Robyn Writes Stuff
@bynthebard.bsky.social
I'm Robyn, I write stuff
"If voting actually worked, they'd make it illegal!"
*glances over at gerrymandering, voter suppression/intimidation, historical poll taxes and literacy tests, current attempts to repeal the VRA, DHS trying to extort Blue States' voter records, etc. etc.*
"...you don't say"
*glances over at gerrymandering, voter suppression/intimidation, historical poll taxes and literacy tests, current attempts to repeal the VRA, DHS trying to extort Blue States' voter records, etc. etc.*
"...you don't say"
January 29, 2026 at 12:31 AM
"If voting actually worked, they'd make it illegal!"
*glances over at gerrymandering, voter suppression/intimidation, historical poll taxes and literacy tests, current attempts to repeal the VRA, DHS trying to extort Blue States' voter records, etc. etc.*
"...you don't say"
*glances over at gerrymandering, voter suppression/intimidation, historical poll taxes and literacy tests, current attempts to repeal the VRA, DHS trying to extort Blue States' voter records, etc. etc.*
"...you don't say"
It's almost like people realized that wasn't feasible and invented the concept of representatives for precisely that reason.
January 29, 2026 at 12:14 AM
It's almost like people realized that wasn't feasible and invented the concept of representatives for precisely that reason.
God, imagine having to be tuned into the discourse 24/7 and be fully informed and up-to-date on literally every single issue, argument, proposal, or what have you in order to make a responsible informed decision at a moment's notice... on top of your day job, family, chores, hobbies, etc.
January 29, 2026 at 12:14 AM
God, imagine having to be tuned into the discourse 24/7 and be fully informed and up-to-date on literally every single issue, argument, proposal, or what have you in order to make a responsible informed decision at a moment's notice... on top of your day job, family, chores, hobbies, etc.
Not surprising to learn this guy is a freelance video game narrative consultant and the majority of his credits are "special thanks".
January 27, 2026 at 8:33 PM
Not surprising to learn this guy is a freelance video game narrative consultant and the majority of his credits are "special thanks".
It is the worst thing an ostensibly left-aligned political figure can say on the subject, short of going full gender critical/TERF.
So while I am glad that no prominent Democrats have fallen for it, I don't think it's unjustified to feel anger at those that promulgated it.
So while I am glad that no prominent Democrats have fallen for it, I don't think it's unjustified to feel anger at those that promulgated it.
January 26, 2026 at 11:30 PM
It is the worst thing an ostensibly left-aligned political figure can say on the subject, short of going full gender critical/TERF.
So while I am glad that no prominent Democrats have fallen for it, I don't think it's unjustified to feel anger at those that promulgated it.
So while I am glad that no prominent Democrats have fallen for it, I don't think it's unjustified to feel anger at those that promulgated it.
So to blame trans people for both Dems' loss in '24, and the persecution we're currently undergoing, is wrong, both morally and factually, and serves no purpose other than giving politicians a reason to throw us under the bus in pursuit of the mythical moderates.
January 26, 2026 at 11:30 PM
So to blame trans people for both Dems' loss in '24, and the persecution we're currently undergoing, is wrong, both morally and factually, and serves no purpose other than giving politicians a reason to throw us under the bus in pursuit of the mythical moderates.
The premise is false. All of it.
It's Republicans who are obsessed with Trans people. It's Republicans who made Trans people a focus of their campaigns. It's Republicans who invented this entire moral panic, from sports to bathrooms to youth care.
It's Republicans who are obsessed with Trans people. It's Republicans who made Trans people a focus of their campaigns. It's Republicans who invented this entire moral panic, from sports to bathrooms to youth care.
January 26, 2026 at 11:30 PM
The premise is false. All of it.
It's Republicans who are obsessed with Trans people. It's Republicans who made Trans people a focus of their campaigns. It's Republicans who invented this entire moral panic, from sports to bathrooms to youth care.
