Remains of the Day (03/18)

The Senate has confirmed Xavier Becerra as President Joe Biden's health secretary. Becerra, the California attorney general, becomes the first Latino to hold the job. https://t.co/ipVZ5H11XL

— The Associated Press (@AP) March 18, 2021

Gee, what was the rush? 

70% of voters support the Equality Act even as Senate Republicans try to stop it https://t.co/FeictrAl2F

— Gay La Vida (@allthatqueer) March 18, 2021

Seventy percent is awfully high for anything in politics -- and boy do we need a law like this -- yet I still can't help but think dissention would have been a lot harder for Republicans if the sports issue had been better addressed by progressives. Of course the right isn't making their arguments in good faith -- even some red states have seen through this bathroom bullshit. But there's a reason support drops to 34% on letting transgender girls who have done nothing to biologically transition compete against cisgender girls. No, this is NOT a big issue right now. And yes, I would like to see trans girls be able to live their lives without more obstacles. But this was a chance for the LGBTQ community to pave a path forward -- where we're seeing its population inching up toward the 10% we used to believe it was -- and I don't think it's unreasonable to tackle issues of fairness (as the Olympics and other governing bodies have) in a new law this groundbreaking rather than alienating so many people, including some progressives, that trans athletes wind up getting banned across the board by some states. People keep saying this is a solution for a problem that doesn't exist. But in a nation with more than 320 million people with trans acceptance on the rise, inevitably there will be more standout athletes and, as we learned when Caster Semenya took testosterone blockers and her performance dropped enormously, biology matters. (And don't forget: Venus and Serena Williams famously got their clocks cleaned by the No. 203 ranked man, who took smoke breaks on court.) Would it be fair for a trans girl to lead her high school basketball team to State Championships? Should a trans girl be awarded a tennis scholarship to Stanford over a cis girl? Should a trans girl be wrestling cis girls? (Remember when a trans boy WHO WAS TAKING TESTOSTERONE wrestled against cis girls? Try to guess how many matches he's won once he was able to compete against cis men.) Flippantly saying "you want to hurt trans people so your daughter can win a soccer game" and making outlandish claims about "policing girls' bodies" doesn't address the legitimate concerns at hand, and it certainly isn't the way to win over hearts and minds -- minds that include world-class athletes like Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, who probably know a thing or two more about the subject than the average person on the right or left. 

Liza Minnelli asks fans to ignore "National Enquirer." Which really shouldn't be a heavy lift. Also, she gives us a new performance: https://t.co/UHhMH71K6i pic.twitter.com/zMqDgupgmn

— Matthew Rettenmund (@mattrett) March 18, 2021

She's still here! 

Marvel Comics Unveils Its First Gay Captain America Who Protects Runaways and Homeless Youth​ https://t.co/OMWag8GlYH

— People (@people) March 17, 2021

In my fantasies, Chris Evans was already the first gay Captain America ... 

Democrats can pass a public option - but they'll need the help of Medicare for all advocates to do it.

My latest: https://t.co/KMCMWpxCcg

— Paul Waldman (@paulwaldman1) March 18, 2021

Progressives should all be talking about this 

Bigotry MUST stop. This type of message distracts from the very real crisis at the border. This message also tarnishes the Republican Party. We must do better. We should be better. ⁦We can do better! @GOP⁩ ⁦@CuyahogaGOP⁩ pic.twitter.com/k7pzPaECeX

— Matt Dolan (@ElectMattDolan) March 18, 2021

While I commend Dolan for calling out his fellow Cleveland-area Republican here, what this tweet shows is that the GOP is sticking with what it believes is a winning strategy, no matter how many people get killed as a result

Hey there: I’ve decided to part ways with Condé Nast. Here is my statement about why - pic.twitter.com/YmnHVtZSce

— Alexi McCammond (@alexi) March 18, 2021

 As I said before, I am a fan of accountability culture. I'm also a fan of second chances for people who express remorse and learn from their mistakes. What I am not so sure about are situations where an employer evaluates someone's transgression(s) and decides to give them a(nother) chance, only to have colleagues second-guess management's decisions. First Donald McNeil Jr. was forced out by the New York Times after the executive editor had already decided there was no malice when McNeil stupidly repeated the n-word in a discussion about people using the n-word. And now today Teen Vogue clearly felt the need to distance itself from Alexi McCammond over tweets she wrote 10 years ago as a teenager in college. McCammond has repeatedly apologized, but an online campaign fueled a backlash among the staff and now I see she has stepped down before even starting. (Yesterday's anti-Asian massacre couldn't have helped.) It would be nice to think that people can grow and learn from their errors without later having their clemency revoked, but that seems increasingly less likely in the era of perpetual outrage. Ultimately McNeil and McCammond are responsible for their actions. But like it or not, situations like these -- however well meaning but smack of actual 'cancel culture' rather than how conservatives deliberately misuses the term -- tend to push a certain type of 'free thinker' to the political right, which is the last thing we need.

Racist? Absolutely. Career-ending? Apparently at Conde Nast they are.

The importance of showing people that there is a path forward shouldn't be discounted.