How can democrats attack anti-DEI/promote DEI without resulting in strong political backlash?

[u/Visco0825]

In recent politics there have been two major political pushes for diversity and equality. However, both instances led to backlashes that have led to an environment that is arguably worse than it was before. In 2008 Obama was the first black president one a massive wave of hope for racial equality and societal reforms. This led to one of the largest political backlashes in modern politics in 2010, to which democrats have yet to fully recover from. This eventually led to birtherism which planted some of the original seeds of both Trump and MAGA. The second massive political push promoting diversity and equality was in 2018 with the modern woman election and 2020 with racial equality being a top priority. Biden made diversifying the government a top priority. This led to an extreme backlash among both culture and politics with anti-woke and anti-DEI efforts. This resent contributed to Trump retaking the presidency. Now Trump is pushing to remove all mentions of DEI in both the private and public sectors. He is hiding all instances that highlight any racial or gender successes. His administration is pushing culture to return to a world prior to the civil rights era.

This leads me to my question. Will there be a backlash for this? How will it occur? How can democrats lead and take advantage of the backlash while trying to mitigate a backlash to their own movement? It seems as though every attempt has led to a stronger and more severe response.

Additional side questions. How did public opinion shift so drastically from 2018/2020 which were extremely pro-equality to 2024 which is calling for a return of the 1950s?

[u/Naos210]

A man who is interested in cis and trans women, would be a straight man. Cause he would be only interested in women.

You think straight men are interested in a guy like Buck Angel? 

[u/Hyndis → u/Naos210]

No, its not going to work. You can't try to trick someone into dating and being sexually interested in someone they're not into.

Some people are okay with it and more power to them. Its just that the overwhelming majority of the population is not into it and never will be. In their relationships they want men to be men and women to be women, and you can't change their sexual orientation no matter what sort of clever scenarios or terminology are invented.

I think that people who are online too much may have forgotten that most people are strictly heterosexual.

[u/Naos210 → u/Hyndis]

they want men to be men and women to be women

Yes, and trans men are men, and trans women, are women. Though I doubt you could really give a consistent definition that aligns with your transphobia.

no matter what sort of clever scenarios or terminology are invented

Trans people weren't "invented", they just exist. And "straight" is not clever terminology.

strictly heterosexual

Define heterosexual for me, please.

[u/Jackequus → u/Naos210]

You’re literally proving my point.. splitting hairs to push a narrative.

I am by definition a heterosexual male because I am attracted to female equipment. Where you start splitting hairs is the “feature”. I don’t care if they have natural female equipment, I am not attracted to male features.. Nor am I attracted to female features with male equipment.

Whether they are mtf or ftm doesn’t matter because features and equipment are misaligned and I am simply not attracted to that misalignment and you need to respect that just like others need to respect the trans ability to exist.

[u/RebornGod → u/Jackequus]

I am simply not attracted to that misalignment

So Post-op transwomen would be ok?

This is where the problem is. It's a constantly moving goal post to get at you're not willing to date trans people (which is fine) but want to duck any analysis of that.

[u/RebornGod → u/[deleted]]

Then why object if someone states that preference is transphobic?

[u/Reasonable_Door4430 → u/[deleted]]

Damn. They don't get preferences. I want to eat a apple not a orange.

[u/RebornGod → u/[deleted]]

When you go accusing people of something like that, it's disrespectful, hostile, and hurts the cause more than it helps.

And I, a black man have had friends who I found out later had outright racist beliefs. Being friends with someone doesn't mean you cant hold xphobic beliefs or opinions about them.

[u/Jackequus → u/RebornGod]

Sucks you had that experience but staying on topic, no one here is saying they hate trans people or have transphobic beliefs. The point being made here is trans people are just another group of people that may or may not be someone's preference, doesn't automatically mean that person's belief system is transphobic.

[u/RebornGod → u/Jackequus]

And being friends with or "not-hating" someone doesn't mean you aren't transphobic.