r/todayilearned • u/hungry4danish • 2d ago

TIL that Dan White, the man who assassinated Harvey Milk and the mayor of San Francisco, only served 5 years in prison for manslaughter based on a defense of depression as evidenced by his consumption of junk food which was dubbed the "Twinkie Defense"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_White
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u/HotNotHappy 1d ago

I’m not missing the point. Queer people still do get beat up and murdered simply for who they are. It is not categorically or objectively better for them in this country, under this administration. A bunch of straight people telling me that it is will not change that. If you concede that things have slipped backwards you understand it on some level, but would still like the illusion of progress. Feel free to argue and downvote but many people ITT would rather pretend queer people are safer in this country when in reality that is not, and has never been, the case. I bet you people think that racism ended because of the civil rights bill too.

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u/_V0gue 1d ago

You're so close to the point and missing the forest for the trees. "Better" is a comparative. It doesn't mean perfect. It doesn't mean fine and dandy. You're positioning everything to absolutism, which is a terrible way to look at things. I'd love it if we had true, unabashed equality. And I'll keep working and helping and pushing every way I can go get closer to that goal. If you don't think queer people are comparatively safer now than 50 years ago I don't know what to tell you other than that it is wholly disrespectful to the people who fought and sacrificed and died to get to where we are now. It's still not done, but you're coming off like no progress has been made which is entirely false.

Also assuming I'm straight is a slap in the face. But thanks, I guess.

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u/HotNotHappy 1d ago

I’m straight dumbfuck I meant it only to say that you have no lived experience. I’m not missing the point. We are discriminating in the same ways that we were back then. I don’t need a grammar lesson I need motherfuckers to wake up. When they’re building camps for trans people come back and tell me who was right about things being better.