Former congressman Barney Frank has died(www.nbcnews.com)

7 pointsby lode3 hours ago1 comment

Kye3 hours ago
It's unfortunate he used his final days to reiterate his long-standing belief that trans rights, now an issue with 60%+ popular support, is a losing issue. That will always be a "but..." in any conversation about his legacy.
- snayan2 hours ago
  Was unaware of this, upon googling, assuming this article is fairly representing his point, I think it's more nuanced than you're making it out to be. https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/barney-frank-hosp...
  This article also shares polling that would indicate, counter to your point, that support isn't as cut and dry. Which, I believe would actually make a case for the approach he suggested in the recent interview?
  - Kye2 hours ago
    It's the old "meet society where it is" vs "push society forward by supporting the thing" debate. His proposed granular approach didn't work for gay rights, and it hasn't for trans rights. It took things like ACT UP's more blunt approach to shift public opinion on gay equality.
    The US tends to be conservative, so real change only comes when large numbers of people are forced to rethink their views. The Democratic party taking credit for big changes but never really pushing for them, or actively standing in the way, is one of the main criticisms of the party.