Much of the discussion among Democrats grasping to make sense of Donald Trump’s victory has been directed toward the party’s support for transgender rights.
The argument goes something like this: The majority of Americans aren’t on board with transgender rights. It’s too much. It’s gone too far. It scares voters who think that their kid will go to school a girl and come home a boy, or that there’s transgender women lurking in bathrooms waiting to attack, or that transgender athletes are dominating girls' sports.
That argument is wrong. Democrats don’t need to abandon fighting for transgender rights and protections in order to win elections. In fact, when issues surrounding transgender rights are on the ballot, they win.
In 2018, Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot question to uphold nondiscrimination protections for transgender people, winning nearly 68 percent of the vote on the same ballot that a Republican governor won 70 percent.
As was the case with a similar ballot question in New York this year, the question on transgender rights proved to be more popular and received more votes than the same politicians........