The young colored man in this photo looks so freakin' cute. It's a cute photo.
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Quickies: “Religious Freedom” Backlash, School Bullying, LGBT Wellness
Jac · April 20, 2015
Bookmark and Share
Quickies: “Religious Freedom” Backlash, School Bullying, LGBT Wellness
◾“5 Unexpectedly Awesome Consequences Of Indiana’s Terrible Anti-Gay ‘Religious Freedom’ Act” – “A week after the bill was passed, Pence hurriedly signed a revised measure that prohibited discrimination against the LGBT community, saying, “Over the past week, this law has become a subject of great misunderstanding and controversy across our state and nation.” But spite of the bill’s entire existence – which is abhorred by many (myself included) – there were some positive facets that came from its passage.”
◾“Bobby Jindal: Louisiana’s Antigay Marriage Bill Isn’t About Discrimination” – IBM disagrees: “’A bill that legally protects discrimination based on same-sex marriage status will create a hostile environment for our current and prospective employees, and is antithetical to our company’s values,’ IBM senior state executive James M. Driesse wrote to Jindal this week. ‘IBM will find it much harder to attract talent to Louisiana if this bill is passed and enacted into law.’”
◾Students Lead Anti-Gay Harassment Campaign Plagues PA School – [Warning: autoplay] The day before the National Day of Silence, when students across the country demonstrate in opposition to anti-LGBT bullying, students at McGuffey High School in southwest Pennsylvania embarked on an organized harassment campaign against LGBT students. They put anti-gay fliers on queer students’ lockers and verbally and physically assaulted queer students. They intend to continue the harassment campaign for this entire week. School officials would only say they would “investigate all allegations.”
◾“We Are the Youth: Sharing the Stories of LGBTQ Youth in the United States“- “We Are the Youth is an ongoing photojournalism project that shares the stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer youth in the United States.”
◾This Week in LGBT Wellness – The Huffinton Post’s weekly LGBT Health news roundup includes stories about manditory LGBTQ training healthcare professionals in DC and making safe spaces for LGBT med students.
◾“Transgender Man Leads ‘Men’s Health’ Cover Model Contest” – NPR has an interview with the trans man who is leading in the contest for Men’s Health‘s “Ultimate Guy.” Winning would earn him a spot on the cover of the magazine, making him the first trans man on the cover of Men’s Health.
◾“Women Who are Redefining Beauty” – Guff has a rundown of models upending the traditional runway, including transgender women and androgynous women who also model male clothing.
Featured image via WPXI News
Tags:bullyingDiscriminationhomophobiaintersectionalityLGBTQ youthMediapoliticsQueer healthsame-sex marriagestate lawstransgender
By Jac
Jac is a bisexual, genderqueer, feminist, godless liberal. They grew up in small town Pennsylvania and spent their adulthood exploring progressively larger and queerer cities. They currently work as an online tutor in the subjects of math, science and writing. When they are not tutoring or carrying out the gay agenda, they enjoy reading, cooking, science documentaries, and long walks on the beach.
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3 Comments
Hanoumatoi · April 20, 2015, 7:41 pm Log in to Reply
I want a religious-free dome!
Also, geeez, those kids. I hope the school does what’s right on that crap. High school sucks for so many people, and yet so many people who had it ok in high school say “oh, it sucks for everyone, rite of passage, blah blah”. Fuck you. I had it alright in high school, but that doesn’t mean other people didn’t have it worse, or that it’s acceptable as is!
Hanoumatoi · April 22, 2015, 2:18 pm Log in to Reply
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/apr/22/south-carolina-transgender-teen-driver-makeup-license-photo
A little bit of good news! Good job Chase!
Hanoumatoi · April 23, 2015, 4:25 pm Log in to Reply
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2015/apr/23/utah-first-same-sex-couple
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/23/opinion/bobby-jindal-im-holding-firm-against-gay-marriage.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=c-column-top-span-region®ion=c-column-top-span-region&WT.nav=c-column-top-span-region
Jindal’s column is so insane. To call lobbying “bullying” is especially heinous in this situation where one side suffers such severe bullying that they commit suicide at the highest rate of any group in this country. I was already completely offended two sentences in. To paraphrase a comedian (Jon Stewart?) he doesn’t want to redefine “marriage”, but he has no problems redefining “bullying”. Fuck that guy.
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Hanoumatoi { I just remembered hearing about Mr King before (I refuse to do him the honor of calling him Representative, though honestly, I'm iffy on even... } – Apr 27, 3:53 PM
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Jac { Nice catch! Skimming the article, I saw they were both from CO, and it was such ridiculous legislation, I assumed it was state level. I... } – Apr 27, 3:43 PM
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Hanoumatoi { I believe there is an error in the description of the last item. Both Steve King and Rep Jared Polis are members of the national... } – Apr 27, 3:34 PM
.
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Will { I agree, what a great apology. Cheers for Phil Plait! My favorite part of his apology: And for the other bit, people derisively calling us... } – Apr 27, 3:21 PM
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Vince Gabrielle { They've spent 40 issues in the future. That's more than enough time to figure out that people don't have the same hostile reaction to homo... } – Apr 27, 12:10 PM
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Jon Brewer { Even Family Guy mentioned the Iceman gay rumors, which tells you how ubiquitous it was. I will say, in X-Men's defense, that, given the time... } – Apr 26, 3:44 PM
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Queereka | Quickies: “Religious Freedom” Backlash, School Bullying, LGBT Wellness
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Quickies: “Religious Freedom” Backlash, School Bullying, LGBT Wellness
Jac · April 20, 2015
Bookmark and Share
Quickies: “Religious Freedom” Backlash, School Bullying, LGBT Wellness
◾“5 Unexpectedly Awesome Consequences Of Indiana’s Terrible Anti-Gay ‘Religious Freedom’ Act” – “A week after the bill was passed, Pence hurriedly signed a revised measure that prohibited discrimination against the LGBT community, saying, “Over the past week, this law has become a subject of great misunderstanding and controversy across our state and nation.” But spite of the bill’s entire existence – which is abhorred by many (myself included) – there were some positive facets that came from its passage.”
◾“Bobby Jindal: Louisiana’s Antigay Marriage Bill Isn’t About Discrimination” – IBM disagrees: “’A bill that legally protects discrimination based on same-sex marriage status will create a hostile environment for our current and prospective employees, and is antithetical to our company’s values,’ IBM senior state executive James M. Driesse wrote to Jindal this week. ‘IBM will find it much harder to attract talent to Louisiana if this bill is passed and enacted into law.’”
◾Students Lead Anti-Gay Harassment Campaign Plagues PA School – [Warning: autoplay] The day before the National Day of Silence, when students across the country demonstrate in opposition to anti-LGBT bullying, students at McGuffey High School in southwest Pennsylvania embarked on an organized harassment campaign against LGBT students. They put anti-gay fliers on queer students’ lockers and verbally and physically assaulted queer students. They intend to continue the harassment campaign for this entire week. School officials would only say they would “investigate all allegations.”
◾“We Are the Youth: Sharing the Stories of LGBTQ Youth in the United States“- “We Are the Youth is an ongoing photojournalism project that shares the stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer youth in the United States.”
◾This Week in LGBT Wellness – The Huffinton Post’s weekly LGBT Health news roundup includes stories about manditory LGBTQ training healthcare professionals in DC and making safe spaces for LGBT med students.
◾“Transgender Man Leads ‘Men’s Health’ Cover Model Contest” – NPR has an interview with the trans man who is leading in the contest for Men’s Health‘s “Ultimate Guy.” Winning would earn him a spot on the cover of the magazine, making him the first trans man on the cover of Men’s Health.
◾“Women Who are Redefining Beauty” – Guff has a rundown of models upending the traditional runway, including transgender women and androgynous women who also model male clothing.
Featured image via WPXI News
Tags:bullyingDiscriminationhomophobiaintersectionalityLGBTQ youthMediapoliticsQueer healthsame-sex marriagestate lawstransgender
By Jac
Jac is a bisexual, genderqueer, feminist, godless liberal. They grew up in small town Pennsylvania and spent their adulthood exploring progressively larger and queerer cities. They currently work as an online tutor in the subjects of math, science and writing. When they are not tutoring or carrying out the gay agenda, they enjoy reading, cooking, science documentaries, and long walks on the beach.
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3 Comments
Hanoumatoi · April 20, 2015, 7:41 pm Log in to Reply
I want a religious-free dome!
Also, geeez, those kids. I hope the school does what’s right on that crap. High school sucks for so many people, and yet so many people who had it ok in high school say “oh, it sucks for everyone, rite of passage, blah blah”. Fuck you. I had it alright in high school, but that doesn’t mean other people didn’t have it worse, or that it’s acceptable as is!
Hanoumatoi · April 22, 2015, 2:18 pm Log in to Reply
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/apr/22/south-carolina-transgender-teen-driver-makeup-license-photo
A little bit of good news! Good job Chase!
Hanoumatoi · April 23, 2015, 4:25 pm Log in to Reply
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2015/apr/23/utah-first-same-sex-couple
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/23/opinion/bobby-jindal-im-holding-firm-against-gay-marriage.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=c-column-top-span-region®ion=c-column-top-span-region&WT.nav=c-column-top-span-region
Jindal’s column is so insane. To call lobbying “bullying” is especially heinous in this situation where one side suffers such severe bullying that they commit suicide at the highest rate of any group in this country. I was already completely offended two sentences in. To paraphrase a comedian (Jon Stewart?) he doesn’t want to redefine “marriage”, but he has no problems redefining “bullying”. Fuck that guy.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Recent Comments
User Avatar
Hanoumatoi { I just remembered hearing about Mr King before (I refuse to do him the honor of calling him Representative, though honestly, I'm iffy on even... } – Apr 27, 3:53 PM
.
User Avatar
Jac { Nice catch! Skimming the article, I saw they were both from CO, and it was such ridiculous legislation, I assumed it was state level. I... } – Apr 27, 3:43 PM
.
User Avatar
Hanoumatoi { I believe there is an error in the description of the last item. Both Steve King and Rep Jared Polis are members of the national... } – Apr 27, 3:34 PM
.
User Avatar
Will { I agree, what a great apology. Cheers for Phil Plait! My favorite part of his apology: And for the other bit, people derisively calling us... } – Apr 27, 3:21 PM
.
User Avatar
Vince Gabrielle { They've spent 40 issues in the future. That's more than enough time to figure out that people don't have the same hostile reaction to homo... } – Apr 27, 12:10 PM
.
User Avatar
Jon Brewer { Even Family Guy mentioned the Iceman gay rumors, which tells you how ubiquitous it was. I will say, in X-Men's defense, that, given the time... } – Apr 26, 3:44 PM
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Lily Tomlin on Being a Woman, a Lesbian, and Aging in Hollywood – [Warning: Autoplay] In this Huffington Post Live interview of Lily Tomlin and Paul Weitz for their upcoming movie Grandma, Tomlin talks about feminism, age discrimination, abortion and being gay. Straight Pride Posters go up at Ohio University – Fliers posted anonymously on Youngstown State University campus stated, R... »
Tags:#occupottyabortion rightsbathbullyingbutchdemisexualityDiscriminationFeminismGendergender identitygender neutral bathroomshate crimeshomophobiaIdentity policinginternational LGBT rightsintersectionalityLesbianMediapoliticssame-sex marriagetransgendertransgender public bathrooms
Phil Plait Gets An Apology Very Right
Phil Plait Gets An Apology Very Right
Benny Vimes · April 25, 2015 · Uncategorized
Over the weekend Dr. Phil Plait, also known as the Bad Astronomer, put up an episode of his really cool show Crash Course Astronomy. I LOVE the Crash Course series and use them as review for classes regularly. Dr. Plait’s show is particularly good if you like Astronomy and want to learn more. However, the episode this weekend included a problematic joke. The joke was fairly mild, but cissexi... »
Why The Bisexual Slut Stereotype Is Harmful
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Trav Mamone · April 24, 2015 · Bisexuality, Feminism, Sexual Assault
[CN: Biphobia, Slut Shaming, Sexism, Rape] Last week on his Focus on the (heteronormative patriarchal) Family radio show, James Dobson once again ranted and raved about how marriage equality will lead to Christian persecution and all that bullshit. Which isn’t really news; at this point if Dobson said anything nice about queer people, it would be the biggest news story of the century. But on... »
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Iceman is gay because a straight telepath said so.
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Vince Gabrielle · April 23, 2015 · Art & Media, Bisexuality, Breaking News, Coming Out, Gay
If you’re a comic book fan you probably already know that Iceman of the X-Men has been outed as gay. It’s been covered extensively in the press and that, I think, is a good thing representation.Or rather it would be in any other circumstance. In the past I’ve felt ambivalent toward other super-outings. When Prodigy of The Young Avengers was outed as bi I was ambivalent. The context read like the a... »
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Quickies: “Religious Freedom” Backlash, School Bullying, LGBT Wellness
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Jac · April 20, 2015 · Quickies
“5 Unexpectedly Awesome Consequences Of Indiana’s Terrible Anti-Gay ‘Religious Freedom’ Act” – “A week after the bill was passed, Pence hurriedly signed a revised measure that prohibited discrimination against the LGBT community, saying, “Over the past week, this law has become a subject of great misunderstanding and controversy across our state and nation... »
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Hillary Clinton: A Feminist Progressive We Can Believe In… Or Can We?
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This weekend Hillary Clinton officially announced her candidacy for presidency! Wow! A woman president? How progressive! Finally marginalized people will have a voice! Ehhhh not really. Hillary Clinton is a woman, and it would be revolutionary to have a woman be the President of the United States, no one is denying that. But the idea that just because she’s a woman all her policies will be progres... »
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Page 1 of 148123›»
Recent Comments
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Hanoumatoi { I just remembered hearing about Mr King before (I refuse to do him the honor of calling him Representative, though honestly, I'm iffy on even... } – Apr 27, 3:53 PM
.
User Avatar
Jac { Nice catch! Skimming the article, I saw they were both from CO, and it was such ridiculous legislation, I assumed it was state level. I... } – Apr 27, 3:43 PM
.
User Avatar
Hanoumatoi { I believe there is an error in the description of the last item. Both Steve King and Rep Jared Polis are members of the national... } – Apr 27, 3:34 PM
.
User Avatar
Will { I agree, what a great apology. Cheers for Phil Plait! My favorite part of his apology: And for the other bit, people derisively calling us... } – Apr 27, 3:21 PM
.
User Avatar
Vince Gabrielle { They've spent 40 issues in the future. That's more than enough time to figure out that people don't have the same hostile reaction to homo... } – Apr 27, 12:10 PM
.
User Avatar
Jon Brewer { Even Family Guy mentioned the Iceman gay rumors, which tells you how ubiquitous it was. I will say, in X-Men's defense, that, given the time... } – Apr 26, 3:44 PM
.
Latest Network Posts
Meet the Pro-Vax Bullies
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Virtual Field Tripping: Shelf Life from the AMNH
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1
2
3
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»
Copyright © 2015 GhostPool.com. All rights reserved.
http://queereka.com/
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The Kids Aren’t All White: Diversity in the Genderqueer Community
The Kids Aren’t All White: Diversi...
We Have More To Worry About Than Not Getting Cake, Ayaan Hirsi Ali
We Have More To Worry About Than Not Get...
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Quickies: Lily Tomlin, LGBT PoCs, Demisexuality, Butch Vs Trans
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Jac · April 27, 2015 · Quickies
Lily Tomlin on Being a Woman, a Lesbian, and Aging in Hollywood – [Warning: Autoplay] In this Huffington Post Live interview of Lily Tomlin and Paul Weitz for their upcoming movie Grandma, Tomlin talks about feminism, age discrimination, abortion and being gay. Straight Pride Posters go up at Ohio University – Fliers posted anonymously on Youngstown State University campus stated, R... »
Tags:#occupottyabortion rightsbathbullyingbutchdemisexualityDiscriminationFeminismGendergender identitygender neutral bathroomshate crimeshomophobiaIdentity policinginternational LGBT rightsintersectionalityLesbianMediapoliticssame-sex marriagetransgendertransgender public bathrooms
Phil Plait Gets An Apology Very Right
Phil Plait Gets An Apology Very Right
Benny Vimes · April 25, 2015 · Uncategorized
Over the weekend Dr. Phil Plait, also known as the Bad Astronomer, put up an episode of his really cool show Crash Course Astronomy. I LOVE the Crash Course series and use them as review for classes regularly. Dr. Plait’s show is particularly good if you like Astronomy and want to learn more. However, the episode this weekend included a problematic joke. The joke was fairly mild, but cissexi... »
Why The Bisexual Slut Stereotype Is Harmful
Why The Bisexual Slut Stereotype Is Harmful
Trav Mamone · April 24, 2015 · Bisexuality, Feminism, Sexual Assault
[CN: Biphobia, Slut Shaming, Sexism, Rape] Last week on his Focus on the (heteronormative patriarchal) Family radio show, James Dobson once again ranted and raved about how marriage equality will lead to Christian persecution and all that bullshit. Which isn’t really news; at this point if Dobson said anything nice about queer people, it would be the biggest news story of the century. But on... »
Tags:biphobiashiri eisner
Iceman is gay because a straight telepath said so.
