Riki Wilchins
@rikiwilchins
Author of: "When Texas Came for Our Kids: How evangelical extremists launched a war on transgender teens" & "BAD INK: How the NYTimes sold out transgender teens."
@rikiwilchins.bsky.social The last person to inhabit an iron lung due to childhood polio has died at age 78. Anti-vaxxers forget when dread diseases like polio swept the country before there was a vaccine, consigning thousands of children to live in them to stay alive.
@rikiwilchins.bsky.social Uh-oh....how the megadonors who've already given $1b to the 2026 election break down by Dem, Rep Ind. [courtesy WashPo]
@rikiwilchins.bsky.social UN report finds 30% of those killed by IDF in Gaza were children, accuses Israel of deliberate and continuing genocide.
@rikiwilchins.bsky.social $40b, 13 servicemembers and $100/b oil and who would have seen this coming....
@rikiwilchins.bsky.social Well, THAT didn't last long. Tired of winning anyone?
@rikiwilchins.bsky.social [NYT cont] Meanwhile, NYT coverage of trans issues from a human and civil rights perspective collapsed as it was quickly replaced by coverage framing trans issues as a medical problem and as culture war issue. 3/3
@rikiwilchins.bsky.social [NYT cont] Meanwhile trans people, who had often spoken for themselves in NYT articles [as with every other minority] began disappearing from trans coverage until it was dominated by cis-opponents speaking about them. 2/3
@rikiwilchins.bsky.social According to the Economist tracking Trump has positive approval numbers in just 3 states: Idado, W Virginian, and Wyoming. www.economist.com/interactive/...
@rikiwilchins.bsky.social Just found this while doing some housecleaning: in 1997 GenderPAC got a half dozen Members of Congress to sign a landmark letter to Atty Gnl Janet Reno denouncing hate crimes against transgender Americans. Yes things are awful right now but yes things DO get better.
@rikiwilchins.bsky.social Trump's "sweeping" trade deal from China compared to current US exports.
@rikiwilchins.bsky.social His net disapproval on every issue is now underwater but the numbers on inflation/affordability are esp brutal. Voters are really pissed off.
@RIKIWILCHINS.BSKY.SOCIAL Trump's approval is more or less a straight line downward since he was sworn it -- literally dropping month by month. How low can he go? He's already lower than that of any president at this point in their term.
@rikiwilchins.bsky.social I know every paper and website is all about the Dems redistricting loss of perhaps 4 seats in VA Supreme Court. I would just remind that with Trump's numbers, the party in power historically usually loses 30-40 seats in the mid-terms going back 90 years.
@rikiwilchins.bsky.social In a nutshell. This war was all unnecessary. But he had to kill the deal just because it was Obama's.
@rikiwilchins.bsky.social Approval in AP poll among Dems is just 3%, virtually zero, and among Inds is only 23%.