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Culture War Roundup for the week of May 8, 2023

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I think if you were to conduct a poll of self described left-leaning voters, the trans issue would fall very very low on the priority list. Twitter, the news, and an extremely loud contingent has made the trans conversation appear much larger than it really is.

Why are left-leaning politicians making such a fuss about it then?

Are they? Outside of the more online younger types, I really don't think they do make that much of a fuss about it. Speaking to Britain, where while the tribes are not directly analogous or polarised there has been some spread of the American culture war, most of the Labour party, and certainly Starmer in particular, try not to talk about it at all if they can. Activist types do overemphasise it, but among, say, the median democratic state legislator I don't think it ranks very highly.

The Bud light guy was invited to the white house. That is a full embrace by their leader.

I agree that Biden is unambiguously on the 'pro-trans' side but that doesn't mean it's a high priority.

Biden's inviting the low priorities to the White House to show they're low priority?

People get invited to the White House all the time. I suspect Biden actually has nothing to do with it and he just greets the people who turn up.

Are they invited at random or via lottery?

The invitees are selected by the administration.

Your contention is that this isn't signaling by the administration, elevating the profile of the invitees and their cause / grift over everyone not selected?

It is signalling, but it's relatively low cost. The point is that I doubt Biden spends much of his time thinking about it, democratic legislators are mostly not going to give it much floor time etc. etc.