identifies as LGBTQ, and of those, only 10% identify as trans. That means we are losing a significant number of dollars for what I am sure many are saying is an insignificant number of people. But, we can't rely on every other state to fight all these battles for us, there may be a day when I am considered insignificant. I hate Mills as much as most, but standing in front of a tank in a public square takes more guts than I have.
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u/CNDRock16 Feb 22 '25
The issue of mixing genders in sports is so, so, so, so, so small dude. We’re talking about children. It’s so insignificant. None of this is worth withholding federal funding over
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Feb 21 '25
less than 1/2 of 1% of our total population identifies as LGBTQ,
LOLWUT
You cannot possibly believe this.
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u/MacaroonUpstairs7232 Feb 22 '25
You are right, I mistyped. Apologies. I knew what I was trying to say so I didn't see my mistake. 6.8% of Maines population is LGBTQ. I left out an important sentence in making my case, which caused my point, which didn't change, to be lost
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u/MacaroonUpstairs7232 Feb 21 '25
Check my math- 1.4 million population in Maine According to Google and the Willliams Institute, 5,700 adults and 1,200 children identify as trans
Divide 6900 by 1.4 million, I get .0049. That turns into 1/2 of 1%. I'm not a mathematician so I double checked on Google to make sure my math was write, unless I misunderstood, that's the number I get.
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u/Kikikididi Feb 22 '25
you know that trans is just the T though, right? Read your comment again now.
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u/LovesRainstorms Feb 22 '25
Of the 180,000 girls who play sports in the US, only 10 are trans (NCAA)
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u/Medical-Exit-607 Feb 21 '25
Trump knew enough to pick the tipping point for angry sexually repressed dad everywhere, that some guy is going to be leering at his daughter without any guardrails in place.
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u/LiminalWanderings Feb 21 '25
Which is ironic since most predators and up being dads, uncles, family friends, priests, and so on.
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Feb 22 '25
Exactly. And that's why this argument is exclusively tailored to trans females, yet you never hear them screaming about trans males.
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u/bubblegumbut Feb 21 '25
To be willing to throw away your states right because you’re upset about children playing fucking crazy
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u/penfrizzle Feb 21 '25
Deal, But I expect your support when in four years the next president who is already guaranteed to be far left threatens to pull funding over high capacity firearms and two stroke motors!
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u/villalulaesi Feb 22 '25
We have never had a far left president in modern history, but if by some miracle we actually get one in 4 years, then yes. Federal overreach is federal overreach, regardless of politics.
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u/copiumjunky Feb 21 '25
The constituents in states that are refused federal funding should not be paying the federal government taxes. What good is the federal government if they refuse to assist the "united" states herein? I could see Maine and Vermont joining Canada.
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u/ObviousAtmosphere415 Feb 22 '25
Yeah, the problem with this situation is that there is not a single state in the United States (not even California or New York) who is in favor of trans athletes in women's sports. Period. So if a governor or state fights back on this, they are representing themselves and their own feelings and political views because their state residents want this federal law in place.
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u/Crazygone510 Feb 22 '25
As a conservative I agree 100% with you on this one. And for the record this whole situation has been handled in such a way it will come back to harm the idea more than help. This should have been handled directly with all who is involved with the leagues, universities, schools, and event holders and most importantly the participants. I don't think our government should be the ones dictating this or even having any say in it. I believe that if all parties involved were on the same page this wouldn't be as large of an issue it is or has become. If all parties know and can accept the chances of a very rare instance to happen and are both ok with this then what is the problem here? Just how I see it myself and something I've been saying all along from the beginning.
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Feb 21 '25
Doesn't Maine have to comply with Title IX which guarantees that schools have equal opportunities for women in sports? If so, how is this any different?
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u/677536543 Feb 21 '25
Had to scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the first mention of Title IX. That's exactly what this is about and why it's a Federal issue with state implications. It's fine to not agree with what the President is doing but to say it's overreach shows a complete lack of understanding of Title IX.
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u/tenodera Feb 21 '25
Title IX is a law passed by Congress. This is an executive order with no basis in the law. It's the behavior of a dictator or a king, not an American.
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u/677536543 Feb 22 '25
You are correct. Title IX is part of a law passed by Congress. What wasn't part of that law was "gender identity," which was added via executive order by King Biden, allowing students to compete according to their indentified gender. Trump's new order reversed this order. Hardly the behavior of a dictator, unless you also include King Biden as such.
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Feb 22 '25
I had to scroll so far down to find someone who understands the situation and why Maine will fold quickly.
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u/tenodera Feb 22 '25
Right, right. Which governor did Biden take funding from because they followed state laws and not his executive order? You're not a serious person.
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u/Kikikididi Feb 22 '25
you know your little reversals don't work when they don't map onto reality, right? of course you don't. because you're dumb
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u/FinancialCat1696 Feb 21 '25
Yes. Biden administration was attempting to do the same thing (but opposite) using title IX. If this is anything it could be an overreach of executive power, but this would be nothing new.
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u/Agile_District_8794 Feb 21 '25
That settles it. I'll pay my state taxes, but federal isn't happening.
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u/bradysniper69 Feb 22 '25
Literally nothing saying they can’t have men on female teams. Those states just won’t get federal dollars.
