It's really wild that guys like Edsall will argue that it's imperative that Democrats support enacting *new laws* to create new restrictions and regulate something that can, should, and has been handled on a local/organizational level up until this point.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:a5fwvpvub5e7mxaebuxn3tuu/post/3mhsrue4fr222Like, look, if you want to say that Democrats shouldn't push to pass bills that mandate trans people's inclusion in sports, by all means, do that. But that's not really something that's currently happening. Suggesting that it's the "moderate" position to impose new restrictions is goofy.
Like, hey, I think the NCAA is in a better position to decide the rules for qualification in its sports than the U.S. Congress. Same for the IOC. Same for professional sports leagues. Etc., etc., etc.
All the "moderate" positions guys like this push for are *new laws* that change the status quo.
And it's the same thing about pushes by these pundits to impose new laws banning certain medical care for trans teens. It's simply should not be the government's job to micromanage what kind of healthcare people of any age can access. Medical decisions are best left to patients, parents, doctors.
The U.S. allows parents to make a lot of straight-up Bad Medical Decisions outright for their kids without the kids' consent. See: the fact that parents are allowed to skip vaccinations, which sometimes leads to their kids *dying.* Totally legal.
www.texastribune.org/2025/03/20/t...Texas measles victim’s parents...
Parents of Texas child who died of measles stand by decision to not vaccinate
The measles vaccine has been proven to be safe and effective against the disease, which is highly contagious and can be life threatening.
So when the argument against health care for trans teens (a decision being made *with* parents, *with* the teen, and *with* doctors) ends up being like, "Something something I'm concerned about protecting kids," the question becomes, then why not stop parents from letting their kids die of measles?
(I realize I've pivoted off the topic of sports here, but just another thought about health care) I think some people automatically associate "I don't support this"/"I wouldn't do this"/"I don't think this is right" with "Therefore, this should be illegal." And that's not how government should work.
In any case, to go back around to what Edsall was writing, why on earth would it be seen as "moderate" for Dems to vote to include bizarre and unrelated anti-trans provisions in a draconian *voter ID bill*? A bill they plan to vote against, anyway? Because that's the context of the latest blip.
Parker Molloy
Kevin Leecaster