Michael Soto

[Michael Soto @michaelscsoto]

@SaraL4man @nytimes Great question! A Governor’s mansion being firebombed seems very newsworthy to me!

[Michael Soto @michaelscsoto]

All of this.

[Charlotte Clymer 🇺🇦 @cmclymer]

I deeply admire Congresswoman-elect Sarah McBride for her courage and character in navigating an impossible situation solely manufactured by cruel, cynical, and hypocritical people who care far more about building their hateful personal brands than helping their constituents.

No matter what Congresswoman-elect McBride does in this situation, she will be unfairly criticized.

If she were to fight this asinine, distracting bathroom rule, her ability to help her constituents across the wide spectrum of issues would be horribly compromised before she's even sworn-in.

Yet, by not fighting this entirely performative bigotry, she will be unfairly accused of giving up on trans rights and enabling the anti-trans attacks to come, which, by the way, were coming regardless.

Because Mike Johnson and his GOP colleagues lack the high character embodied by Sarah McBride, always giving into the lowest common denominator over their own consciences, this was never a fight Democrats were going to win.

Instead, the Congresswoman-elect and her Democratic colleagues would have been drawn into an inevitably losing battle against a GOP majority backed up by a shameless far-right media ecosystem and a largely impotent mainstream media structure, which would completely overshadow every other reason Democrats came to Washington.

Congresswoman-elect McBride chose to focus on the big picture and prioritize every other issue affecting all her constituents above what it clearly a losing battle against a shameless outrage machine driven by the worst people in American politics and enabled by everyone else who should know better.

What I find most interesting about all this is that trans women have been using women's restrooms in the Capitol and the House and Senate office buildings and the White House and the Pentagon for many years now, including during all four years of the Trump Administration.

Under Donald Trump's leadership, trans women were permitted to use women's restrooms in federal buildings in D.C. and there was never any issue. In fact, Donald Trump is on record in the past supporting trans women using women's restrooms.

I have attended hundreds of political events in D.C. over the years and used the women's restroom at many of them, including in all the buildings listed above.

I have washed my hands countless times at the sink next to conservative and Republican women and had pleasant and brief conversations with many of them.

There’s never been an issue.

Because the whole point of going to the restroom is to do your business in a private stall and then wash your hands and maybe touch up your make-up and, on occasion, with friends, there might be conversations at the sink.

That’s it. I’m sorry there’s no mystery here. It’s pretty straightforward and banal.

In the four years that Rep. Nancy Mace has been in Congress, she's known that trans women use women's restrooms in federal buildings in D.C. and it's never been an issue for her. Not once. In all this time.

Until the first trans woman was elected to Congress. Then it suddenly became an issue.

In fact, Rep. Mace was on record "strongly supporting" trans rights before her rebrand in the past few years to pander to the far-right.

Rather than sharply interrogate this hypocrisy, most of political media is more inclined to preserve their access and mollify extremists within the Republican Party.

Again: this is manufactured outrage over something that hasn't been a problem in D.C. pushed by people who didn't have an issue until they saw an opportunity to divide Americans and distract from their long history of policy failures for working class families, all enabled by political reporters who would much rather the other way.

If you think Congresswoman-elect McBride was somehow going to win this fight, against all odds, much less preserve the necessary bandwidth to effectively represent the people of Delaware, either you haven't been paying attention or you prefer that ineffective purity be prioritized, at all costs, over realistic progress.

I am heartbroken and frustrated in this moment. It is demoralizing to watch extremists shamelessly weaponize bigotry while so many non-trans adults in politics and media act as silent bystanders to the hatred unfolding before them.

But that is not Congresswoman-elect McBride's fault, and I will not accept from anyone the absurd claim that she should bear responsibility for a political ecosystem that has been relentlessly cruel and oblivious to the plight of trans people in this country.

I am proud of the Congresswoman-elect, I recognize her courage in negotiating the ludicrous expectations of her, and I admire her conviction in refusing to permit hateful people to keep her from doing the job she came to do.

History will be generous and warm to Sarah McBride and understand that she chose the long trajectory of progress for all Americans over short-term outrage that helps no one.

[Michael Soto @michaelscsoto]

@kyrstensinema

[Daniel Hernandez @danielforaz]

So I guess JD will just act like Kamala is already president the whole time?

[Michael Soto @michaelscsoto]

@EliMcCann So wonderful! Congratulations to you and Skylar!

[Michael Soto @michaelscsoto]

As a social scientist I am very interested in seeing how this plays out. Can the Swifty fandom translate their passion into electoral political power?

[Clint Harp @clintonharp]

CAT LADIES UNITE!!!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥😽

[Michael Soto @michaelscsoto]

Congratulations @yassaminansari! Your hard work and dedication have paid off and I’m with you in November!

[Yassamin Ansari @yassaminansari]

Thank you, #AZ03!

Following today’s recount results, I am deeply honored to be your Democratic nominee for Congress.

It’s time for us to come together and ensure we secure victories for Democrats up and down the ballot this November.

Thread 🧵
https://t.co/McRxPnVSKg

[Michael Soto @michaelscsoto]

@clintonharp Actual tears for me.

[Michael Soto @michaelscsoto]

I think Georgia just won the roll call at the DNC.

[Michael Soto @michaelscsoto]

@bariweiss Far too long.

[Michael Soto @michaelscsoto]

@ReynaEMontoya I’m so sorry friend. You are such an incredible human being, amazing leader, and truly the embodiment of the American Dream. You deserve better, as do all Dreamers, from this nation.

[Michael Soto @michaelscsoto]

@UTYeti Blue

[Michael Soto @michaelscsoto]

Let’s all just listen to Wonder Woman.

[Lynda Carter @RealLyndaCarter]

Hint: If you worry less about what gay and trans people do in public and worry more about what YOU do in public, everyone will be better off, yourself included.

[Michael Soto @michaelscsoto]

@GovernorHobbs Thank you @GovernorHobbs for standing up for AZ values and against extremism. Trans folks are safer in AZ because of your leadership.

[Michael Soto @michaelscsoto]

@phoenikera @OneCommunityAZ I feel the same way about you!! ❤️

[Michael Soto @michaelscsoto]

@EliMcCann I applied to and got into an incredible PhD program!

[Michael Soto @michaelscsoto]

@EliMcCann This FDR, he’s a very good boy.

[Equality Arizona @equalityarizona]

It’s a new day in America. Equality Arizona celebrates the inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Harris, along with millions of Americans and people around the world.

[Michael Soto @michaelscsoto]

Dogs are the best people

[Thoughts of Dog @dog_feelings]

sometimes. the human presses their noggin against mine. to figure out what i’m thinking. so i just think really hard. about how much i love them. and hope they figure it out

[Michael Soto @michaelscsoto]

Happy New Year from me and FDR