Iceman is gay because a straight telepath said so.
Vince Gabrielle · April 23, 2015 · Art & Media, Bisexuality, Breaking News, Coming Out, Gay
If you’re a comic book fan you probably already know that Iceman of the X-Men has been outed as gay. It’s been covered extensively in the press and that, I think, is a good thing representation.Or rather it would be in any other circumstance. In the past I’ve felt ambivalent toward other super-outings. When Prodigy of The Young Avengers was outed as bi I was ambivalent. The context read like the a... »
Tags:bisexual invisibilityComicsfeaturedGay
Quickies: “Religious Freedom” Backlash, School Bullying, LGBT Wellness
Quickies: “Religious Freedom” Backlash, School Bullying, LGBT Wellness
Jac · April 20, 2015 · Quickies
“5 Unexpectedly Awesome Consequences Of Indiana’s Terrible Anti-Gay ‘Religious Freedom’ Act” – “A week after the bill was passed, Pence hurriedly signed a revised measure that prohibited discrimination against the LGBT community, saying, “Over the past week, this law has become a subject of great misunderstanding and controversy across our state and nation... »
Tags:bullyingDiscriminationhomophobiaintersectionalityLGBTQ youthMediapoliticsQueer healthsame-sex marriagestate lawstransgender
Hillary Clinton: A Feminist Progressive We Can Believe In… Or Can We?
Hillary Clinton: A Feminist Progressive We Can Believe In… Or Can We?
Laura · April 16, 2015 · Feminism, Politics / Activism
This weekend Hillary Clinton officially announced her candidacy for presidency! Wow! A woman president? How progressive! Finally marginalized people will have a voice! Ehhhh not really. Hillary Clinton is a woman, and it would be revolutionary to have a woman be the President of the United States, no one is denying that. But the idea that just because she’s a woman all her policies will be progres... »
Tags:FeminismHillary ClintonImperialismpoliticspresidential raceUS politicswhite-supremacy
Page 1 of 148123›»
Recent Comments
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Hanoumatoi { I just remembered hearing about Mr King before (I refuse to do him the honor of calling him Representative, though honestly, I'm iffy on even... } – Apr 27, 3:53 PM
.
User Avatar
Jac { Nice catch! Skimming the article, I saw they were both from CO, and it was such ridiculous legislation, I assumed it was state level. I... } – Apr 27, 3:43 PM
.
User Avatar
Hanoumatoi { I believe there is an error in the description of the last item. Both Steve King and Rep Jared Polis are members of the national... } – Apr 27, 3:34 PM
.
User Avatar
Will { I agree, what a great apology. Cheers for Phil Plait! My favorite part of his apology: And for the other bit, people derisively calling us... } – Apr 27, 3:21 PM
.
User Avatar
Vince Gabrielle { They've spent 40 issues in the future. That's more than enough time to figure out that people don't have the same hostile reaction to homo... } – Apr 27, 12:10 PM
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Queereka | The Kids Aren’t All White: Diversity in the Genderqueer Community
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The Kids Aren’t All White: Diversity in the Genderqueer Community
Olive · April 14, 2015
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The Kids Aren’t All White: Diversity in the Genderqueer Community
Hi there!
I know we’ve only just met, but you seem super nice, so I’m going to tell you a few things about myself.
Firstly, I am profoundly embarrassed by the terrible pun in the title of this post. Reader, I am sorry.
Secondly, I’m genderqueer. If you’ve read any of my other posts, you probably know this already, because I hardly ever shut up about it! I dress in men’s clothes, have a short, barbershop haircut, and I usually wear a binder. I’m thin. I’m able-bodied. I’m white. I like to think that if you made me a bit taller and a lot more handsome, I’d make a good Ben Whishaw or Cumberbatch-era Sherlock; realistically, I’m currently rocking more of a pre-puberty Justin Bieber look.
This isn’t a lonely hearts ad; I’m not about to tell you all about how much I love independent coffeeshops, Murakami and long walks on the beach. The reason I started this post the way I did is because I want to demonstrate something about the way people perceive the genderqueer community.
Be honest. Did the description above sound kind of familiar?
It should have done. Not because all genderqueer people are white, transmasculine and able-bodied – we’re not. But despite the massive diversity of genderqueer community, when it comes to non-binary folk, the media is absolutely dominated by people who look like me. Whilst queer-run blogs and online resources tend to be far better than print media, if you read an article in a major newspaper or a post on a mainstream website that focuses on non-binary identities, a lot of the time, the accompanying picture will be of someone who is white, able-bodied, thin, and conforms just slightly to certain standards of masculinity – short hair, men’s clothes, maybe a binder. When it comes to genderqueer celebrities, those that adhere to these standards are far more likely to be given air time. There is a reason why the media is happier to focus on the genderqueerity of Rain Dove and Ruby Rose than that of Angel Haze.
Folks, none of us are stupid. We all know why “flesh-coloured” usually just means pale peach, why gay kids have to come out but straight kids don’t, why “androgyny” so often just means masculinity-lite. It’s because we live in a society that considers some attributes “normal” and some attributes “other”, and in this society, the most normal human being – the standard model, if you will – is a straight, white, able-bodied man. I’m no anthropologist, but I’d be willing to bet that the reason why the media focuses on genderqueer people who are transmasculine and white is because – by their standards – we are the most “normal”-looking. By using pictures of people like me, media outlets can get their gold star for inclusivity without the risk of alienating their mainstream audiences. The average person can look at me without feeling uncomfortable, because I – as a vaguely androgynous, transmasculine, white, able-bodied person – don’t really transgress any of their “norms”. My personal appearance isn’t likely to offend anyone; but show a trans person who is visibly disabled or who doesn’t adhere to the traditional “masculinity-lite” form of androgyny, and a thousand Guardian readers go clutching for their pearls.
It’s bullshit, of course. There is nothing about being a person with a disability, say, or a PoC that is offensive, abnormal or shocking. We all know this. We’re all well aware of the fact that the reason the media consistently favours white, able-bodied people is because both our media outlets and our society as a whole is deeply, profoundly bigoted. The idea that there is any such thing as a “normal” human being is in itself bigoted.
Intersectionality is important, no matter what community you’re a part of. Being genderqueer is hard, no matter who you are, but the fact is that some of us do have a rougher deal than others, and all of us need to be aware of that. Acceptance that depends on people adhering to these damaging and arbitrary rules is not acceptance.
We need to support each other, folks. No-one else is going to do it for us.
Feature image comes courtesy of examiner.com, and also looks a lot like most of my selfies.
Tags:diversity in genderqueer communitygenderqueergenderqueer communitygenderqueer intersectionality
By Olive
20 years old. Genderqueer. British. Language student. Disgruntled customer service assistant.
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3 Comments
Trav Mamone · April 14, 2015, 4:12 pm Log in to Reply
Bless this post!
BTW, what’s wrong with Murakami and indie coffee shops? ;)
Olive · April 14, 2015, 5:23 pm Log in to Reply
Nothing at all! Murakami and cold press coffee are a core part of my “screaming hipster” identity :p
Cerys Gruffyydd · April 16, 2015, 3:47 pm Log in to Reply
I love every sentence of this post – even the title with pun.
That is all.
Leave a Reply
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Hanoumatoi { I just remembered hearing about Mr King before (I refuse to do him the honor of calling him Representative, though honestly, I'm iffy on even... } – Apr 27, 3:53 PM
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Hanoumatoi { I believe there is an error in the description of the last item. Both Steve King and Rep Jared Polis are members of the national... } – Apr 27, 3:34 PM
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Queereka | The Kids Aren’t All White: Diversity in the Genderqueer Community
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The Kids Aren’t All White: Diversity in the Genderqueer Community
Olive · April 14, 2015
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The Kids Aren’t All White: Diversity in the Genderqueer Community
Hi there!
I know we’ve only just met, but you seem super nice, so I’m going to tell you a few things about myself.
Firstly, I am profoundly embarrassed by the terrible pun in the title of this post. Reader, I am sorry.
Secondly, I’m genderqueer. If you’ve read any of my other posts, you probably know this already, because I hardly ever shut up about it! I dress in men’s clothes, have a short, barbershop haircut, and I usually wear a binder. I’m thin. I’m able-bodied. I’m white. I like to think that if you made me a bit taller and a lot more handsome, I’d make a good Ben Whishaw or Cumberbatch-era Sherlock; realistically, I’m currently rocking more of a pre-puberty Justin Bieber look.
This isn’t a lonely hearts ad; I’m not about to tell you all about how much I love independent coffeeshops, Murakami and long walks on the beach. The reason I started this post the way I did is because I want to demonstrate something about the way people perceive the genderqueer community.
Be honest. Did the description above sound kind of familiar?
It should have done. Not because all genderqueer people are white, transmasculine and able-bodied – we’re not. But despite the massive diversity of genderqueer community, when it comes to non-binary folk, the media is absolutely dominated by people who look like me. Whilst queer-run blogs and online resources tend to be far better than print media, if you read an article in a major newspaper or a post on a mainstream website that focuses on non-binary identities, a lot of the time, the accompanying picture will be of someone who is white, able-bodied, thin, and conforms just slightly to certain standards of masculinity – short hair, men’s clothes, maybe a binder. When it comes to genderqueer celebrities, those that adhere to these standards are far more likely to be given air time. There is a reason why the media is happier to focus on the genderqueerity of Rain Dove and Ruby Rose than that of Angel Haze.
Folks, none of us are stupid. We all know why “flesh-coloured” usually just means pale peach, why gay kids have to come out but straight kids don’t, why “androgyny” so often just means masculinity-lite. It’s because we live in a society that considers some attributes “normal” and some attributes “other”, and in this society, the most normal human being – the standard model, if you will – is a straight, white, able-bodied man. I’m no anthropologist, but I’d be willing to bet that the reason why the media focuses on genderqueer people who are transmasculine and white is because – by their standards – we are the most “normal”-looking. By using pictures of people like me, media outlets can get their gold star for inclusivity without the risk of alienating their mainstream audiences. The average person can look at me without feeling uncomfortable, because I – as a vaguely androgynous, transmasculine, white, able-bodied person – don’t really transgress any of their “norms”. My personal appearance isn’t likely to offend anyone; but show a trans person who is visibly disabled or who doesn’t adhere to the traditional “masculinity-lite” form of androgyny, and a thousand Guardian readers go clutching for their pearls.
It’s bullshit, of course. There is nothing about being a person with a disability, say, or a PoC that is offensive, abnormal or shocking. We all know this. We’re all well aware of the fact that the reason the media consistently favours white, able-bodied people is because both our media outlets and our society as a whole is deeply, profoundly bigoted. The idea that there is any such thing as a “normal” human being is in itself bigoted.
Intersectionality is important, no matter what community you’re a part of. Being genderqueer is hard, no matter who you are, but the fact is that some of us do have a rougher deal than others, and all of us need to be aware of that. Acceptance that depends on people adhering to these damaging and arbitrary rules is not acceptance.
We need to support each other, folks. No-one else is going to do it for us.
Feature image comes courtesy of examiner.com, and also looks a lot like most of my selfies.
Tags:diversity in genderqueer communitygenderqueergenderqueer communitygenderqueer intersectionality
By Olive
20 years old. Genderqueer. British. Language student. Disgruntled customer service assistant.
Related Posts
I am Queer: Beyond the Trans/Cis Binary
I am Queer: Beyond the Trans/Cis Binary
Pride is What You Make It
Pride is What You Make It
Follow-Up to Transgender Semantics
Follow-Up to Transgender Semantics
Coming Out Stories: To Be Determined
Coming Out Stories: To Be Determined
The Queerview Mirror: Genderfork.com
The Queerview Mirror: Genderfork.com
Labels!
Labels!
Quickies: Black Culture, Blood, and Book Burning
Quickies: Black Culture, Blood, and Book...
No Place to Pee – Gender Neutral Bathrooms in UK Law
No Place to Pee – Gender Neutral B...
3 Comments
Trav Mamone · April 14, 2015, 4:12 pm Log in to Reply
Bless this post!
BTW, what’s wrong with Murakami and indie coffee shops? ;)
Olive · April 14, 2015, 5:23 pm Log in to Reply
Nothing at all! Murakami and cold press coffee are a core part of my “screaming hipster” identity :p
Cerys Gruffyydd · April 16, 2015, 3:47 pm Log in to Reply
I love every sentence of this post – even the title with pun.
That is all.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
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Hanoumatoi { I just remembered hearing about Mr King before (I refuse to do him the honor of calling him Representative, though honestly, I'm iffy on even... } – Apr 27, 3:53 PM
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Jac { Nice catch! Skimming the article, I saw they were both from CO, and it was such ridiculous legislation, I assumed it was state level. I... } – Apr 27, 3:43 PM
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Hanoumatoi { I believe there is an error in the description of the last item. Both Steve King and Rep Jared Polis are members of the national... } – Apr 27, 3:34 PM
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Will { I agree, what a great apology. Cheers for Phil Plait! My favorite part of his apology: And for the other bit, people derisively calling us... } – Apr 27, 3:21 PM
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Vince Gabrielle { They've spent 40 issues in the future. That's more than enough time to figure out that people don't have the same hostile reaction to homo... } – Apr 27, 12:10 PM
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Jon Brewer { Even Family Guy mentioned the Iceman gay rumors, which tells you how ubiquitous it was. I will say, in X-Men's defense, that, given the time... } – Apr 26, 3:44 PM
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Queereka | We Have More To Worry About Than Not Getting Cake, Ayaan Hirsi Ali
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We Have More To Worry About Than Not Getting Cake, Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Trav Mamone · April 10, 2015
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We Have More To Worry About Than Not Getting Cake, Ayaan Hirsi Ali
[CN: HOMOPHOBIA, TRANSPHOBIA, VIOLENCE]
Last week at the 2015 American Atheists convention, Ayaan Hirsi Ali gave a keynote address about the dangers of radical Islam. I haven’t seen the entire video, but from all accounts it was a powerful speech about the threat Islamic extremists pose on the world.
Except when she came to this part:
If you are gay, today in the United States of America, the worst the Christian community can do to gay people is not serve them cake… I tweeted Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, whom I think is very brave by going out there and describing what it is that the LGBT community faces in predominantly homophobic communities. The discrimination is subtle, and it lurks in the shadows. But I just want you to think about being Muslim and gay today. In the worst case scenario, you’ve seen it on television, on YouTube… if you’re accused of being gay, you are marched to the tallest building in town and bullies throw you off that building and there’s a crowd of people waiting there…
Of course, I should point out that Ali does voice her support of LGBTQ rights all over the world, including America. And I agree with her on the dangers of radical Islam, so I don’t want to make it sound like I have it worse here in America than LGBTQ people being thrown off of buildings in the Middle East. However, Ali is flat out wrong when she says the worst Christians can do to us here in America is not make wedding cakes for us. Honestly, it strikes me as the logical fallacy of relative privation.
Here in Christian America (meaning that Christianity is the most practiced religion in America, not that we live under a Christian theocracy . . . although some politicians are trying to change that), 40% of homeless youth are either gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Out of this 40%, 46% say they ran away because their parents could not accept them, and 43% say they were kicked out. Also, as I mentioned in my last blog post, 75% of reported hate crimes committed in America in 2013 were against transgender women, and 90% of the victims were transgender women of color.
As a bisexual genderqueer/gender nonconforming person living in a small town, I anticipate the day someone harasses me or physically harms me because of how I look. Using public bathrooms is a dilemma because I don’t look like a woman, but if I go to the men’s room, I’m worried that someone will see my painted nails and harass me. So far I’ve been lucky, but there was one time when I thought someone was going to hurt me.
