comment: >
  
  If there's not an unofficial holiday when this man leaves us for good, I'll be sorely disappointed
context: What is with all the picking on teachers? I for one am completely sick of it. I’ve had some bad teachers in my life but I was still thankful they showed up and I didn’t have to be in a 3rd grade class of 80 kids. What consequences? At the rate we are going there won’t be any left! We already want them to take a bullet for our kids. But hey let’s also prosecute them for being pro human rights. >
  
  
  What is with all the picking on teachers?
  
  Conservatives have hated education for pretty much my entire life.  Calling teachers pedophiles is just the newest attack. >
  
  It's not new. Anita Bryant started it in the late 70s when she said gay men were becoming teachers in order to recruit young boys into their "lifestyle." Ultimately, Miami-Dade county and also Ramsey County, MN passed legislation barring gay people from teaching. >
  
  The fuck Minnesota. >
  
  It didn't last long but it shows how astro turfed culture war bullshit can even infiltrate progressive blue states. Overall MN has a very good record on LGBTQ issues. >
  
  DeSantis stealing too many headlines. They are in a pissing match of hatred. >
  
  More like Trump is realizing that trans kids are an unlimited supply of rage for his supporters, DeSantis has been tapping into that supply for months. >
  
  YouGov recents did a survey asking Americans what percentage of Americans were of a certain demographic. Trans people are less than 1%, but of course, those surveyed thought it was at least 30% of the population. Obviously people who have been listening to the views of Trump and desantis >
  
  
  Trans people are less than 1%, but of course, those surveyed thought it was at least 30% of the population
  
  Holy shit. Really? Seriously? The only population that's 30% trans is catgirl discord server members. How do they think it's 30% when they never fucking see any trans people? Or are they living in the secret trans utopia where all the trans people go to hide from persecution? >
  
  Small-town mentality. "We don't see any of that around here but it's rampant in the godless cities" >
  
  And then they complain that all their young people are moving to those same cities...but don't see the correlation. Lol. >
  
  They're also unwelcoming to anyone that isn't like them and then wonder why nobody is opening a business in their town. >
  
  And even if you're born and raised there, go away for a few years, then come back...they'll see you as no longer being "like them" and treat you like an outsider.
  Gosh, I wonder why people are fleeing rural America like rats from a sinking ship? >
  
  Man, remember that time back in 2015/16 when people were trying to argue that Trump was the more LGBT friendly candidate? >
  
  I remember. I also remember Trump voters coming into LGBT subs the day the election was called and telling us how they'll defend us if they turned out to be wrong. >
  
  We should go back through and find all those people, it’s time for them to defend >
  
  Some of them probably died in the Ukraine to manpads. >
  
  And to covid. >
  
  
  revealed his plan to “stop the chemical, physical, and emotional mutilation of our youth.”
  
  Suddenly they're "our" youth?    Skyrocketing maternal mortality, hungry kids in lunch debt, daycare that costs more than a year's wages, lead in drinking water,  but now the federal government should step in and dictate how they're raised?  This is insanity particularly from the "party of small government"   Get your small "government" out of my bedroom, my doctor's office, my house.... >
  
  And in usual Republican fashion, it's not only total bullsh*t, it's completely false too; I think most transphobic conservatives have a problem with gender-reaffirming surgery (haven't seen many denouncing the fact that estrogen can give trans women breasts), which isn't even legal for minors. >
  
  But their bills don't ban just gender-reaffirming surgery; they're banning any treatment related to gender dysphoria (including puberty blockers and therapy)... Because they think if they can outlaw being trans, then trans people will stop existing. >
  
  
  Because they think if they can outlaw being trans, then trans people will stop existing.
  
  They will. By suicide. >
  
  Sadly, I think they're well aware of that outcome and it's a feature, not a bug. >
  
  He’s a fucking hideous monster >
  
  
  What kind of creature defines itself by hatred?
  
  ~Terry Pratchett >
  
  Republicans! >
  
  That quote was said by a dwarf in the book. Funny thing with dwarfs in the whole Discworld series: A major plot point is their incredibly conservative culture. To the point of where it's not culturally acceptable to be openly female since all dwarfs have beards.
  There's a whole story arc where one dwarf comes to the one of the major hub cities of the world and later returns to her homeland pretty much starting a cultural revolution of being openly female in dwarf society. Clearly a parallel to people in the LGBTQ community coming out.
  The dwarf who said that quote is male but an unusually liberal and open minded dwarf going against the conservatives. >
  
  Captain Carrot ftw? >
  
  Cheery Littlebottom. 
  Captain Carrot is just really tall for a dwarf. >
  
  I thought Cheery was a woman, er female dwarf. Wasn't she the one who puzzled Vimes and Carrot by wearing makeup and a chain-mail dress while on-duty - emulating her friend Angua? I may need to do a re-read of the Watch books. 
  ... 
  < 5 minutes later > 
  ...
  I looked it up. I believe the line is said by Grag Bashfullson in Thud!, which is a great book that examines racial animosity, among other topics. 
  
  "I need no axe to be a dwarf. Nor do I need to hate trolls. What kind of creature defines itself by hatred?"
  
  -Grag Bashfullson >
  
  Exactly.  Dwarfs weren't accepted as being openly female at all, Cheeri (as she became known as) was a hard push against that culture, and largely brought about a change in it in The Fifth Elephant, where it was most evident I believe.
  The line is definitely from Thud! and not about Cheeri at all.  I was saying that it was Cheeri, not Carrot that started the change in dwarf society about openly being female. >
  
  If I recall correctly, the new Low King of the Dwarves was a female dwarf as well, though didn't openly and politically aver as such, due to trying to maintain the dwarves from going into civil war over the issue. I vaguely recall the Low King asking Cheery where she got some of her openly female dwarf accessories and clothing. 
  The Low King's admin worker was female, though, and played an integral role in the theft of the Scone of Stone, or whatever it was.
  Sir Terry Pratchett is my first and foremost god, king, and friend. >
  
  Yeah. Again though, the king wasn't openly female. And she did ask just quietly, but loud enough for the Vimes crew and just enough dwarves to overhear.  She was good at her job after all..  That the admin was female was actually relevant to the plot too. 
  And yes, GNU Pratchett.  I might miss him a bit. >
  
  Oh, wait for that picture on tucker this week.