It's Republicans who are obsessed with Trans people. It's Republicans who made Trans people a focus of their campaigns. It's Republicans who invented this entire moral panic, from sports to bathrooms to youth care.
Trans people didn't "overplay our hand" the Right went overboard with fearmongering and propaganda and "gender critical" writers at the Atlantic, NYT, and all over the MSM (including the British press) helped sanewash and launder it into "acceptable" mainstream discourse.
January 26, 2026 at 11:30 PM
Trans people didn't "overplay our hand" the Right went overboard with fearmongering and propaganda and "gender critical" writers at the Atlantic, NYT, and all over the MSM (including the British press) helped sanewash and launder it into "acceptable" mainstream discourse.
Think about that: gay marriage had *just* been legalized, and even back then trans people were such a non-issue in the public consciousness that the attempt to stir up a moral panic about bathroom predatoes fell flat on its face.
January 26, 2026 at 11:30 PM
Think about that: gay marriage had *just* been legalized, and even back then trans people were such a non-issue in the public consciousness that the attempt to stir up a moral panic about bathroom predatoes fell flat on its face.
If you recall, the first bathroom bans happened in like 2016, right after Obergefell. And it was so transparently obvious what Republicans were trying to do that nobody fell for it. The bans were universally ridiculed, companies and sports teams boycotted whole states over it.
January 26, 2026 at 11:30 PM
If you recall, the first bathroom bans happened in like 2016, right after Obergefell. And it was so transparently obvious what Republicans were trying to do that nobody fell for it. The bans were universally ridiculed, companies and sports teams boycotted whole states over it.
So the idea that supporting trans rights cost Democrats the election is flatly untrue.
Moreover, trans rights *weren't even a major contentious issue until Republicans made it one!*
Moreover, trans rights *weren't even a major contentious issue until Republicans made it one!*
January 26, 2026 at 11:30 PM
So the idea that supporting trans rights cost Democrats the election is flatly untrue.
Moreover, trans rights *weren't even a major contentious issue until Republicans made it one!*
Moreover, trans rights *weren't even a major contentious issue until Republicans made it one!*
Trans rights were never an all-consuming priority of the Democratic Party, nor were they a major pillar of any Democratic campaign in 2024.
In surveys practically no-one who voted for Trump listed trans issues as a major concern.
In surveys practically no-one who voted for Trump listed trans issues as a major concern.
January 26, 2026 at 11:30 PM
Trans rights were never an all-consuming priority of the Democratic Party, nor were they a major pillar of any Democratic campaign in 2024.
In surveys practically no-one who voted for Trump listed trans issues as a major concern.
In surveys practically no-one who voted for Trump listed trans issues as a major concern.
She might have a point in an absolute vacuum, but the reality is that the whole framing of this "debate" is false.
January 26, 2026 at 11:30 PM
She might have a point in an absolute vacuum, but the reality is that the whole framing of this "debate" is false.
So you would be ok with a politician saying mass deportation is necessary, just as long as they still vote for ACA subsidies?
January 26, 2026 at 10:53 PM
So you would be ok with a politician saying mass deportation is necessary, just as long as they still vote for ACA subsidies?
I'm glad she *didn't* end up throwing us under the bus in the name of chasing the center, but she still endorsed talking points meant to justify that.
She's owed forgiveness, not apology.
She's owed forgiveness, not apology.
January 26, 2026 at 10:47 PM
I'm glad she *didn't* end up throwing us under the bus in the name of chasing the center, but she still endorsed talking points meant to justify that.
She's owed forgiveness, not apology.
She's owed forgiveness, not apology.
Ok, that's all fine and dandy, but also irrelevant to the topic at hand?
The problem with McBride--early on--isn't that she wasn't wholly focused on trans issues, it's that she was utterly obsequious in the face of rank bigotry and actively endorsed anti-trans talking points.
The problem with McBride--early on--isn't that she wasn't wholly focused on trans issues, it's that she was utterly obsequious in the face of rank bigotry and actively endorsed anti-trans talking points.