I was kissing my then-boyfriend in my car in the parking lot outside Denny’s when I saw a man in a pick-up truck a few parking spaces over look in my direction. I didn’t let my boyfriend on that someone was watching us–or at least that someone was looking in our direction–but I kept looking to see if the man was about to get out of his truck. Fortunately the man eventually drove off, but for five or ten long uncomfortable minutes, I thought the worst. That was the first time I realized how, despite all our progress, the threat was still real.
Hemant Mehta thinks Ali’s quote was simply a rhetorical device, but it was a bad rhetorical device. As a queer person living in Christian America, not getting wedding cake is the last thing on my mind. This isn’t to say Islamic extremism isn’t an equal or greater threat to LGBTQ people, but that religious dogma is a threat to the safety and well-being of all LGBTQ people around the world.
Tags:ayaan hiri alitransphobia
By Trav Mamone
Trav Mamone is a bisexual genderqueer Humanist writer. They blog at Bi Any Means, and host the Bi Any Means Podcast. They live in Easton, MD.
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2 Comments
Hanoumatoi · April 12, 2015, 4:43 pm Log in to Reply
They can bully to death too. ='(
http://jezebel.com/transgender-teen-commits-suicide-after-bullying-1697212588
Jac · April 13, 2015, 12:04 pm Log in to Reply
We can also be denied housing and employment in much of the country for being LGBT, and even places where we have non-discrimination ordinances, there’s basically nothing to stop an employer from not hiring someone because they look “too queer.” That contributes to our higher rates of unemployment and poverty, especially among TWOCs.
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Hanoumatoi { I just remembered hearing about Mr King before (I refuse to do him the honor of calling him Representative, though honestly, I'm iffy on even... } – Apr 27, 3:53 PM
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Jac { Nice catch! Skimming the article, I saw they were both from CO, and it was such ridiculous legislation, I assumed it was state level. I... } – Apr 27, 3:43 PM
.
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Hanoumatoi { I believe there is an error in the description of the last item. Both Steve King and Rep Jared Polis are members of the national... } – Apr 27, 3:34 PM
.
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Will { I agree, what a great apology. Cheers for Phil Plait! My favorite part of his apology: And for the other bit, people derisively calling us... } – Apr 27, 3:21 PM
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Queereka | We Have More To Worry About Than Not Getting Cake, Ayaan Hirsi Ali
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We Have More To Worry About Than Not Getting Cake, Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Trav Mamone · April 10, 2015
Bookmark and Share
We Have More To Worry About Than Not Getting Cake, Ayaan Hirsi Ali
[CN: HOMOPHOBIA, TRANSPHOBIA, VIOLENCE]
Last week at the 2015 American Atheists convention, Ayaan Hirsi Ali gave a keynote address about the dangers of radical Islam. I haven’t seen the entire video, but from all accounts it was a powerful speech about the threat Islamic extremists pose on the world.
Except when she came to this part:
If you are gay, today in the United States of America, the worst the Christian community can do to gay people is not serve them cake… I tweeted Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, whom I think is very brave by going out there and describing what it is that the LGBT community faces in predominantly homophobic communities. The discrimination is subtle, and it lurks in the shadows. But I just want you to think about being Muslim and gay today. In the worst case scenario, you’ve seen it on television, on YouTube… if you’re accused of being gay, you are marched to the tallest building in town and bullies throw you off that building and there’s a crowd of people waiting there…
Of course, I should point out that Ali does voice her support of LGBTQ rights all over the world, including America. And I agree with her on the dangers of radical Islam, so I don’t want to make it sound like I have it worse here in America than LGBTQ people being thrown off of buildings in the Middle East. However, Ali is flat out wrong when she says the worst Christians can do to us here in America is not make wedding cakes for us. Honestly, it strikes me as the logical fallacy of relative privation.
Here in Christian America (meaning that Christianity is the most practiced religion in America, not that we live under a Christian theocracy . . . although some politicians are trying to change that), 40% of homeless youth are either gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Out of this 40%, 46% say they ran away because their parents could not accept them, and 43% say they were kicked out. Also, as I mentioned in my last blog post, 75% of reported hate crimes committed in America in 2013 were against transgender women, and 90% of the victims were transgender women of color.
As a bisexual genderqueer/gender nonconforming person living in a small town, I anticipate the day someone harasses me or physically harms me because of how I look. Using public bathrooms is a dilemma because I don’t look like a woman, but if I go to the men’s room, I’m worried that someone will see my painted nails and harass me. So far I’ve been lucky, but there was one time when I thought someone was going to hurt me.
I was kissing my then-boyfriend in my car in the parking lot outside Denny’s when I saw a man in a pick-up truck a few parking spaces over look in my direction. I didn’t let my boyfriend on that someone was watching us–or at least that someone was looking in our direction–but I kept looking to see if the man was about to get out of his truck. Fortunately the man eventually drove off, but for five or ten long uncomfortable minutes, I thought the worst. That was the first time I realized how, despite all our progress, the threat was still real.
Hemant Mehta thinks Ali’s quote was simply a rhetorical device, but it was a bad rhetorical device. As a queer person living in Christian America, not getting wedding cake is the last thing on my mind. This isn’t to say Islamic extremism isn’t an equal or greater threat to LGBTQ people, but that religious dogma is a threat to the safety and well-being of all LGBTQ people around the world.
Tags:ayaan hiri alitransphobia
By Trav Mamone
Trav Mamone is a bisexual genderqueer Humanist writer. They blog at Bi Any Means, and host the Bi Any Means Podcast. They live in Easton, MD.
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2 Comments
Hanoumatoi · April 12, 2015, 4:43 pm Log in to Reply
They can bully to death too. ='(
http://jezebel.com/transgender-teen-commits-suicide-after-bullying-1697212588
Jac · April 13, 2015, 12:04 pm Log in to Reply
We can also be denied housing and employment in much of the country for being LGBT, and even places where we have non-discrimination ordinances, there’s basically nothing to stop an employer from not hiring someone because they look “too queer.” That contributes to our higher rates of unemployment and poverty, especially among TWOCs.
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Are Atheists The Most Hated Group In America? Well . . .
Trav Mamone · March 27, 2015
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Are Atheists The Most Hated Group In America? Well . . .
[CN: TRANSPHOBIA, HOMOPHOBIA, VIOLENCE]
On Tuesday night, CNN did a special on atheism in America. I didn’t watch it because I had a feeling CNN wasn’t going to get it right. Whenever the mainstream media talks about atheism, it usually portrays us as little Richard Dawkins clones running around telling religious people how stupid they are (although most stereotypes contain a hint of truth). Based on what Hemant Mehta and Vlac Chituc wrote, though, it looks like the special had its pros and cons. My biggest pet peeve, however, was when David Silverman, the president of American Atheists, said at one point, “The fact is we’re the most hated group in this country.”
Really? Really?
Don’t get me wrong; I don’t deny that atheists face discrimination, stigmatization, and social marginalization in America. According to a 2012 article on Scientific American’s website, “Only 45 percent of Americans say they would vote for a qualified atheist presidential candidate, and atheists are rated as the least desirable group for a potential son-in-law or daughter-in-law to belong to,” according to studies. The studies, published by William Gervais of the University of British Columbia, also reveal that atheists are least likely to be hired by daycare centers than religious people. Also, there have been plenty of documented cases of atheist discrimination in child custody hearings, the Boy Scouts, and in volunteer organizations.
So, yes, atheophobia does exist. There’s no denying that. But are atheists the most hated group in America?
Consider the fact that, according to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, 75% of reported hate crimes were against transgender women in 2013, and 90% of them were trans women of color. Consider the fact that, according to a 2011 study conducted by the National LGBTQ Task Force, one in five trans people have reported experiencing homelessness, including 38% black trans people and 29% Latino/a trans people. Consider even the recent Religious Freedom Restoration Act in Indiana, which allows business to discriminate against LGBTQ people on religious principles.
I say all this not to get into a pissing contest or play the Oppressed Olympics. On the contrary; I say all this as a reminder that we all have parts to play in each other’s liberation.
This is why allyship is so important in the fight for social justice. For so many of us, marginalized identities intersect: queer and of color, queer and atheist, trans women of color, queer and disabled, etc. If I fight for my right as a genderqueer person to exist but ignore the cries of trans women of color, what good is my activism? As one of my favorite writers, Leslie Feinberg, once said:
We are pitted against each other in order to keep us from seeing each other as allies. Genuine bonds of solidarity can be forged between people who respect each other’s differences and are willing to fight their enemy together. We are the class that does the work of the world, and can revolutionize it. We can win true liberation.
So let’s stop playing the Oppressed Olympics, and let’s start working together for our liberation.
Tags:allyshipdavid silverman
By Trav Mamone
Trav Mamone is a bisexual genderqueer Humanist writer. They blog at Bi Any Means, and host the Bi Any Means Podcast. They live in Easton, MD.
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Are Atheists The Most Hated Group In America? Well . . .
Trav Mamone · March 27, 2015
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Are Atheists The Most Hated Group In America? Well . . .
[CN: TRANSPHOBIA, HOMOPHOBIA, VIOLENCE]
On Tuesday night, CNN did a special on atheism in America. I didn’t watch it because I had a feeling CNN wasn’t going to get it right. Whenever the mainstream media talks about atheism, it usually portrays us as little Richard Dawkins clones running around telling religious people how stupid they are (although most stereotypes contain a hint of truth). Based on what Hemant Mehta and Vlac Chituc wrote, though, it looks like the special had its pros and cons. My biggest pet peeve, however, was when David Silverman, the president of American Atheists, said at one point, “The fact is we’re the most hated group in this country.”
Really? Really?
Don’t get me wrong; I don’t deny that atheists face discrimination, stigmatization, and social marginalization in America. According to a 2012 article on Scientific American’s website, “Only 45 percent of Americans say they would vote for a qualified atheist presidential candidate, and atheists are rated as the least desirable group for a potential son-in-law or daughter-in-law to belong to,” according to studies. The studies, published by William Gervais of the University of British Columbia, also reveal that atheists are least likely to be hired by daycare centers than religious people. Also, there have been plenty of documented cases of atheist discrimination in child custody hearings, the Boy Scouts, and in volunteer organizations.
So, yes, atheophobia does exist. There’s no denying that. But are atheists the most hated group in America?
Consider the fact that, according to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, 75% of reported hate crimes were against transgender women in 2013, and 90% of them were trans women of color. Consider the fact that, according to a 2011 study conducted by the National LGBTQ Task Force, one in five trans people have reported experiencing homelessness, including 38% black trans people and 29% Latino/a trans people. Consider even the recent Religious Freedom Restoration Act in Indiana, which allows business to discriminate against LGBTQ people on religious principles.
I say all this not to get into a pissing contest or play the Oppressed Olympics. On the contrary; I say all this as a reminder that we all have parts to play in each other’s liberation.
This is why allyship is so important in the fight for social justice. For so many of us, marginalized identities intersect: queer and of color, queer and atheist, trans women of color, queer and disabled, etc. If I fight for my right as a genderqueer person to exist but ignore the cries of trans women of color, what good is my activism? As one of my favorite writers, Leslie Feinberg, once said:
We are pitted against each other in order to keep us from seeing each other as allies. Genuine bonds of solidarity can be forged between people who respect each other’s differences and are willing to fight their enemy together. We are the class that does the work of the world, and can revolutionize it. We can win true liberation.
So let’s stop playing the Oppressed Olympics, and let’s start working together for our liberation.
Tags:allyshipdavid silverman
By Trav Mamone
Trav Mamone is a bisexual genderqueer Humanist writer. They blog at Bi Any Means, and host the Bi Any Means Podcast. They live in Easton, MD.
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How Atheists Can Be Better Trans Allies
Trav Mamone · February 4, 2015
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How Atheists Can Be Better Trans Allies
TW: TRANSPHOBIA
We Humanists have a saying: “We’re good without God.” While that is certainly true, people can be assholes without God as well. Living in a problematic society such as ours–with systematic racism, sexism, ableism, and queerphobia embedded into our culture and politics–everyone has unconscious biases. Even so-called allies can say and do problematic things. Nobody is exempt from being an oppressor.
And this includes atheists.
A few months ago, Danielle Muscato, the PR Director of American Atheists, came out as a transgender woman on Friendly Atheist. Despite the old saying “Don’t read the comments,” the comments were overwhelmingly supportive. Pleased with the support for Muscato, I posted a link to the post on Reddit’s atheism forum, thinking that it would be met with similar support. While most of the Redditors had nothing but words of praise and support for Muscato, it wasn’t long before the transphobes popped up:
◾“I personally would like to take this opportunity to come out as a lamp. I’ll be wearing this lampshade which totally makes me a lamp. Sigh. Sorry. Identify as whatever you like obviously, I’m just feeling a little old fashioned when apparently everyone is making up their own shit these days, from Masculine Hairy Woman With A Penis to Furry GenderQueer Pony with Xe-Pronouned Spirit Other And a Sequoia In a Past Life.”
◾“Unpopular dissenting opinion: a person cannot declare themselves the opposite gender any more than a white person can suddenly declare themselves black. Unless you’ve got Klinefelter’s or you’re a true hermaphrodite, I just don’t think it’s healthy to start saying you are something that you’re clearly not. This is America, you have every right to dress however you want and modify your body however you want, but this guy didn’t grow up with a substantial subset of typical female experiences. It’s disrespectful to lay claim to something you simply haven’t experienced or earned.”
Granted, these comments have been downvoted to below zero, but as a genderqueer person, the experience triggered me to the point of wanting to cancel my Internet service and hide under a rock forever. And I shouldn’t have to do that in a community that’s supposed to pro-LGBTQ.
I wish I could say this was an isolated event, but as Zinnia Jones wrote a few months ago, she experienced transphobia from atheists:
Long before I came out, before I transitioned – before I ever talked about trans issues at all – just about the only thing I covered was atheism, and atheists comprised most of my audience. But even back then, plenty of people were already under the impression that I was trans. Here’s what some atheists had to say about my earlier work:
◾“Stop lying to yourself and admit you’re a man.”
◾“Why are you dressed like a girl?”
◾“Denying your own gender is called being delusional.”
◾“You’re a transexual? Now you make athiests look bad.”
◾“Zinnia Jones creeps me out too. … Flamers creep me out. A lot. I could never take a guy seriously if he wore makeup and had a girly voice, etc.”
◾“I honestly think he makes an ugly woman.”
◾“This guy is brilliant, and always very well spoken, but I can never use him as reference for helping me make a point.”
◾“This chick has the golden voice of Ted Williams.”
◾“why i can’t say out loud that someone looks like a freak, if he/she really does?”
◾“all he needs is boobs now and I’d hit it… not”
You can clearly see that these atheists have very positive attitudes toward the LGBT community – assuming the T stands for Thunderf00t. Really, what is going on here? From what I’ve been told, atheists should have no reason to treat us this way. And yet, here they are.
Like I said, no one is immune to being an oppressor. You can slap a Human Rights Council bumper sticker on your car, celebrate whenever a new state legalizes marriage equality, and paint your ring fingernail pink for Leelah Alcorn, but you can still say and do problematic things.
So how can atheists be better trans allies? Here are a few suggestions.
1. STOP TALKING OVER US! When we’re talking about our experiences, don’t interrupt to give us your two cents. Unless you face either discrimination or violence because of your gender, you don’t know what it’s like to be us. Instead of talking over us, listen. Listen to our stories. Listen to us when we call you out. Listen when we say something is problematic. That’s not so hard, is it?
2. Do your research. Atheists are very scientific-minded, and rightly so, of course. Science, after all, is how we find out if an idea holds any water. However, it’s easy to cherry pick specific scientific facts to support one’s personal bias instead of doing a thorough research. In the case of transphobic atheists, the number one argument I hear is, “But, biology!”
A good place to start is the recent study by the Medical University of Vienna that explains how networks in the human mind determine gender identity. As Amanda Koehn of Ravishly summarizes it:
In essence, trans people had brain chemistry approaching the middle of the gender spectrum — inherently different from their biological sex and closer to their identified gender. For example, a trans woman has significantly different brain movement than a cis man, despite having the same biological sex. Moreover, trans men and trans women were different from each other, implying that the brain shows a wide range of gender based differences, rather than simply male or female.
As Jesse Pinkman would say, “Yeah, science!”
3. Use correct pronouns. If someone whom you read as male wants to be referred to as she, refer to her as she. If someone whom you read as female wants to be referred to as he, refer to him as he. If someone wants to be referred to as they, refer to them as they. By using correct pronouns, you affirm someone’s identity, therefore affirming them as human beings. When it doubt, just ask.
4. Call people out on their transphobia. It’s not enough that you personally affirm trans people; you need to spread to word to all of your friends as well. If you are cisgender, you have the privilege of being listened to more than us trans folks. Of course, please remember step #1 so you don’t develop a Mackelmore complex.
