So he did go, and he managed to behave himself.
Best mugshot ever
Lots of preparation led up to the moment, but Amber and Adam Briggle still exchanged nervous looks when their doorbell rang about 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
“I was terrified,” Amber Briggle said.
They had invited Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife, Angela, to come over for dinner and spend a little time with them and their transgender son. The Briggles occupy a much different political space than Paxton, a conservative Republican who has opposed expanding civil rights for gay and transgender people.
A lot of the usual insecurities went through Amber Briggle’s mind — worrying about the food she prepared, whether she would spill her drink, what they would all talk about over dinner.
She needn’t have worried.
“Honestly, it was a very pleasant evening,” Amber Briggle said.
[…]
The Briggles called their invitation to Paxton an act of diplomacy. He has opposed gay marriage, and he is against the idea that transgender people be allowed to use a public restroom that corresponds to their gender identity.
The Briggles see the state’s latest political battle with the federal government over transgender civil rights as one that directly affects their child.
“I’m concerned that the lawsuit, and all these injunctions, and the legislation that’s coming our way is putting my son in danger,” Amber Briggle said.
Many families of transgender children don’t draw attention to themselves out of self-preservation. But that also feeds ignorance, the Briggles say.
They weren’t sure whether the Paxtons had ever knowingly met a transgender person before. The Briggles wanted to show that they are an ordinary Texas family and that they really aren’t alone.
[…]
The couple didn’t ask Paxton for anything specific in relation to the politics surrounding LGBT rights in Texas. Instead, they asked the attorney general to remember them and their son when considering future actions.
See here for the background. The Briggles are better people than I would be in this situation. I wish I could say that I believe Paxton will become a better, more empathetic person as a result of the Briggles’ hospitality, but alas, I can’t. I expect he won’t say, do, or feel anything different. Worth the effort, but this audience wasn’t ready to hear the message.
Look, I don’t like a thing I have seen about Ken Paxton. Nothing.* But your phenomenally condescending views and statements, with no basis at all, no way to view inside Paxton’s head or heart are exactly the same “hater” BS that right wingers pull. You behave exactly the same way as the flip side of the political aisle, which is what has gotten us into this horrible place in American politics right now.
Yes, the Briggles are better people than you are. It seems likely that Paxton is as well.
* = except his accepting this dinner invitation
Yes J, Kuff’s level headed analysis, not Fox news and Tea Party crackpots have got us to this place. And Kuff is worse than Paxton. Right.
Not buying it.