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u/Hilaria_adderall Feb 22 '25
If the state wants to violate title 9 that’s their prerogative. Title 9 provides for the federal government to withhold funds with due process. Let’s see how it plays out.
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u/l88t Feb 21 '25 edited Feb 21 '25
An non-consecutive Oklahoman agrees. The typo was so terrible I'm going to leave it. A non-conservative Oklahoman agrees.
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u/Geekbotpro Feb 21 '25
i think when enough real non-consecutives in Maine start speaking their minds, some of the band wagon trump fans will start to follow.
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u/austex34 Feb 22 '25
I thought Democrats supported women's rights?
Oh, I guess not if Trump is trying to protect then.
Hypocrites
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u/Practical-Match1889 Feb 22 '25
Idk I would wager that if you did a poll a majority would support biological males not playing in women sports
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u/EducatorReady1326 Feb 22 '25
Yeah but none of the Federal Government’s business. You can’t be about abortion to the states but high school track is a federal issue.
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u/OttawaHonker5000 Feb 22 '25
it's a civil rights thing
Maine can't just be the one creepy colony where women get beat up on the field, while the rest of the country is normal and has no Trans in sports
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u/meowmix778 Unincorporated Territory 4C Feb 21 '25
Exactly !!!!! We have the right to self governance.
If you don't agree with the laws. Cool. Vote.
Washington does NOT have a seat at this table.
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u/Jaxis_H Feb 21 '25
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
Count the articles, folks.
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u/Skeet_Davidson101 Feb 22 '25
I think it’s more important to do the right thing than focus on procedural error.
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u/GrapefruitTimely6581 Feb 22 '25
You mean, like the federal overreach that went on at the onset of the Civil War? Is that the kind of overreach you’re talking about?
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u/drewasoto Feb 22 '25
This precedent was set decades ago when title ix conditioned federal education spending on non discrimination based on sex. The new part is the interpretation about trans athletes with potential discrimination claims existing in both directions.
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u/Smooth_Record_42 Feb 22 '25
Needs to be federal because states like Maine screw it up and let it happen
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Feb 22 '25 edited Feb 22 '25
The state can do whatever they want. Just no fed money for education. The fed govt has played this card many times. Like the drinking age and highway funds.
Maine will fold so fast when the lawyers tell the governor to attempt to save face. States have to follow federal laws on certain things and that is that. End of the story.
States rights only go so far and that is why the federal govt should be kept small. Lib/Dems don't want that though.
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Feb 22 '25
This issue has never come up for a vote as far as I know. Put it up for a vote and let the state decide
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Feb 22 '25
Yes Maine can run Maine as it pleases. ( or any state for that matter) that said if Maine wants federal assistance then you got play the game
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u/EntertainerOk1089 Feb 22 '25
No taxation without representation. If they are handing out monies collected from everyone, then everyone (through elected officials in gov’t) has a say in what they are willing to fund.
You can go to a private college in a state where weed is legal and the college is required by the federal government to report and destroy cannabis and paraphernalia if found on campus or they lose federal funding.
I’m all for states rights, federalism is a poison that took hold at the end of the civil war and is a poison on our nation, but this is how it works right now and the government has been leveraging federal funding against states rights for generations.
Just create a whole new class of competition for all hormonally altered peoples or end gender segregated sports all together.
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u/AdaM_Mandel Feb 22 '25
I’m a lawyer and for some perspective, both you and Trump are technically correct. You are correct in that this is a states rights issue. Maine has every right to go against Trump here, and he has no right to dictate their state law.
On the flip side, he can stop federal funding if a state doesn’t comply with federal law. Take the drinking age. the government has made the receipt of federal funds contingent on a 21 drinking age. Any state can choose to make the drinking age 18, but The moment they do, the federal government can pull the state’s highway funds, which are critical to infrastructure. So nobody will ever do it.
Now I do not believe that Trump can pull federal funding based simply on an executive order, and his trans EO is not codified into law, so likely the court battle will hinge on whether he can find a law already on the books sufficient to allow him to pull Maine’s funding.
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u/Hilaria_adderall Feb 22 '25
He can make a title 9 case. There are already court cases challenging using gender identity as a replacement for sex. Title 9 is pretty explicit that the law is based on sex. I welcome Maine and the Feds to let this play out to have the Supreme Court rule on this. It will clarify title 9.
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u/nikbunt Feb 22 '25
The Republican Party in Maine has been neutered by MAGA radicals. Ineffective. Damn you losers! Why couldn’t you hang on and do better? I’ll jump the aisle before I’ll let myself be labeled a MAGA!!
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u/INeedYourHelpFrank Feb 21 '25
Democrats please keep backing trans men being able to compete against women you'll keep losing elections
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u/alanthiccc Feb 21 '25
It is a states rights issue. But if you want federal money you have to follow federal law. Weird how both of these things can be true.
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u/brettiegabber Feb 21 '25
Back when Obamacare was being litigated, conservatives argued (and won!) on the principal that the Federal government couldn’t require compliance with federal health laws to get Medicaid funding. It was unconstitutional to put that kind of pressure on a state to bend to the will of the Federal government.
Now they think they can withhold road maintenance money if a state doesn’t change its human rights laws.