In the wake of Leelah Alcorn’s suicide, atheism has a unique opportunity to provide a safe space for trans youth who face persecution in the name of religion. But in order to provide that safe space, cisgender atheists need to educate themselves first.
Tags:reddittransphobiaZinnia Jones
By Trav Mamone
Trav Mamone is a bisexual genderqueer Humanist writer. They blog at Bi Any Means, and host the Bi Any Means Podcast. They live in Easton, MD.
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2 Comments
SamBarge · February 9, 2015, 7:54 pm Log in to Reply
I’ve always regarded my failure to truly understand the trans experience as MY failure. I hope to improve my understanding (I have been following your 4 suggestions already, by the way) and until then, I’ve decided to be supportive, an ally and silent when I wasn’t able to contribute positively to the conversation. It was hard because I have an ego like anyone else and I want my share of the conversation. But it is liberating to acknowledge that your ego is less important than the happiness of others.
Trav Mamone · February 9, 2015, 8:11 pm Log in to Reply
Sounds like you’re doing it right so far, SamBarge!
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How Atheists Can Be Better Trans Allies
Trav Mamone · February 4, 2015
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How Atheists Can Be Better Trans Allies
TW: TRANSPHOBIA
We Humanists have a saying: “We’re good without God.” While that is certainly true, people can be assholes without God as well. Living in a problematic society such as ours–with systematic racism, sexism, ableism, and queerphobia embedded into our culture and politics–everyone has unconscious biases. Even so-called allies can say and do problematic things. Nobody is exempt from being an oppressor.
And this includes atheists.
A few months ago, Danielle Muscato, the PR Director of American Atheists, came out as a transgender woman on Friendly Atheist. Despite the old saying “Don’t read the comments,” the comments were overwhelmingly supportive. Pleased with the support for Muscato, I posted a link to the post on Reddit’s atheism forum, thinking that it would be met with similar support. While most of the Redditors had nothing but words of praise and support for Muscato, it wasn’t long before the transphobes popped up:
◾“I personally would like to take this opportunity to come out as a lamp. I’ll be wearing this lampshade which totally makes me a lamp. Sigh. Sorry. Identify as whatever you like obviously, I’m just feeling a little old fashioned when apparently everyone is making up their own shit these days, from Masculine Hairy Woman With A Penis to Furry GenderQueer Pony with Xe-Pronouned Spirit Other And a Sequoia In a Past Life.”
◾“Unpopular dissenting opinion: a person cannot declare themselves the opposite gender any more than a white person can suddenly declare themselves black. Unless you’ve got Klinefelter’s or you’re a true hermaphrodite, I just don’t think it’s healthy to start saying you are something that you’re clearly not. This is America, you have every right to dress however you want and modify your body however you want, but this guy didn’t grow up with a substantial subset of typical female experiences. It’s disrespectful to lay claim to something you simply haven’t experienced or earned.”
Granted, these comments have been downvoted to below zero, but as a genderqueer person, the experience triggered me to the point of wanting to cancel my Internet service and hide under a rock forever. And I shouldn’t have to do that in a community that’s supposed to pro-LGBTQ.
I wish I could say this was an isolated event, but as Zinnia Jones wrote a few months ago, she experienced transphobia from atheists:
Long before I came out, before I transitioned – before I ever talked about trans issues at all – just about the only thing I covered was atheism, and atheists comprised most of my audience. But even back then, plenty of people were already under the impression that I was trans. Here’s what some atheists had to say about my earlier work:
◾“Stop lying to yourself and admit you’re a man.”
◾“Why are you dressed like a girl?”
◾“Denying your own gender is called being delusional.”
◾“You’re a transexual? Now you make athiests look bad.”
◾“Zinnia Jones creeps me out too. … Flamers creep me out. A lot. I could never take a guy seriously if he wore makeup and had a girly voice, etc.”
◾“I honestly think he makes an ugly woman.”
◾“This guy is brilliant, and always very well spoken, but I can never use him as reference for helping me make a point.”
◾“This chick has the golden voice of Ted Williams.”
◾“why i can’t say out loud that someone looks like a freak, if he/she really does?”
◾“all he needs is boobs now and I’d hit it… not”
You can clearly see that these atheists have very positive attitudes toward the LGBT community – assuming the T stands for Thunderf00t. Really, what is going on here? From what I’ve been told, atheists should have no reason to treat us this way. And yet, here they are.
Like I said, no one is immune to being an oppressor. You can slap a Human Rights Council bumper sticker on your car, celebrate whenever a new state legalizes marriage equality, and paint your ring fingernail pink for Leelah Alcorn, but you can still say and do problematic things.
So how can atheists be better trans allies? Here are a few suggestions.
1. STOP TALKING OVER US! When we’re talking about our experiences, don’t interrupt to give us your two cents. Unless you face either discrimination or violence because of your gender, you don’t know what it’s like to be us. Instead of talking over us, listen. Listen to our stories. Listen to us when we call you out. Listen when we say something is problematic. That’s not so hard, is it?
2. Do your research. Atheists are very scientific-minded, and rightly so, of course. Science, after all, is how we find out if an idea holds any water. However, it’s easy to cherry pick specific scientific facts to support one’s personal bias instead of doing a thorough research. In the case of transphobic atheists, the number one argument I hear is, “But, biology!”
A good place to start is the recent study by the Medical University of Vienna that explains how networks in the human mind determine gender identity. As Amanda Koehn of Ravishly summarizes it:
In essence, trans people had brain chemistry approaching the middle of the gender spectrum — inherently different from their biological sex and closer to their identified gender. For example, a trans woman has significantly different brain movement than a cis man, despite having the same biological sex. Moreover, trans men and trans women were different from each other, implying that the brain shows a wide range of gender based differences, rather than simply male or female.
As Jesse Pinkman would say, “Yeah, science!”
3. Use correct pronouns. If someone whom you read as male wants to be referred to as she, refer to her as she. If someone whom you read as female wants to be referred to as he, refer to him as he. If someone wants to be referred to as they, refer to them as they. By using correct pronouns, you affirm someone’s identity, therefore affirming them as human beings. When it doubt, just ask.
4. Call people out on their transphobia. It’s not enough that you personally affirm trans people; you need to spread to word to all of your friends as well. If you are cisgender, you have the privilege of being listened to more than us trans folks. Of course, please remember step #1 so you don’t develop a Mackelmore complex.
In the wake of Leelah Alcorn’s suicide, atheism has a unique opportunity to provide a safe space for trans youth who face persecution in the name of religion. But in order to provide that safe space, cisgender atheists need to educate themselves first.
Tags:reddittransphobiaZinnia Jones
By Trav Mamone
Trav Mamone is a bisexual genderqueer Humanist writer. They blog at Bi Any Means, and host the Bi Any Means Podcast. They live in Easton, MD.
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2 Comments
SamBarge · February 9, 2015, 7:54 pm Log in to Reply
I’ve always regarded my failure to truly understand the trans experience as MY failure. I hope to improve my understanding (I have been following your 4 suggestions already, by the way) and until then, I’ve decided to be supportive, an ally and silent when I wasn’t able to contribute positively to the conversation. It was hard because I have an ego like anyone else and I want my share of the conversation. But it is liberating to acknowledge that your ego is less important than the happiness of others.
Trav Mamone · February 9, 2015, 8:11 pm Log in to Reply
Sounds like you’re doing it right so far, SamBarge!
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Still Waiting After All These Years: FDA and Gay Blood Donation
Vince Gabrielle · December 15, 2014
Bookmark and Share
Still Waiting After All These Years: FDA and Gay Blood Donation
Update (December 30, 2014): The FDA recently announced that it would relax the lifetime ban on blood donation for men who have sex with men. Instead of banning all men who have had sex with men after 1976 for life the new rule permits gay men who have been celibate for a year to donate. This rule does not make exceptions for monogamous partnerships. It’s not the comprehensive, behavioral risk assessment that countries like Italy, Spain and Russia conduct and it still stigmatizes all gay sex as inherently risky. This is far from a victory for civil rights; it’s more like a baby step.
The FDA recently balked at lifting the 31-year-old ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men. The FDA erected the ban during the AIDS crisis, before HIV was a known and understood virus. Naturally, at this time blood tests did not exist for HIV. The ban bars any gay man who had had sex with another man at any point after 1977 from donating blood.
The FDA was not considering lifting the ban entirely. Instead, it would require that gay and bisexual men be celibate for a year prior to donating blood. This deferral policy is similar to the policies of Australia and the United Kingdom. Other nations have longer periods in which gay and bisexual men have to remain celibate; Canada and New Zealand require five years of celibacy while South Africa requires six months. None of the data from these nations indicates that there is an increased risk of HIV transmission from blood transfusions.
The FDA does not take the same hard line against straight people. Women who have had sex with gay or bisexual men are allowed to donate after twelve months. Straight people who have sex with prostitutes can donate after a year. Straight people can even have sex with HIV-infected partners and donate blood after a year. Nonsensically, if you’re straight and have multiple, anonymous sex partners you’re still eligible to donate. Under the current policy a man who has had oral sex with a single partner since 1977 would be out of the donor pool but a woman who has unprotected sex with either of those two men is not excluded. Dr. Charlene Garlaneau, Assistant Professor of Women’s Studies at Wellesley College, points out “this dichotomy reflects and reinforces common stereotypes: MSM as risky and potentially dangerous sexual beings while their female sexual partners are victims and “innocent bystanders.” In her article, Blood Donation, Deferral, and Discrimination: FDA Donor Deferral Policy for Men Who Have Sex With Men from the American Journal of Bioethics she points out that the FDA has routinely classified male homosexual activity as a “dangerous lifestyle choice” while framing any female contact with gay or bisexual men as victims of incidental exposure.
Behavior-based policies like these make the FDA’s categorical rejection of all men who have had sex with men since 1977 patently unreasonable. Many nations, including Spain, Italy, Poland and famously anti-homosexual Russia don’t have policies that categorically bar gay and bisexual men. These nations opt to prohibit donations based on the behavior of the donor. If the donor changes sex partners they are prohibited from donating for a short time. If donors engage in unprotected sex with multiple partners, use intravenous drugs or pay for sex they may be banned from donating blood for life.
This isn’t the first time that the FDA has banned a group of people from donating based on something unrelated to sexual behavior. In 1990 the FDA banned all Haitians from donating blood after the CDC erroneously identified Haitian nationality as a risk-factor for HIV in 1982. The CDC removed Haitians as a risk group just two years later in 1985 citing a lack of epidemiological evidence that Haitian origin was a risk factor for the disease. The FDA ban prompted protest from Haitians and Haitian-Americans. 50,000 people marched in New York City to protest the ban. The FDA voted soon after to cease using geographic and national origin as criteria for donor bans.
The current ban on gay blood donation imposes a homophobic, zero tolerance, policy without any regard for individual behavior. This is inexcusable in light of the tolerance for risk-factor behavior for straight people. It frames gay and bisexual men as tainted or diseased even in the absence of a diagnosis. This same framing of good and bad blood was present in the blood banks of the 1950s. Blood donated by black donors was separate from white donors and never given to white patients. “White blood” could be given to black patients in an emergency.
Gay and bisexual patients are in the same situation today only without the option of being given “gay blood”. If you’ve ever had sex with a man your blood is too dirty to donate to other men who have done the same. Categorically rejecting the donations of healthy gay and bisexual men is humiliating, stigmatizing and unnecessary in an era of accurate, widespread, early HIV testing. (the NAT assay shortens the undetectable window to 12 days). The Red Cross, The American Medical Association, the AABB and America’s Blood Centers all support lifting the lifetime ban. It’s well past time for the FDA to do the same.
Tags:Bisexualityblood donationDiscriminationfeaturedHIV/AIDSmedicinescience
By Vince Gabrielle
Vince is a graduate student grinding his way through the seedy underbelly of immunology. He's working on a super secret project FOR SCIENCE! He is not (in order) awake, a bricklayer, fierce, or Ongwe Ias: Eater of Men. Ask him about science, fish, role-playing games, age disparity in relationships, fiction writing, or graduate school.
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5 Comments
Daisy · December 16, 2014, 1:39 pm Log in to Reply
I had just assumed that because I have multiple partners that are bisexual men that I couldn’t donate. It is very weird to me that just because I am a woman that I can.
Vince Gabrielle · December 16, 2014, 3:14 pm Log in to Reply
Well, you can after a year since the last sexual encounter with your bisexual partner(s).
Daisy · December 17, 2014, 2:07 pm Log in to Reply
Well I’m hoping that doesn’t happen anytime soon!
Vince Gabrielle · December 17, 2014, 2:42 pm Log in to Reply
Yeah me neither. I wouldn’t want anybody’s relationship to fall apart.
Jac · December 17, 2014, 7:50 pm Log in to Reply
You also can’t donate if you’re transgender, regardless of your sexual history. You could be a trans person who’s never had sex with a man, or who’s never even had any sexual contact at all, and you couldn’t donate your blood to save a life.
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Still Waiting After All These Years: FDA and Gay Blood Donation
Vince Gabrielle · December 15, 2014
Bookmark and Share
Still Waiting After All These Years: FDA and Gay Blood Donation
Update (December 30, 2014): The FDA recently announced that it would relax the lifetime ban on blood donation for men who have sex with men. Instead of banning all men who have had sex with men after 1976 for life the new rule permits gay men who have been celibate for a year to donate. This rule does not make exceptions for monogamous partnerships. It’s not the comprehensive, behavioral risk assessment that countries like Italy, Spain and Russia conduct and it still stigmatizes all gay sex as inherently risky. This is far from a victory for civil rights; it’s more like a baby step.
The FDA recently balked at lifting the 31-year-old ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men. The FDA erected the ban during the AIDS crisis, before HIV was a known and understood virus. Naturally, at this time blood tests did not exist for HIV. The ban bars any gay man who had had sex with another man at any point after 1977 from donating blood.
The FDA was not considering lifting the ban entirely. Instead, it would require that gay and bisexual men be celibate for a year prior to donating blood. This deferral policy is similar to the policies of Australia and the United Kingdom. Other nations have longer periods in which gay and bisexual men have to remain celibate; Canada and New Zealand require five years of celibacy while South Africa requires six months. None of the data from these nations indicates that there is an increased risk of HIV transmission from blood transfusions.
The FDA does not take the same hard line against straight people. Women who have had sex with gay or bisexual men are allowed to donate after twelve months. Straight people who have sex with prostitutes can donate after a year. Straight people can even have sex with HIV-infected partners and donate blood after a year. Nonsensically, if you’re straight and have multiple, anonymous sex partners you’re still eligible to donate. Under the current policy a man who has had oral sex with a single partner since 1977 would be out of the donor pool but a woman who has unprotected sex with either of those two men is not excluded. Dr. Charlene Garlaneau, Assistant Professor of Women’s Studies at Wellesley College, points out “this dichotomy reflects and reinforces common stereotypes: MSM as risky and potentially dangerous sexual beings while their female sexual partners are victims and “innocent bystanders.” In her article, Blood Donation, Deferral, and Discrimination: FDA Donor Deferral Policy for Men Who Have Sex With Men from the American Journal of Bioethics she points out that the FDA has routinely classified male homosexual activity as a “dangerous lifestyle choice” while framing any female contact with gay or bisexual men as victims of incidental exposure.
Behavior-based policies like these make the FDA’s categorical rejection of all men who have had sex with men since 1977 patently unreasonable. Many nations, including Spain, Italy, Poland and famously anti-homosexual Russia don’t have policies that categorically bar gay and bisexual men. These nations opt to prohibit donations based on the behavior of the donor. If the donor changes sex partners they are prohibited from donating for a short time. If donors engage in unprotected sex with multiple partners, use intravenous drugs or pay for sex they may be banned from donating blood for life.
This isn’t the first time that the FDA has banned a group of people from donating based on something unrelated to sexual behavior. In 1990 the FDA banned all Haitians from donating blood after the CDC erroneously identified Haitian nationality as a risk-factor for HIV in 1982. The CDC removed Haitians as a risk group just two years later in 1985 citing a lack of epidemiological evidence that Haitian origin was a risk factor for the disease. The FDA ban prompted protest from Haitians and Haitian-Americans. 50,000 people marched in New York City to protest the ban. The FDA voted soon after to cease using geographic and national origin as criteria for donor bans.
