What to call this thread?

Shiftless2 said:

#960

Click to expand...

Indeed.
Books have been written ...

Wouldn't surprise me if the notion of a straight pride flag was catalyzed by those dismissive or resentful, perhaps even hostile to the principle of equality.

I'm not opposed to a hetero flag, thought I might prefer one not designed by a gay guy with too much time to spare.

My mental reservation about it is the weak but recognizable impression of a greedy / jealous majority horning in on the prestige of exclusivity or attention some may perceive here.

I'm not an elected spokesperson for heteros, but I'm OK without self-identifying as "straight". I generally tend to avoid identifying with any group.

Hyphenated Americans are Americans, good enough for me. And to those that aren't, welcome. Enjoy a magnificent October.

When the SS Atlantic wrecked off the coast of Nova Scotia in 1873, over 500 lives were lost in one of the deadliest maritime disasters of its time. Among the victims was a sailor known to his crewmates as “Bill,” a cheerful, rough-edged companion who drank grog, scrounged tobacco, and fit seamlessly into the masculine world of the ship’s crew.

Only after the tragedy did rescuers discover that “Bill” had been a woman in disguise, her true identity hidden beneath the uniform and camaraderie of shipboard life. She had earned genuine affection and respect from her fellow sailors, not through deception, but through grit and fellowship.

One shipmate, stunned by the revelation, offered a bittersweet tribute: "I didn't know Bill was a woman. He took his grog as regular as any of us, & was always begging or stealing tobacco. He was a good fellow, & I'm sorry he was a woman."

Anti-trans campaign against Spanberger in Va. governor race is failing. Poll shows why: people don't care​

Erin Reed / Sat, October 4, 2025 at 12:00 PM EDT
The Virginia governor’s race is heating up, and one topic has been front and center in the political ad wars: transgender issues. The contest pits Democratic former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger against current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. While Spanberger has centered her campaign on the economic fallout of federal cuts and the rising cost of living for Virginia families, Earle-Sears has saturated the airwaves with millions of dollars in anti-trans ads. Now new polling shows Spanberger pulling ahead — while also revealing that transgender issues sit at the very bottom of voter concerns in the commonwealth.

A new Hill/Emerson College poll shows Spanberger leading Earle-Sears by 10 points overall, a significant margin. Among independent voters, the gap widens even further, with Spanberger up by 19 points. The poll also offers important insight into why Spanberger may be pulling ahead. When asked about the issues that have played an outsized role in this campaign, large majorities ranked the economy, education, and healthcare as top concerns, with between 80 and 90 percent saying these issues were important. By contrast, the majority of respondents said that transgender issues were unimportant — the only issue in the race to receive such a rating.

When looking at the crosstabs, the dynamic becomes clearer: transgender issues are unlikely to drive the outcome in Virginia in the direction of Earle-Sears. While a majority of voters overall find the issue unimportant, those who do prioritize it are not necessarily aligned with Earle-Sears. Many of them likely consider it important because they support transgender rights. In fact, 56 percent of Democrats said transgender issues are important — a higher share than Republicans. Independents, meanwhile, overwhelmingly shrug off the issue, with 61 percent calling it unimportant. That lack of concern helps explain why independents are breaking so strongly for Spanberger, who has focused instead on core issues like the economy and health care.
This article originally appeared on Advocate: Anti-trans campaign against Spanberger in Va. governor race is failing. Poll shows why: people don't care

Notice how the guy holds up the sign to block him from seeing them, but then also peeks around the sign to keep watching.