January 26, 2026 at 10:47 PM
Ok, that's all fine and dandy, but also irrelevant to the topic at hand?
The problem with McBride--early on--isn't that she wasn't wholly focused on trans issues, it's that she was utterly obsequious in the face of rank bigotry and actively endorsed anti-trans talking points.
The problem with McBride--early on--isn't that she wasn't wholly focused on trans issues, it's that she was utterly obsequious in the face of rank bigotry and actively endorsed anti-trans talking points.
We're not talking about Harris though, are we?
January 26, 2026 at 10:25 PM
We're not talking about Harris though, are we?
Uh, all of it?
Are you being serious right now?
Are you being serious right now?
January 26, 2026 at 10:18 PM
Uh, all of it?
Are you being serious right now?
Are you being serious right now?
On Ezra Klein's podcast.
Specifically an episode titled "Sarah McBride on Why the Left Lost on Trans Rights" with a thumbnail captioned "The illiberalism of the left".
Kinda says a lot right there.
Specifically an episode titled "Sarah McBride on Why the Left Lost on Trans Rights" with a thumbnail captioned "The illiberalism of the left".
Kinda says a lot right there.
January 26, 2026 at 10:14 PM
On Ezra Klein's podcast.
Specifically an episode titled "Sarah McBride on Why the Left Lost on Trans Rights" with a thumbnail captioned "The illiberalism of the left".
Kinda says a lot right there.
Specifically an episode titled "Sarah McBride on Why the Left Lost on Trans Rights" with a thumbnail captioned "The illiberalism of the left".
Kinda says a lot right there.
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that she's been doing good and vital work since. But let's not be dishonest here, there's a BIG difference between:
"not being performative"
and
"blaming trans people for our own persecution while giving credence to the idea that our rights are a fringe liability"
"not being performative"
and
"blaming trans people for our own persecution while giving credence to the idea that our rights are a fringe liability"
January 26, 2026 at 10:06 PM
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that she's been doing good and vital work since. But let's not be dishonest here, there's a BIG difference between:
"not being performative"
and
"blaming trans people for our own persecution while giving credence to the idea that our rights are a fringe liability"
"not being performative"
and
"blaming trans people for our own persecution while giving credence to the idea that our rights are a fringe liability"
She did endorse the "Democrats lost because they were too focused on trans issues" myth though, including blaming the current bigoted fervor on trans people "overplaying our hand" (instead of, y'know, the 4+ years of constant fearmongering).
Did she ever apologize for that?
Did she ever apologize for that?
January 26, 2026 at 10:06 PM
She did endorse the "Democrats lost because they were too focused on trans issues" myth though, including blaming the current bigoted fervor on trans people "overplaying our hand" (instead of, y'know, the 4+ years of constant fearmongering).
Did she ever apologize for that?
Did she ever apologize for that?
It won't be enough to simply get rid *him*, or even his whole regime. If America doesn't fix the political, societal, and cultural rot that lead us here, then there will inevitably be another Trump.
January 26, 2026 at 8:37 PM
It won't be enough to simply get rid *him*, or even his whole regime. If America doesn't fix the political, societal, and cultural rot that lead us here, then there will inevitably be another Trump.
In a sense he is a necessary punishment, because America was doomed to produce and elect someone like him eventually.
He (and MAGA more broadly) is the inevitable result of our current trajectory. The coalescence of every malignant social and political trend, every unresolved historical sin.
He (and MAGA more broadly) is the inevitable result of our current trajectory. The coalescence of every malignant social and political trend, every unresolved historical sin.
January 26, 2026 at 8:37 PM
In a sense he is a necessary punishment, because America was doomed to produce and elect someone like him eventually.
He (and MAGA more broadly) is the inevitable result of our current trajectory. The coalescence of every malignant social and political trend, every unresolved historical sin.
He (and MAGA more broadly) is the inevitable result of our current trajectory. The coalescence of every malignant social and political trend, every unresolved historical sin.