The current ban on gay blood donation imposes a homophobic, zero tolerance, policy without any regard for individual behavior. This is inexcusable in light of the tolerance for risk-factor behavior for straight people. It frames gay and bisexual men as tainted or diseased even in the absence of a diagnosis. This same framing of good and bad blood was present in the blood banks of the 1950s. Blood donated by black donors was separate from white donors and never given to white patients. “White blood” could be given to black patients in an emergency.
Gay and bisexual patients are in the same situation today only without the option of being given “gay blood”. If you’ve ever had sex with a man your blood is too dirty to donate to other men who have done the same. Categorically rejecting the donations of healthy gay and bisexual men is humiliating, stigmatizing and unnecessary in an era of accurate, widespread, early HIV testing. (the NAT assay shortens the undetectable window to 12 days). The Red Cross, The American Medical Association, the AABB and America’s Blood Centers all support lifting the lifetime ban. It’s well past time for the FDA to do the same.
Tags:Bisexualityblood donationDiscriminationfeaturedHIV/AIDSmedicinescience
By Vince Gabrielle
Vince is a graduate student grinding his way through the seedy underbelly of immunology. He's working on a super secret project FOR SCIENCE! He is not (in order) awake, a bricklayer, fierce, or Ongwe Ias: Eater of Men. Ask him about science, fish, role-playing games, age disparity in relationships, fiction writing, or graduate school.
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5 Comments
Daisy · December 16, 2014, 1:39 pm Log in to Reply
I had just assumed that because I have multiple partners that are bisexual men that I couldn’t donate. It is very weird to me that just because I am a woman that I can.
Vince Gabrielle · December 16, 2014, 3:14 pm Log in to Reply
Well, you can after a year since the last sexual encounter with your bisexual partner(s).
Daisy · December 17, 2014, 2:07 pm Log in to Reply
Well I’m hoping that doesn’t happen anytime soon!
Vince Gabrielle · December 17, 2014, 2:42 pm Log in to Reply
Yeah me neither. I wouldn’t want anybody’s relationship to fall apart.
Jac · December 17, 2014, 7:50 pm Log in to Reply
You also can’t donate if you’re transgender, regardless of your sexual history. You could be a trans person who’s never had sex with a man, or who’s never even had any sexual contact at all, and you couldn’t donate your blood to save a life.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Recent Comments
User Avatar
Hanoumatoi { I just remembered hearing about Mr King before (I refuse to do him the honor of calling him Representative, though honestly, I'm iffy on even... } – Apr 27, 3:53 PM
.
User Avatar
Jac { Nice catch! Skimming the article, I saw they were both from CO, and it was such ridiculous legislation, I assumed it was state level. I... } – Apr 27, 3:43 PM
.
User Avatar
Hanoumatoi { I believe there is an error in the description of the last item. Both Steve King and Rep Jared Polis are members of the national... } – Apr 27, 3:34 PM
.
User Avatar
Will { I agree, what a great apology. Cheers for Phil Plait! My favorite part of his apology: And for the other bit, people derisively calling us... } – Apr 27, 3:21 PM
.
User Avatar
Vince Gabrielle { They've spent 40 issues in the future. That's more than enough time to figure out that people don't have the same hostile reaction to homo... } – Apr 27, 12:10 PM
.
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Jon Brewer { Even Family Guy mentioned the Iceman gay rumors, which tells you how ubiquitous it was. I will say, in X-Men's defense, that, given the time... } – Apr 26, 3:44 PM
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http://queereka.com/2014/12/15/still-waiting-after-all-these-years-fda-and-gay-blood-donation/
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Queereka | Quickies: Ex-Gay or Not, Trans Anthem for Realz, Gift Ideas
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Quickies: Ex-Gay or Not, Trans Anthem for Realz, Gift Ideas
Jac · December 15, 2014
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Quickies: Ex-Gay or Not, Trans Anthem for Realz, Gift Ideas
◾“Ex-Gay” Poster Boy Still Gay After All – Christian Schizzel describes psychological abuse and isolation similar to those used by cults that he was subjected to as part of his gay conversion therapy.
◾Literal “Ex-Gay” Poster Boy is Gay and not Twins – Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays erected a billboard in VA claiming that a twin study showed that “nobody is born gay.” Problem: the “identical twins” featured in the billboard are actually stock photos of one model who is not twins, but he is gay.
◾37 Songs by Trans Musicians About Being Trans – Because, while we don’t need cis artists like Kate Pierson to tell us what it’s like to be trans, we do need trans artists to tell (sing) it like it is.
◾“It Shouldn’t Have to Be So Hard to Be a Queer Atheist” – Heina Dadabhoy laments how LGBT groups often privilege religious belief even though LGBT hate is often tied to religion, and half of all LGBTs are nonreligious.
◾“Meet Trans Fashion Designer Auston Björkman Of Sir New York” – “Sir New York is the brainchild of designer Auston Björkman, the first openly transgender designer to emerge on the high-end fashion scene.”
◾Google+ Implements Custom Gender Option – “Now, the gender field on your profile will contain four entries, ‘Male,’ ‘Female,’ ‘Decline to state,’ and ‘Custom,’” explains Bennett. “When ‘Custom’ is selected, a freeform text field and a pronoun field will appear. You can still limit who can see your gender, just like you can now.”
◾Holiday Gift Giving for Gender Nonconforming Kids – Give them what they want, and if their parents are uncomfortable with that, give them something gender neutral. Gender neutral gifts are also great choices for gender conforming kids.
◾The Ali Forney Center’s New PSA – “This video is a portrayal of the horrific reality many of our clients experience upon coming out to their parents. Tragically many report being met with physical violence and even more abusive scenarios. Statistically, more than half of homeless youth are propositioned for sex within 72 hours of being on the streets; for many of them this is their primary form of survival. At the Ali Forney Center we help young people overcome the trauma of being rejected by their families and the subsequent trauma of having to fend for themselves on the streets.” Stuck on finding a gift for someone who has everything? Consider making a donation in their name.
Update (12:38pm):
◾Another gift idea: Trans Lifeline, the suicide hotline run by and for transgender people we featured 2 weeks ago, is selling t-shirts to help pay for their operating costs. Buy some!
Featured image via Mediaite.com
Tags:gay conversion therapygender non-conformingGoogle+homophobiaLGBTQ youthmedia portrayals of LGBTreligiontransgender
By Jac
Jac is a bisexual, genderqueer, feminist, godless liberal. They grew up in small town Pennsylvania and spent their adulthood exploring progressively larger and queerer cities. They currently work as an online tutor in the subjects of math, science and writing. When they are not tutoring or carrying out the gay agenda, they enjoy reading, cooking, science documentaries, and long walks on the beach.
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Hanoumatoi { I just remembered hearing about Mr King before (I refuse to do him the honor of calling him Representative, though honestly, I'm iffy on even... } – Apr 27, 3:53 PM
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Hanoumatoi { I believe there is an error in the description of the last item. Both Steve King and Rep Jared Polis are members of the national... } – Apr 27, 3:34 PM
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Queereka | Quickies: Ex-Gay or Not, Trans Anthem for Realz, Gift Ideas
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Quickies: Ex-Gay or Not, Trans Anthem for Realz, Gift Ideas
Jac · December 15, 2014
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Quickies: Ex-Gay or Not, Trans Anthem for Realz, Gift Ideas
◾“Ex-Gay” Poster Boy Still Gay After All – Christian Schizzel describes psychological abuse and isolation similar to those used by cults that he was subjected to as part of his gay conversion therapy.
◾Literal “Ex-Gay” Poster Boy is Gay and not Twins – Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays erected a billboard in VA claiming that a twin study showed that “nobody is born gay.” Problem: the “identical twins” featured in the billboard are actually stock photos of one model who is not twins, but he is gay.
◾37 Songs by Trans Musicians About Being Trans – Because, while we don’t need cis artists like Kate Pierson to tell us what it’s like to be trans, we do need trans artists to tell (sing) it like it is.
◾“It Shouldn’t Have to Be So Hard to Be a Queer Atheist” – Heina Dadabhoy laments how LGBT groups often privilege religious belief even though LGBT hate is often tied to religion, and half of all LGBTs are nonreligious.
◾“Meet Trans Fashion Designer Auston Björkman Of Sir New York” – “Sir New York is the brainchild of designer Auston Björkman, the first openly transgender designer to emerge on the high-end fashion scene.”
◾Google+ Implements Custom Gender Option – “Now, the gender field on your profile will contain four entries, ‘Male,’ ‘Female,’ ‘Decline to state,’ and ‘Custom,’” explains Bennett. “When ‘Custom’ is selected, a freeform text field and a pronoun field will appear. You can still limit who can see your gender, just like you can now.”
◾Holiday Gift Giving for Gender Nonconforming Kids – Give them what they want, and if their parents are uncomfortable with that, give them something gender neutral. Gender neutral gifts are also great choices for gender conforming kids.
◾The Ali Forney Center’s New PSA – “This video is a portrayal of the horrific reality many of our clients experience upon coming out to their parents. Tragically many report being met with physical violence and even more abusive scenarios. Statistically, more than half of homeless youth are propositioned for sex within 72 hours of being on the streets; for many of them this is their primary form of survival. At the Ali Forney Center we help young people overcome the trauma of being rejected by their families and the subsequent trauma of having to fend for themselves on the streets.” Stuck on finding a gift for someone who has everything? Consider making a donation in their name.
Update (12:38pm):
◾Another gift idea: Trans Lifeline, the suicide hotline run by and for transgender people we featured 2 weeks ago, is selling t-shirts to help pay for their operating costs. Buy some!
Featured image via Mediaite.com
Tags:gay conversion therapygender non-conformingGoogle+homophobiaLGBTQ youthmedia portrayals of LGBTreligiontransgender
By Jac
Jac is a bisexual, genderqueer, feminist, godless liberal. They grew up in small town Pennsylvania and spent their adulthood exploring progressively larger and queerer cities. They currently work as an online tutor in the subjects of math, science and writing. When they are not tutoring or carrying out the gay agenda, they enjoy reading, cooking, science documentaries, and long walks on the beach.
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Hanoumatoi { I just remembered hearing about Mr King before (I refuse to do him the honor of calling him Representative, though honestly, I'm iffy on even... } – Apr 27, 3:53 PM
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Jac { Nice catch! Skimming the article, I saw they were both from CO, and it was such ridiculous legislation, I assumed it was state level. I... } – Apr 27, 3:43 PM
.
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Hanoumatoi { I believe there is an error in the description of the last item. Both Steve King and Rep Jared Polis are members of the national... } – Apr 27, 3:34 PM
.
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Will { I agree, what a great apology. Cheers for Phil Plait! My favorite part of his apology: And for the other bit, people derisively calling us... } – Apr 27, 3:21 PM
.
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Vince Gabrielle { They've spent 40 issues in the future. That's more than enough time to figure out that people don't have the same hostile reaction to homo... } – Apr 27, 12:10 PM
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Jon Brewer { Even Family Guy mentioned the Iceman gay rumors, which tells you how ubiquitous it was. I will say, in X-Men's defense, that, given the time... } – Apr 26, 3:44 PM
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Queereka | Quickies: Same-Sex Marriage, Anti-Trans Discrimination, Muslim Drag Queens
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Quickies: Same-Sex Marriage, Anti-Trans Discrimination, Muslim Drag Queens
Jac · January 19, 2015
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Quickies: Same-Sex Marriage, Anti-Trans Discrimination, Muslim Drag Queens
◾SCOTUS to Hear Same-Sex Marriage Cases – “On Friday afternoon, the Supreme Court agreed to review the 6th Circuit’s decision upholding gay marriage bans in Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, and Kentucky.” US Attorney General Eric Holder released a statement the same day stating that the DoJ will file a ‘friend of the court’ brief supporting same-sex marriage.
◾“What Married Same-Sex Couples Need To Know About Filing Income Taxes” – The Huffington Post has some tips for same-sex couples filing taxes as a married couple for the first time.
◾First Same-Sex Wedding in Baja California, Mexico – Victor Fernando Urias Amparo and Victor Manuel Aguirre Espinoza were the first same sex couple to marry in the Mexican state of Baja California. The wedding followed a two-year legal battle in which they had even been accused of madness in an attempt to deny them their right to marry.
◾“Mayor of Milan Facing Criminal Charges for Registering Same-Sex Marriages” – Mayor Giuliano Pisapia of Milan, Italy is one of several Italian Mayors who have registered same-sex marriages in defiance of interior minister Angelino Alfano. Alfano ordered that all same-sex marriages were voided, but Pisapia refused and is now facing criminal charges.
◾Michael Sam’s Same-Sex Proposal at Vatican City – The Catholic Church may not recognize their impending nuptials but Sam chose the top of the St. Peter’s Basilica to propose to boyfriend Vito Cammisano. The couple has now confirmed that they are engaged.
◾NY AG Investigating Saks in Wake of Discrimination Case – “A highly publicized workplace discrimination lawsuit filed by a fired trans woman against Saks Fifth Avenue has caught the attention of New York’s top lawman. New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has sent a letter to Saks informing the store he will investigate its treatment of transgender employees.”
◾Janet Mock Eviscerates InTouch for Transphobic Cover – In this clip from her new MSNBC show, Mock takes InTouch to task for altering a photo of Bruce Jenner and implying that he’s secretly a trans woman, as if being trans was something to be gawked at and ridiculed.
◾Study: Bisexual Women Fare Worse than Lesbians – The study, published in the Journal of Public Health, measured bi women and lesbians on several mental health and well-being outcomes, and found higher instances of mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders in bisexual women.
◾Muslim Drag Scene Taking Off in the UK – The Huffington Post has a video interview with a Muslim drag queen talking about the newly thriving Muslim drag scene and how it is to be queer and Muslim in the UK.
Featured Image via Towelroad
Tags:BisexualityDiscriminationdraginternational LGBT rightsJanet MockMichael Sampoliticspsychologysame-sex marriagetransgendertransphobia
By Jac
Jac is a bisexual, genderqueer, feminist, godless liberal. They grew up in small town Pennsylvania and spent their adulthood exploring progressively larger and queerer cities. They currently work as an online tutor in the subjects of math, science and writing. When they are not tutoring or carrying out the gay agenda, they enjoy reading, cooking, science documentaries, and long walks on the beach.
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1 Comment
Hanoumatoi · January 19, 2015, 2:10 pm Log in to Reply
In honor of MLK day, let’s continue his legacy, and salute John Lewis for his continued bold stances in favor of rights for all!
http://www.upworthy.com/one-congressman-hits-the-gay-marriage-debate-on-the-head-with-a-powerful-statement
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Hanoumatoi { I just remembered hearing about Mr King before (I refuse to do him the honor of calling him Representative, though honestly, I'm iffy on even... } – Apr 27, 3:53 PM
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Jac { Nice catch! Skimming the article, I saw they were both from CO, and it was such ridiculous legislation, I assumed it was state level. I... } – Apr 27, 3:43 PM
.
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Hanoumatoi { I believe there is an error in the description of the last item. Both Steve King and Rep Jared Polis are members of the national... } – Apr 27, 3:34 PM
.
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Will { I agree, what a great apology. Cheers for Phil Plait! My favorite part of his apology: And for the other bit, people derisively calling us... } – Apr 27, 3:21 PM
.
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Vince Gabrielle { They've spent 40 issues in the future. That's more than enough time to figure out that people don't have the same hostile reaction to homo... } – Apr 27, 12:10 PM
.
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Jon Brewer { Even Family Guy mentioned the Iceman gay rumors, which tells you how ubiquitous it was. I will say, in X-Men's defense, that, given the time... } – Apr 26, 3:44 PM
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Queereka | Quickies: Same-Sex Marriage, Anti-Trans Discrimination, Muslim Drag Queens
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Quickies: Same-Sex Marriage, Anti-Trans Discrimination, Muslim Drag Queens
Jac · January 19, 2015
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Quickies: Same-Sex Marriage, Anti-Trans Discrimination, Muslim Drag Queens
◾SCOTUS to Hear Same-Sex Marriage Cases – “On Friday afternoon, the Supreme Court agreed to review the 6th Circuit’s decision upholding gay marriage bans in Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, and Kentucky.” US Attorney General Eric Holder released a statement the same day stating that the DoJ will file a ‘friend of the court’ brief supporting same-sex marriage.
◾“What Married Same-Sex Couples Need To Know About Filing Income Taxes” – The Huffington Post has some tips for same-sex couples filing taxes as a married couple for the first time.
◾First Same-Sex Wedding in Baja California, Mexico – Victor Fernando Urias Amparo and Victor Manuel Aguirre Espinoza were the first same sex couple to marry in the Mexican state of Baja California. The wedding followed a two-year legal battle in which they had even been accused of madness in an attempt to deny them their right to marry.
◾“Mayor of Milan Facing Criminal Charges for Registering Same-Sex Marriages” – Mayor Giuliano Pisapia of Milan, Italy is one of several Italian Mayors who have registered same-sex marriages in defiance of interior minister Angelino Alfano. Alfano ordered that all same-sex marriages were voided, but Pisapia refused and is now facing criminal charges.
◾Michael Sam’s Same-Sex Proposal at Vatican City – The Catholic Church may not recognize their impending nuptials but Sam chose the top of the St. Peter’s Basilica to propose to boyfriend Vito Cammisano. The couple has now confirmed that they are engaged.
◾NY AG Investigating Saks in Wake of Discrimination Case – “A highly publicized workplace discrimination lawsuit filed by a fired trans woman against Saks Fifth Avenue has caught the attention of New York’s top lawman. New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has sent a letter to Saks informing the store he will investigate its treatment of transgender employees.”
◾Janet Mock Eviscerates InTouch for Transphobic Cover – In this clip from her new MSNBC show, Mock takes InTouch to task for altering a photo of Bruce Jenner and implying that he’s secretly a trans woman, as if being trans was something to be gawked at and ridiculed.
◾Study: Bisexual Women Fare Worse than Lesbians – The study, published in the Journal of Public Health, measured bi women and lesbians on several mental health and well-being outcomes, and found higher instances of mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders in bisexual women.
◾Muslim Drag Scene Taking Off in the UK – The Huffington Post has a video interview with a Muslim drag queen talking about the newly thriving Muslim drag scene and how it is to be queer and Muslim in the UK.
Featured Image via Towelroad
Tags:BisexualityDiscriminationdraginternational LGBT rightsJanet MockMichael Sampoliticspsychologysame-sex marriagetransgendertransphobia
By Jac
Jac is a bisexual, genderqueer, feminist, godless liberal. They grew up in small town Pennsylvania and spent their adulthood exploring progressively larger and queerer cities. They currently work as an online tutor in the subjects of math, science and writing. When they are not tutoring or carrying out the gay agenda, they enjoy reading, cooking, science documentaries, and long walks on the beach.
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1 Comment
Hanoumatoi · January 19, 2015, 2:10 pm Log in to Reply
In honor of MLK day, let’s continue his legacy, and salute John Lewis for his continued bold stances in favor of rights for all!
http://www.upworthy.com/one-congressman-hits-the-gay-marriage-debate-on-the-head-with-a-powerful-statement
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Recent Comments
User Avatar
Hanoumatoi { I just remembered hearing about Mr King before (I refuse to do him the honor of calling him Representative, though honestly, I'm iffy on even... } – Apr 27, 3:53 PM
.
User Avatar
Jac { Nice catch! Skimming the article, I saw they were both from CO, and it was such ridiculous legislation, I assumed it was state level. I... } – Apr 27, 3:43 PM
.
User Avatar
Hanoumatoi { I believe there is an error in the description of the last item. Both Steve King and Rep Jared Polis are members of the national... } – Apr 27, 3:34 PM
.
User Avatar
Will { I agree, what a great apology. Cheers for Phil Plait! My favorite part of his apology: And for the other bit, people derisively calling us... } – Apr 27, 3:21 PM
.
User Avatar
Vince Gabrielle { They've spent 40 issues in the future. That's more than enough time to figure out that people don't have the same hostile reaction to homo... } – Apr 27, 12:10 PM
.
User Avatar
Jon Brewer { Even Family Guy mentioned the Iceman gay rumors, which tells you how ubiquitous it was. I will say, in X-Men's defense, that, given the time... } – Apr 26, 3:44 PM
.
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Queereka | Like a Horse and Carriage
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Like a Horse and Carriage
Allie T Jones · March 5, 2015
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Like a Horse and Carriage
Last week, American Atheists’ Jamila Bey spoke at the yearly meeting of CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Committee. To give you some idea of CPAC’s tenor, this year’s highlights include:
◾Phil Robertson, patriarch of Duck Dynasty, said that “I believe Jesus came down from Heaven in flesh 2000 and 15-years ago. I believe he paid for all of my rotten sins, and I have a lot. But I’m not the only one. Every one of you seated in this audience has sinned…a lot.”
◾During a panel discussion, conservative talk show host Dana Loesch declared, “You don’t have to be a Christians to be affected by loss of religious liberty, because if one liberty is taken, more liberties will be taken,” she said. “If I’m not speaking up [while] you’re losing rights then what will happen to me when the day comes, if someone comes to me? What if you’re stoned for walking out in the street for being gay? I mean, come on, that’s where the conversation needs to go…”
◾And, more relevant to my purposes, Governor Scott Walker quipped, “You see, here in America there’s a reason why we celebrate the 4th of July and not April 15th because in America we celebrate our independence from the government, not our dependence on it.”
Bey spoke last week, saying in part:
Today I stand before you not just as a fellow conservative, I stand before you as a member of a growing Republican family that has inherited a new generation of potential leaders with millions of voters that we cannot afford to ignore. The law is: change or die. And to grow with our changing family, we must embrace this future to maintain our value systems, and, as Donald Rumsfeld put it best, we’ve gotta prepare for the unknown.
Over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with American Atheists. More recently, I’ve become a very proud board member of this organization. And, through this course, I’ve seen many of our youth, many of our peers, who, while different in worldview, strongly uphold the values of our conservative family. These people are an essential component of our growing electorate. We ignore them to our peril.
Later, she clarified on her blog, “I’m a conservative on issues of economics, immigration, and a few others. I’m socially liberal and I often agree with voices who exist on either/both sides of the political spectrum.”
People often say this, but is it possible?
My argument is this: One cannot be both socially liberal and fiscally conservative, at least not if one cares about the coherency of one’s beliefs. Social liberalism and fiscal conservatism are incompatible. Economics and social policies go hand-in-hand. Despite decades of Chicago-school ideology that has attempted to disembed fiscal policies from the stuff of everyday life—as if human beings were all numbers on a stock ticker—the truth is that the decisions that are made in regards to tax policy, spending, social safety nets, funding education and other social programs affect how everyday people live their lives in real and concrete ways.
Here is one example: According to a recent study by the Brookings Institute, poor women are 3 times as likely to have an unintended pregnancy than wealthy women. They are also 5 times more likely to give birth instead of terminating the pregnancy. This is because personal wealth influences access to contraception and abortion. In states with restrictive abortion laws, the problem is even more egregious. It hardly need be added that unintentional pregnancy can drive impoverished families further into poverty, or that such poverty is often generational.
Another data point, and one that may hit closer to home: 24% of gay and bi-sexual women are poor, compared to 19% of hetero women. LGBT people of color have even higher rates of poverty, while trans people are ten times as likely as cis people to have a household income lower than $10,000, and twice as likely to be unemployed. While some of this can be explained by the inability to access the shared benefits of marriage, not all of it can. Support of same-sex marriage as a liberal social policy isn’t enough. What about access to comprehensive healthcare, which is so important to all of us and especially to trans folks? What about social programs that can stop cycles of poverty and help LGBTQ folks get back on their feet? What about “Big Government” interference in the market that prevents businesses from discriminating against LGBTQ consumers and employees? All of these things are necessary, but they cannot be managed with free market fiscal policy.
At a rally for homeless LGBT youth in New York City on June 14, 2010. ©2010 Ocean Morisset
A final piece of evidence: Fiscal conservatives often wish to reduce the tax burden on the wealth (which is already at the lowest point it has been since the Great Depression) in the hopes that the 1% will plow this money back into the economy in the form of job creation and other spending. Yet, we have seen that this just isn’t so. According to David Atkens at Alternet:
“[The top 1%] control half of all the wealth, and the top 10% control almost 9/10ths of it. Corporate profits are at or near record highs, disproving the myth that the middle class must suffer due to competitive pressures. The Dow Jones index is threatening to burst past 17,000. Meanwhile, wages have stagnated since the Reagan era, even though productivity continues to increase… [However,] the rich aren’t investing almost half of their money (corporations aren’t doing much better, as their record profits sit largely idle avoiding taxation). 40% of the assets of the wealthy are sitting in deposits: the rich person’s equivalent of stuffing money into a mattress.”
In fact, staunch fiscal conservatives are more likely to prioritize reducing the budget to creating jobs, and cutting programs for the poor, even Social Security and Medicaid, rather than raising taxes.
Fiscal conservative policies create more inequality. This is so obvious that fiscal conservatives often no longer bother to deny it, but rather accept it as a product of a “well-functioning economy” (one must ask, ‘well-functioning’ for whom?) or a “fact of life.” Even if this were true—and I don’t believe it is—surely we can do better than 10% of people controlling 90% of the wealth of the country.
My point, once again, is that fiscal policy and social policy go hand-in-hand. One cannot seriously say that they support gay rights without supporting comprehensive healthcare and progressive tax policies. One cannot say they are feminist and pro-choice and fail to support social safety nets. One cannot say they support science education and yet want to cut funding for schools, or cede control of education over to states that consistently turn around and fund charter schools, vouchers and other foot-in-the-door policies that wedge religious instruction into publicly funded education.
Economic choices are social choices. They affect millions of people every day. To act otherwise is facile at best, self-deceptive at worst. Jamila Bey does not represent me. American Atheists does not represent me.
Tags:American AtheistsCPACfeaturedfiscal conservatismpoverty
By Allie T Jones
I was raised a fundamentalist Christian, but left the church in 2001 and began the slow and painful journey towards atheism. I am now a happy bisexual woman in a Femdom poly relationship with my husband. I am committed to skepticism and the pursuit of social justice in matters of economics and education, as well as gender and sexual identity. I'm an adjunct English professor and try to use my class as a way to promote critical thinking about intersections of race, class, sexuality and power. In my off time, I write erotica and enjoy sci-fi and action flicks.
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12 Comments
Will · March 6, 2015, 2:48 pm Log in to Reply
Excellent post. You make some super important points here that I hope give people pause in future conversations with the “I’m a social liberal but fiscal conservative” types.
timmyson · March 8, 2015, 12:06 pm Log in to Reply
Other common fiscal conservative positions you might find less odious:
-Deficit spending should be avoided
-Debt should be reduced
-Government should not attempt to compete with private enterprise
It’s a demonstration of the decline of rational conservatism that these aren’t even on your radar. Imagine if the US Federal Government had 6.5% more revenue with no additional taxation. That’s what is being wasted on debt interest. It’s much worse here in Canada.
The last item is probably the most controversial. I usually argue that while private enterprise is almost always more efficient, there are some sectors in which other priorities, like equity or regional development are more important than efficiency, and government has a role. The LCBO, the public monopoly liquor store in Ontario, Canada is one of the largest liquor purchasers in the world, and is credited with supporting a greater diversity of wineries than would otherwise exist. Also, health care (go Canada!).
Will · March 8, 2015, 5:47 pm Log in to Reply
I’m not convinced that your first 2 points are “fiscal conservative” in the sense used in the US. Democrats also agree that deficit spending should be avoided and debt should be reduced. The arguments are over how to go about avoiding those things in the best ways.
timmyson · March 8, 2015, 5:53 pm Log in to Reply
I think it’s a sign of how conservative everyone is these days. The Dems for the most part are the slightly-less-conservative party. The left didn’t give a fig about deficits and debts until the early 90’s in Canada or the US. I can’t really speak to the rest of the world, except it’s the left-wing parties in Spain and Greece which want to default on their debts, right?
Will · March 9, 2015, 10:08 pm Log in to Reply
I’m not sure that’s true. I mean, FDR seemed pretty concerned about the national debt in the US, no?
Allie T Jones · March 9, 2015, 5:30 pm Log in to Reply
Timmyson,
I addressed this, at least in part, when I linked to the Pew Survey that found that most conservatives prioritize cutting the deficit over funding social programs. Needless to say, I disagree with this equation. Providing things like welfare benefits, unemployment benefits, Medicaid and Medicare are more important, in my view, than deficit reduction (and I always find it suspect when conservatives harp on about deficit reduction but are mute when it comes to war/defense spending.)
I do not think the “debt should be reduced” is a particularly conservative point. I’ve never met a liberal who was like, “Fuck it; let’s rack up the debt and spend all the moneys!!1!” Mostly, when conservatives say “debt should be reduced” they are using coded language and mean something like, “We should cut spending on the things that I don’t like…” and, as I said, those things are usually social welfare projects, and sometimes education and public works as well. But liberals also talk a lot about reducing debt (in fact, wasn’t it Clinton who actually balanced the budget in his second term?) and also work towards it. They just prefer to cut things conservatives don’t want cut–again, “reduce debt” isn’t a partisan position.
I disagree utterly with the maxim that government should not necessarily compete with private enterprise. Public schooling is a perfect example of a government “enterprise” that is constantly under siege from conservatives, and has suffered for decades as a result.
timmyson · March 11, 2015, 11:12 pm Log in to Reply
I’m not saying you’re wrong that “fiscal conservatism” is used as a smokescreen for cutting stuff a rich white guy doesn’t need. I’m just saying there is a larger doctrine that isn’t stupid, and that I think you’re taking a somewhat myopic view of history in ignoring it.
It was a big deal that Clinton was all for paying down the debt, which was largely accumulated under much more “fiscally liberal” presidents (like Carter). I don’t know much about FDR though, so I can’t speak to Will’s further-historical point. However a quick look around the world shows much more fiscally liberal stances: countries which have recently and plan to default on debt rather than cut social programs or raise taxes.
Maybe this is a big-C/small-C conservatism thing. The “fiscally conservative” philosophy which I largely internalized growing up was “pay for the social programs you need, but don’t do it with long-term deficits”. Deficit-spend as required to get through recessions or Keynes yourself out of trouble, but if a social program is important (and I’d point out that I didn’t even go as deep as education, I think socialized liquor is good for us), you need to be honest and tax people for it. We have higher taxes here in Canada by a goodly margin, and I still think they’re too low for the programs we ought to support.
Definitions change though, and as lexicographically conservative as I am, I have to accept that maybe my understanding isn’t where everyone else’s is.
Jon Brewer · March 8, 2015, 3:47 pm Log in to Reply
It seems that way, but there are always unusual exceptions. For instance, I’m mostly a leftie, but I fear the “After 1300 years, voila! You become indigenous!” argument some lefties use. I also don’t get bogged down in language arguments, which I see as nothing more than a variant of the tone argument.
Allie T Jones · March 9, 2015, 5:31 pm Log in to Reply
I am not sure what you you mean by this:
“I fear the “After 1300 years, voila! You become indigenous!” argument some lefties use.”
What does this have to do with my post?
Jon Brewer · March 14, 2015, 3:42 pm Log in to Reply
I was mentioning how there’s a tendency to divide everyone into neat party lines.
There’s a real tendency to use the term ‘indigenous’ incorrectly over on the Daily Kos I/P diaries.
scribe999 · March 9, 2015, 9:23 pm Log in to Reply
I think this tweet said it best: “hmm well I’d say I’m fiscally conservative but socially very liberal. the problems are bad but their causes…their causes are very good”
https://twitter.com/crushingbort/status/463132110006784000
Allie T Jones · March 14, 2015, 5:44 pm Log in to Reply
Jon, then perhaps you should take that complaint to the Daily Kos and other writers who’ve made that mistake, rather than complain here about things I actually did not do in my essay.
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Like a Horse and Carriage
Allie T Jones · March 5, 2015
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Like a Horse and Carriage
Last week, American Atheists’ Jamila Bey spoke at the yearly meeting of CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Committee. To give you some idea of CPAC’s tenor, this year’s highlights include:
◾Phil Robertson, patriarch of Duck Dynasty, said that “I believe Jesus came down from Heaven in flesh 2000 and 15-years ago. I believe he paid for all of my rotten sins, and I have a lot. But I’m not the only one. Every one of you seated in this audience has sinned…a lot.”
◾During a panel discussion, conservative talk show host Dana Loesch declared, “You don’t have to be a Christians to be affected by loss of religious liberty, because if one liberty is taken, more liberties will be taken,” she said. “If I’m not speaking up [while] you’re losing rights then what will happen to me when the day comes, if someone comes to me? What if you’re stoned for walking out in the street for being gay? I mean, come on, that’s where the conversation needs to go…”
◾And, more relevant to my purposes, Governor Scott Walker quipped, “You see, here in America there’s a reason why we celebrate the 4th of July and not April 15th because in America we celebrate our independence from the government, not our dependence on it.”
Bey spoke last week, saying in part:
Today I stand before you not just as a fellow conservative, I stand before you as a member of a growing Republican family that has inherited a new generation of potential leaders with millions of voters that we cannot afford to ignore. The law is: change or die. And to grow with our changing family, we must embrace this future to maintain our value systems, and, as Donald Rumsfeld put it best, we’ve gotta prepare for the unknown.
Over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with American Atheists. More recently, I’ve become a very proud board member of this organization. And, through this course, I’ve seen many of our youth, many of our peers, who, while different in worldview, strongly uphold the values of our conservative family. These people are an essential component of our growing electorate. We ignore them to our peril.
Later, she clarified on her blog, “I’m a conservative on issues of economics, immigration, and a few others. I’m socially liberal and I often agree with voices who exist on either/both sides of the political spectrum.”
People often say this, but is it possible?
My argument is this: One cannot be both socially liberal and fiscally conservative, at least not if one cares about the coherency of one’s beliefs. Social liberalism and fiscal conservatism are incompatible. Economics and social policies go hand-in-hand. Despite decades of Chicago-school ideology that has attempted to disembed fiscal policies from the stuff of everyday life—as if human beings were all numbers on a stock ticker—the truth is that the decisions that are made in regards to tax policy, spending, social safety nets, funding education and other social programs affect how everyday people live their lives in real and concrete ways.
Here is one example: According to a recent study by the Brookings Institute, poor women are 3 times as likely to have an unintended pregnancy than wealthy women. They are also 5 times more likely to give birth instead of terminating the pregnancy. This is because personal wealth influences access to contraception and abortion. In states with restrictive abortion laws, the problem is even more egregious. It hardly need be added that unintentional pregnancy can drive impoverished families further into poverty, or that such poverty is often generational.
Another data point, and one that may hit closer to home: 24% of gay and bi-sexual women are poor, compared to 19% of hetero women. LGBT people of color have even higher rates of poverty, while trans people are ten times as likely as cis people to have a household income lower than $10,000, and twice as likely to be unemployed. While some of this can be explained by the inability to access the shared benefits of marriage, not all of it can. Support of same-sex marriage as a liberal social policy isn’t enough. What about access to comprehensive healthcare, which is so important to all of us and especially to trans folks? What about social programs that can stop cycles of poverty and help LGBTQ folks get back on their feet? What about “Big Government” interference in the market that prevents businesses from discriminating against LGBTQ consumers and employees? All of these things are necessary, but they cannot be managed with free market fiscal policy.
At a rally for homeless LGBT youth in New York City on June 14, 2010. ©2010 Ocean Morisset
A final piece of evidence: Fiscal conservatives often wish to reduce the tax burden on the wealth (which is already at the lowest point it has been since the Great Depression) in the hopes that the 1% will plow this money back into the economy in the form of job creation and other spending. Yet, we have seen that this just isn’t so. According to David Atkens at Alternet:
“[The top 1%] control half of all the wealth, and the top 10% control almost 9/10ths of it. Corporate profits are at or near record highs, disproving the myth that the middle class must suffer due to competitive pressures. The Dow Jones index is threatening to burst past 17,000. Meanwhile, wages have stagnated since the Reagan era, even though productivity continues to increase… [However,] the rich aren’t investing almost half of their money (corporations aren’t doing much better, as their record profits sit largely idle avoiding taxation). 40% of the assets of the wealthy are sitting in deposits: the rich person’s equivalent of stuffing money into a mattress.”
In fact, staunch fiscal conservatives are more likely to prioritize reducing the budget to creating jobs, and cutting programs for the poor, even Social Security and Medicaid, rather than raising taxes.
Fiscal conservative policies create more inequality. This is so obvious that fiscal conservatives often no longer bother to deny it, but rather accept it as a product of a “well-functioning economy” (one must ask, ‘well-functioning’ for whom?) or a “fact of life.” Even if this were true—and I don’t believe it is—surely we can do better than 10% of people controlling 90% of the wealth of the country.
My point, once again, is that fiscal policy and social policy go hand-in-hand. One cannot seriously say that they support gay rights without supporting comprehensive healthcare and progressive tax policies. One cannot say they are feminist and pro-choice and fail to support social safety nets. One cannot say they support science education and yet want to cut funding for schools, or cede control of education over to states that consistently turn around and fund charter schools, vouchers and other foot-in-the-door policies that wedge religious instruction into publicly funded education.
Economic choices are social choices. They affect millions of people every day. To act otherwise is facile at best, self-deceptive at worst. Jamila Bey does not represent me. American Atheists does not represent me.
Tags:American AtheistsCPACfeaturedfiscal conservatismpoverty
By Allie T Jones
I was raised a fundamentalist Christian, but left the church in 2001 and began the slow and painful journey towards atheism. I am now a happy bisexual woman in a Femdom poly relationship with my husband. I am committed to skepticism and the pursuit of social justice in matters of economics and education, as well as gender and sexual identity. I'm an adjunct English professor and try to use my class as a way to promote critical thinking about intersections of race, class, sexuality and power. In my off time, I write erotica and enjoy sci-fi and action flicks.
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12 Comments
Will · March 6, 2015, 2:48 pm Log in to Reply
Excellent post. You make some super important points here that I hope give people pause in future conversations with the “I’m a social liberal but fiscal conservative” types.
timmyson · March 8, 2015, 12:06 pm Log in to Reply
Other common fiscal conservative positions you might find less odious:
-Deficit spending should be avoided
-Debt should be reduced
-Government should not attempt to compete with private enterprise
It’s a demonstration of the decline of rational conservatism that these aren’t even on your radar. Imagine if the US Federal Government had 6.5% more revenue with no additional taxation. That’s what is being wasted on debt interest. It’s much worse here in Canada.
The last item is probably the most controversial. I usually argue that while private enterprise is almost always more efficient, there are some sectors in which other priorities, like equity or regional development are more important than efficiency, and government has a role. The LCBO, the public monopoly liquor store in Ontario, Canada is one of the largest liquor purchasers in the world, and is credited with supporting a greater diversity of wineries than would otherwise exist. Also, health care (go Canada!).
Will · March 8, 2015, 5:47 pm Log in to Reply
I’m not convinced that your first 2 points are “fiscal conservative” in the sense used in the US. Democrats also agree that deficit spending should be avoided and debt should be reduced. The arguments are over how to go about avoiding those things in the best ways.
timmyson · March 8, 2015, 5:53 pm Log in to Reply
I think it’s a sign of how conservative everyone is these days. The Dems for the most part are the slightly-less-conservative party. The left didn’t give a fig about deficits and debts until the early 90’s in Canada or the US. I can’t really speak to the rest of the world, except it’s the left-wing parties in Spain and Greece which want to default on their debts, right?
Will · March 9, 2015, 10:08 pm Log in to Reply
I’m not sure that’s true. I mean, FDR seemed pretty concerned about the national debt in the US, no?
Allie T Jones · March 9, 2015, 5:30 pm Log in to Reply
Timmyson,
I addressed this, at least in part, when I linked to the Pew Survey that found that most conservatives prioritize cutting the deficit over funding social programs. Needless to say, I disagree with this equation. Providing things like welfare benefits, unemployment benefits, Medicaid and Medicare are more important, in my view, than deficit reduction (and I always find it suspect when conservatives harp on about deficit reduction but are mute when it comes to war/defense spending.)
I do not think the “debt should be reduced” is a particularly conservative point. I’ve never met a liberal who was like, “Fuck it; let’s rack up the debt and spend all the moneys!!1!” Mostly, when conservatives say “debt should be reduced” they are using coded language and mean something like, “We should cut spending on the things that I don’t like…” and, as I said, those things are usually social welfare projects, and sometimes education and public works as well. But liberals also talk a lot about reducing debt (in fact, wasn’t it Clinton who actually balanced the budget in his second term?) and also work towards it. They just prefer to cut things conservatives don’t want cut–again, “reduce debt” isn’t a partisan position.
I disagree utterly with the maxim that government should not necessarily compete with private enterprise. Public schooling is a perfect example of a government “enterprise” that is constantly under siege from conservatives, and has suffered for decades as a result.
timmyson · March 11, 2015, 11:12 pm Log in to Reply
I’m not saying you’re wrong that “fiscal conservatism” is used as a smokescreen for cutting stuff a rich white guy doesn’t need. I’m just saying there is a larger doctrine that isn’t stupid, and that I think you’re taking a somewhat myopic view of history in ignoring it.
It was a big deal that Clinton was all for paying down the debt, which was largely accumulated under much more “fiscally liberal” presidents (like Carter). I don’t know much about FDR though, so I can’t speak to Will’s further-historical point. However a quick look around the world shows much more fiscally liberal stances: countries which have recently and plan to default on debt rather than cut social programs or raise taxes.
Maybe this is a big-C/small-C conservatism thing. The “fiscally conservative” philosophy which I largely internalized growing up was “pay for the social programs you need, but don’t do it with long-term deficits”. Deficit-spend as required to get through recessions or Keynes yourself out of trouble, but if a social program is important (and I’d point out that I didn’t even go as deep as education, I think socialized liquor is good for us), you need to be honest and tax people for it. We have higher taxes here in Canada by a goodly margin, and I still think they’re too low for the programs we ought to support.
Definitions change though, and as lexicographically conservative as I am, I have to accept that maybe my understanding isn’t where everyone else’s is.
Jon Brewer · March 8, 2015, 3:47 pm Log in to Reply
It seems that way, but there are always unusual exceptions. For instance, I’m mostly a leftie, but I fear the “After 1300 years, voila! You become indigenous!” argument some lefties use. I also don’t get bogged down in language arguments, which I see as nothing more than a variant of the tone argument.
Allie T Jones · March 9, 2015, 5:31 pm Log in to Reply
I am not sure what you you mean by this:
“I fear the “After 1300 years, voila! You become indigenous!” argument some lefties use.”
What does this have to do with my post?
Jon Brewer · March 14, 2015, 3:42 pm Log in to Reply
I was mentioning how there’s a tendency to divide everyone into neat party lines.
There’s a real tendency to use the term ‘indigenous’ incorrectly over on the Daily Kos I/P diaries.
scribe999 · March 9, 2015, 9:23 pm Log in to Reply
I think this tweet said it best: “hmm well I’d say I’m fiscally conservative but socially very liberal. the problems are bad but their causes…their causes are very good”
https://twitter.com/crushingbort/status/463132110006784000
Allie T Jones · March 14, 2015, 5:44 pm Log in to Reply
Jon, then perhaps you should take that complaint to the Daily Kos and other writers who’ve made that mistake, rather than complain here about things I actually did not do in my essay.
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Queereka | Quickies: Mid-Week Update on Discriminatory State Laws
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Quickies: Mid-Week Update on Discriminatory State Laws
Jac · March 26, 2015
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Quickies: Mid-Week Update on Discriminatory State Laws
California “Shoot the Gays” Initiative
◾CA AG Attempts to Shut Down “Shoot the Gays” Initiative – Despite the lack of legal framework for dismissing blatantly unconstitutional state initiatives, California’s Attorney General has “filed an action for declaratory relief seeking judicial authorization to not issue a title and summary for the initiative.” The action reads in part, “As Attorney General of California, it is my sworn duty to uphold the California and United States Constitutions and to protect the rights of all Californians. This proposal not only threatens public safety, it is patently unconstitutional, utterly reprehensible, and has no place in a civil society.”
◾“Intolerant Jackass” Initiative to Combat “Shoot the Gays” Initiative – On Monday activist Charlotte Laws mailed in the necessary paperwork and $200 filing fee to create an initiative to pass the “Intolerant Jackass Act.” The act “would label the author of any ballot measure calling for the killing of gays and lesbians an ‘intolerant jackass'” and compel them to attend “at least three hours a month of sensitivity training for a year and contribute $5,000 to a pro-gay or pro-lesbian organization.”
Indiana Freedom to Discriminate Bill SB 101
◾Indiana Gov to Sign SB 101 on Thursday – Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is scheduled to sign SB 101 in a private ceremony today. According to the Indiana Star, “Senate Bill 101 would prevent state and local governments from ‘substantially burdening’ a person’s exercise of religion unless the government can prove it has a compelling interest and is doing so in the least restrictive means.” In other words, passing the bill would allow open discrimination against LGBTs just trying to go about their daily lives and women seeking legal medical care. You can ask Gov. Pence to veto SB 101 here.
◾George Takei Vows to Boycott IN if Gov Signs SB 101 – “If it goes into effect, Indiana will be marked as a state where certain people are not welcome, and so we will not visit. We will not spend. And we will not attend events, including GenCon, the world’s largest gaming convention, held in Indianapolis each year. Many fans here are gamers, Governor Pence, and we will demand the convention move out of your state.”
◾Gen Con Threatens to Move Convention if IN Gov Signs SB 101 – “‘Legislation that could allow for refusal of service or discrimination against our attendees will have a direct negative impact on the state’s economy, and will factor into our decision-making on hosting the convention in the state of Indiana in future years,’ said Adrian Swartout, owner and CEO of Gen Con LLC, in a letter sent to Pence just hours after lawmakers sent the measure to his desk.”
◾Disciples of Christ Church Will Move Convention if IN Gov Signs SB 101 – “As a Christian church, we are particularly sensitive to the values of the One we follow – one who sat at (the) table with people from all walks of life, and loved them all. Our church is diverse in point of view, but we share a value for an open Lord’s Table.”
Mixed News from KY, AR, and ID
◾Kentucky Anti-Trans Bathroom Bill Fails – The bill would have restricted bathroom use to those whose “biological sex” matched the bathroom’s assigned gender and offered rewards for reporting violators. The bill passed the Republican controlled Senate but stalled out in the Democrat controlled House.
◾Arkansas Senate Panel Advances Freedom to Discriminate Bill – “The bill, if enacted, would strengthen any case of a person suing the government if that person could prove their religious beliefs were infringed upon. The Senate could take up the bill as soon as Wednesday.”
◾“Website of Idaho lawmaker seeking pro-gay judges’ impeachments gets LGBT makeover” – “An Idaho Republican lawmaker’s political website has been snapped up by a group claiming to be gay rights activists, decorated with rainbows and replaced with text requesting that the legislature meet with same-sex marriage supporters.”
Featured image via LGBTQNation
Tags:bathroomsDiscriminationhomophobiastate lawstransphobia
By Jac
Jac is a bisexual, genderqueer, feminist, godless liberal. They grew up in small town Pennsylvania and spent their adulthood exploring progressively larger and queerer cities. They currently work as an online tutor in the subjects of math, science and writing. When they are not tutoring or carrying out the gay agenda, they enjoy reading, cooking, science documentaries, and long walks on the beach.
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Queereka | Quickies: Mid-Week Update on Discriminatory State Laws
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Quickies: Mid-Week Update on Discriminatory State Laws
Jac · March 26, 2015
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Quickies: Mid-Week Update on Discriminatory State Laws
California “Shoot the Gays” Initiative
◾CA AG Attempts to Shut Down “Shoot the Gays” Initiative – Despite the lack of legal framework for dismissing blatantly unconstitutional state initiatives, California’s Attorney General has “filed an action for declaratory relief seeking judicial authorization to not issue a title and summary for the initiative.” The action reads in part, “As Attorney General of California, it is my sworn duty to uphold the California and United States Constitutions and to protect the rights of all Californians. This proposal not only threatens public safety, it is patently unconstitutional, utterly reprehensible, and has no place in a civil society.”
◾“Intolerant Jackass” Initiative to Combat “Shoot the Gays” Initiative – On Monday activist Charlotte Laws mailed in the necessary paperwork and $200 filing fee to create an initiative to pass the “Intolerant Jackass Act.” The act “would label the author of any ballot measure calling for the killing of gays and lesbians an ‘intolerant jackass'” and compel them to attend “at least three hours a month of sensitivity training for a year and contribute $5,000 to a pro-gay or pro-lesbian organization.”
Indiana Freedom to Discriminate Bill SB 101
◾Indiana Gov to Sign SB 101 on Thursday – Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is scheduled to sign SB 101 in a private ceremony today. According to the Indiana Star, “Senate Bill 101 would prevent state and local governments from ‘substantially burdening’ a person’s exercise of religion unless the government can prove it has a compelling interest and is doing so in the least restrictive means.” In other words, passing the bill would allow open discrimination against LGBTs just trying to go about their daily lives and women seeking legal medical care. You can ask Gov. Pence to veto SB 101 here.
◾George Takei Vows to Boycott IN if Gov Signs SB 101 – “If it goes into effect, Indiana will be marked as a state where certain people are not welcome, and so we will not visit. We will not spend. And we will not attend events, including GenCon, the world’s largest gaming convention, held in Indianapolis each year. Many fans here are gamers, Governor Pence, and we will demand the convention move out of your state.”
◾Gen Con Threatens to Move Convention if IN Gov Signs SB 101 – “‘Legislation that could allow for refusal of service or discrimination against our attendees will have a direct negative impact on the state’s economy, and will factor into our decision-making on hosting the convention in the state of Indiana in future years,’ said Adrian Swartout, owner and CEO of Gen Con LLC, in a letter sent to Pence just hours after lawmakers sent the measure to his desk.”
◾Disciples of Christ Church Will Move Convention if IN Gov Signs SB 101 – “As a Christian church, we are particularly sensitive to the values of the One we follow – one who sat at (the) table with people from all walks of life, and loved them all. Our church is diverse in point of view, but we share a value for an open Lord’s Table.”
Mixed News from KY, AR, and ID
◾Kentucky Anti-Trans Bathroom Bill Fails – The bill would have restricted bathroom use to those whose “biological sex” matched the bathroom’s assigned gender and offered rewards for reporting violators. The bill passed the Republican controlled Senate but stalled out in the Democrat controlled House.
◾Arkansas Senate Panel Advances Freedom to Discriminate Bill – “The bill, if enacted, would strengthen any case of a person suing the government if that person could prove their religious beliefs were infringed upon. The Senate could take up the bill as soon as Wednesday.”
◾“Website of Idaho lawmaker seeking pro-gay judges’ impeachments gets LGBT makeover” – “An Idaho Republican lawmaker’s political website has been snapped up by a group claiming to be gay rights activists, decorated with rainbows and replaced with text requesting that the legislature meet with same-sex marriage supporters.”
Featured image via LGBTQNation
Tags:bathroomsDiscriminationhomophobiastate lawstransphobia
By Jac
Jac is a bisexual, genderqueer, feminist, godless liberal. They grew up in small town Pennsylvania and spent their adulthood exploring progressively larger and queerer cities. They currently work as an online tutor in the subjects of math, science and writing. When they are not tutoring or carrying out the gay agenda, they enjoy reading, cooking, science documentaries, and long walks on the beach.
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Hanoumatoi { I believe there is an error in the description of the last item. Both Steve King and Rep Jared Polis are members of the national... } – Apr 27, 3:34 PM
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Queereka | Phil Plait Gets An Apology Very Right
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Phil Plait Gets An Apology Very Right
Benny Vimes · April 25, 2015
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Phil Plait Gets An Apology Very Right
Over the weekend Dr. Phil Plait, also known as the Bad Astronomer, put up an episode of his really cool show Crash Course Astronomy. I LOVE the Crash Course series and use them as review for classes regularly. Dr. Plait’s show is particularly good if you like Astronomy and want to learn more.
However, the episode this weekend included a problematic joke. The joke was fairly mild, but cissexist. It upset some folks, but I didn’t actually hear about it until after it had already been edited to fix the problem.
What I really want to write about here is the apology that Dr. Plait put up on his blog at Slate today. I want to draw attention to this because it’s a beautifully done apology.
What Dr. Plait did right:
1) He explained what happened, how it happened, and how he and his team responded to the criticism the episode received. The timeline was clear and the context was easy to understand. He explained what the intention was for the joke, without excusing it at all.
2) He explained why the joke was problematic and exactly who was hurt by it and why. It is absolutely clear to me that he and his team took the concerns they heard very seriously and considered the harm done by this joke to be important enough to respond to quickly. Dr. Plait clearly understands some of the struggles transgender people (and all marginalized people) face and considers our experiences to be important.
3) He explained what was done to fix the problem and made clear that this was done because he and his team really believed that changing the video was the right thing to do – not just bowing to pressure, but that the really learned a lesson.
4) Most importantly, Dr. Plait responded to those who are criticizing him for changing the video. He has been accused of being an SJW and instead of denying that he very clearly sides with those in favor of increased justice in the world. He refuses to bow down to the demands of those who think that changing a hurtful joke is more harmful than working to make our media less cissexist.
I have always really respected Phil Plait. I love his books, I read his blog, and it’s always exciting to hear him turn up on my podcasts and radio. He’s enthusiastic about science communication in general, astronomy specifically, and issues of justice and fairness. He’s one of the good guys and this incident increased my appreciation for him even more.
Related: Earlier this week Julia explained to us on Skepchick the Anatomy of a Good Apology and it looks like Dr. Plait is writing from the same playbook. Julia’s post is awesome.
By Benny Vimes
Benny Vimes is a queer polyamorous transman, curious skeptic, and enthusiastic seeker of knowledge. He's an undergraduate student in his 30's and loves teaching people about alternative sexuality and gender issues.
1 Comment
Will · April 27, 2015, 3:21 pm Log in to Reply
I agree, what a great apology. Cheers for Phil Plait!
My favorite part of his apology:
And for the other bit, people derisively calling us “social justice warriors”? They may use it as a derogatory term, thinking of SJWs as shrill and overbearing, but to me it’s a term that refers to people willing to go to bat for others who don’t have as big a soapbox. I might prefer the term “ally,” but SJW fits fine, too. This world could use a lot more social justice. I’ll be happy to fight for it when I can.
So to them I say: “Thanks!”
Brilliant!
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Hanoumatoi { I just remembered hearing about Mr King before (I refuse to do him the honor of calling him Representative, though honestly, I'm iffy on even... } – Apr 27, 3:53 PM
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Jac { Nice catch! Skimming the article, I saw they were both from CO, and it was such ridiculous legislation, I assumed it was state level. I... } – Apr 27, 3:43 PM
.
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Hanoumatoi { I believe there is an error in the description of the last item. Both Steve King and Rep Jared Polis are members of the national... } – Apr 27, 3:34 PM
.
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Will { I agree, what a great apology. Cheers for Phil Plait! My favorite part of his apology: And for the other bit, people derisively calling us... } – Apr 27, 3:21 PM
.
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Vince Gabrielle { They've spent 40 issues in the future. That's more than enough time to figure out that people don't have the same hostile reaction to homo... } – Apr 27, 12:10 PM
.
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Jon Brewer { Even Family Guy mentioned the Iceman gay rumors, which tells you how ubiquitous it was. I will say, in X-Men's defense, that, given the time... } – Apr 26, 3:44 PM
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Queereka | Phil Plait Gets An Apology Very Right
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Phil Plait Gets An Apology Very Right
Benny Vimes · April 25, 2015
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Phil Plait Gets An Apology Very Right
Over the weekend Dr. Phil Plait, also known as the Bad Astronomer, put up an episode of his really cool show Crash Course Astronomy. I LOVE the Crash Course series and use them as review for classes regularly. Dr. Plait’s show is particularly good if you like Astronomy and want to learn more.
However, the episode this weekend included a problematic joke. The joke was fairly mild, but cissexist. It upset some folks, but I didn’t actually hear about it until after it had already been edited to fix the problem.
What I really want to write about here is the apology that Dr. Plait put up on his blog at Slate today. I want to draw attention to this because it’s a beautifully done apology.
What Dr. Plait did right:
1) He explained what happened, how it happened, and how he and his team responded to the criticism the episode received. The timeline was clear and the context was easy to understand. He explained what the intention was for the joke, without excusing it at all.
2) He explained why the joke was problematic and exactly who was hurt by it and why. It is absolutely clear to me that he and his team took the concerns they heard very seriously and considered the harm done by this joke to be important enough to respond to quickly. Dr. Plait clearly understands some of the struggles transgender people (and all marginalized people) face and considers our experiences to be important.
3) He explained what was done to fix the problem and made clear that this was done because he and his team really believed that changing the video was the right thing to do – not just bowing to pressure, but that the really learned a lesson.
4) Most importantly, Dr. Plait responded to those who are criticizing him for changing the video. He has been accused of being an SJW and instead of denying that he very clearly sides with those in favor of increased justice in the world. He refuses to bow down to the demands of those who think that changing a hurtful joke is more harmful than working to make our media less cissexist.
I have always really respected Phil Plait. I love his books, I read his blog, and it’s always exciting to hear him turn up on my podcasts and radio. He’s enthusiastic about science communication in general, astronomy specifically, and issues of justice and fairness. He’s one of the good guys and this incident increased my appreciation for him even more.
Related: Earlier this week Julia explained to us on Skepchick the Anatomy of a Good Apology and it looks like Dr. Plait is writing from the same playbook. Julia’s post is awesome.
By Benny Vimes
Benny Vimes is a queer polyamorous transman, curious skeptic, and enthusiastic seeker of knowledge. He's an undergraduate student in his 30's and loves teaching people about alternative sexuality and gender issues.
1 Comment
Will · April 27, 2015, 3:21 pm Log in to Reply
I agree, what a great apology. Cheers for Phil Plait!
My favorite part of his apology:
And for the other bit, people derisively calling us “social justice warriors”? They may use it as a derogatory term, thinking of SJWs as shrill and overbearing, but to me it’s a term that refers to people willing to go to bat for others who don’t have as big a soapbox. I might prefer the term “ally,” but SJW fits fine, too. This world could use a lot more social justice. I’ll be happy to fight for it when I can.
So to them I say: “Thanks!”
Brilliant!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Recent Comments
User Avatar
Hanoumatoi { I just remembered hearing about Mr King before (I refuse to do him the honor of calling him Representative, though honestly, I'm iffy on even... } – Apr 27, 3:53 PM
.
User Avatar
Jac { Nice catch! Skimming the article, I saw they were both from CO, and it was such ridiculous legislation, I assumed it was state level. I... } – Apr 27, 3:43 PM
.
User Avatar
Hanoumatoi { I believe there is an error in the description of the last item. Both Steve King and Rep Jared Polis are members of the national... } – Apr 27, 3:34 PM
.
User Avatar
Will { I agree, what a great apology. Cheers for Phil Plait! My favorite part of his apology: And for the other bit, people derisively calling us... } – Apr 27, 3:21 PM
.
User Avatar
Vince Gabrielle { They've spent 40 issues in the future. That's more than enough time to figure out that people don't have the same hostile reaction to homo... } – Apr 27, 12:10 PM
.
User Avatar
Jon Brewer { Even Family Guy mentioned the Iceman gay rumors, which tells you how ubiquitous it was. I will say, in X-Men's defense, that, given the time... } – Apr 26, 3:44 PM
.
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Virtual Field Tripping: Shelf Life from the AMNH
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Queereka | Quickies: Fallout in IN, More Bills in 23 States, Maher Has “Dear Muslimina” Moment
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Quickies: Fallout in IN, More Bills in 23 States, Maher Has “Dear Muslimina” Moment
Jac · March 30, 2015
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Quickies: Fallout in IN, More Bills in 23 States, Maher Has “Dear Muslimina” Moment
◾Indiana Faces Backlash Over “Religious Freedom” Law – NPR has a roundup of various groups who have vowed to #BoycottIndiana after the state passed a law allowing businesses and individuals to discriminate against LGBTs, women, and other minorities under the guise of “religious freedom.” Vocal opponents of the law include George Takei, who started #BoycottIndiana, GenCon LLC, who are threatening to move their convention to another state, corporations like Sales Force and Angie’s List, who are halting their expansion in the state.
◾Indiana State Website Temporarily Down in DDOS Attack – More fallout from the passage of SB 101.
◾Pro-Discrimination Legislation in the Works in 23 More States – Despite the fallout, bills like the one passed in Indiana are being crafted in 23 more states, including Arkansas. On top of that, 12 states are taking aim at transgender people.
◾IN Gov Wants to “Clarify” “Religious Freedom” Law – In response to the fallout over SB 101, Gov. Pence is pushing for legislation to clarify the SB 101 so that it won’t promote anti-LGBT discrimination. (What’s left, blocking access to women’s healthcare?) The article goes on to describes the types of anti-LGBT legislation popping up around the country and the current status of anti-discrimination protections.
◾“Media claims killer co-pilot Andreas Lubitz was gay” – Tabloids are claiming that Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot who intentionally crashed a Germanwings flight, killing himself and all 150 passengers on board, suffered from “secret gay torment.”
◾Get Hard Has One Joke: Gay Sex is Gross – “It was a little after this point — around an hour in — that I walked out of the screening. Yes, the idea that gay men and gay sex are loathsome is offensive. But offensiveness isn’t what moved me out of my seat. What sealed the deal was that these dated gay jokes were done in a lazy, shopworn way. And they were delivered over and over again.”
◾Evangelical Teen Torture Camps Unregulated, Unaccountable – David Wernsman talks about his months long abduction and abuse at the hands of a so-called “residential treatment program,” in his case for being gay.
◾Bill Maher Goes “Dear Muslimina” on Dolce and Gabbana Fallout – According to Maher, it’s okay to criticize ISIS and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, but we’re not allowed to boycott Dolce and Gabbana. Listen to this rich, cis-het, white dude explain which homophobia is worth criticizing and which we’re supposed to just take. Or don’t.
Featured image: ACLU media reports via Vox
Tags:Bill MaherDiscriminationDolce and GabbanahomophobiaMediapoliticsstate lawstransphobia
By Jac
Jac is a bisexual, genderqueer, feminist, godless liberal. They grew up in small town Pennsylvania and spent their adulthood exploring progressively larger and queerer cities. They currently work as an online tutor in the subjects of math, science and writing. When they are not tutoring or carrying out the gay agenda, they enjoy reading, cooking, science documentaries, and long walks on the beach.
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Hanoumatoi { I just remembered hearing about Mr King before (I refuse to do him the honor of calling him Representative, though honestly, I'm iffy on even... } – Apr 27, 3:53 PM
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Hanoumatoi { I believe there is an error in the description of the last item. Both Steve King and Rep Jared Polis are members of the national... } – Apr 27, 3:34 PM
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Quickies: Fallout in IN, More Bills in 23 States, Maher Has “Dear Muslimina” Moment
Jac · March 30, 2015
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Quickies: Fallout in IN, More Bills in 23 States, Maher Has “Dear Muslimina” Moment
◾Indiana Faces Backlash Over “Religious Freedom” Law – NPR has a roundup of various groups who have vowed to #BoycottIndiana after the state passed a law allowing businesses and individuals to discriminate against LGBTs, women, and other minorities under the guise of “religious freedom.” Vocal opponents of the law include George Takei, who started #BoycottIndiana, GenCon LLC, who are threatening to move their convention to another state, corporations like Sales Force and Angie’s List, who are halting their expansion in the state.
◾Indiana State Website Temporarily Down in DDOS Attack – More fallout from the passage of SB 101.
◾Pro-Discrimination Legislation in the Works in 23 More States – Despite the fallout, bills like the one passed in Indiana are being crafted in 23 more states, including Arkansas. On top of that, 12 states are taking aim at transgender people.
◾IN Gov Wants to “Clarify” “Religious Freedom” Law – In response to the fallout over SB 101, Gov. Pence is pushing for legislation to clarify the SB 101 so that it won’t promote anti-LGBT discrimination. (What’s left, blocking access to women’s healthcare?) The article goes on to describes the types of anti-LGBT legislation popping up around the country and the current status of anti-discrimination protections.
◾“Media claims killer co-pilot Andreas Lubitz was gay” – Tabloids are claiming that Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot who intentionally crashed a Germanwings flight, killing himself and all 150 passengers on board, suffered from “secret gay torment.”
◾Get Hard Has One Joke: Gay Sex is Gross – “It was a little after this point — around an hour in — that I walked out of the screening. Yes, the idea that gay men and gay sex are loathsome is offensive. But offensiveness isn’t what moved me out of my seat. What sealed the deal was that these dated gay jokes were done in a lazy, shopworn way. And they were delivered over and over again.”
◾Evangelical Teen Torture Camps Unregulated, Unaccountable – David Wernsman talks about his months long abduction and abuse at the hands of a so-called “residential treatment program,” in his case for being gay.
◾Bill Maher Goes “Dear Muslimina” on Dolce and Gabbana Fallout – According to Maher, it’s okay to criticize ISIS and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, but we’re not allowed to boycott Dolce and Gabbana. Listen to this rich, cis-het, white dude explain which homophobia is worth criticizing and which we’re supposed to just take. Or don’t.
Featured image: ACLU media reports via Vox
Tags:Bill MaherDiscriminationDolce and GabbanahomophobiaMediapoliticsstate lawstransphobia
By Jac
Jac is a bisexual, genderqueer, feminist, godless liberal. They grew up in small town Pennsylvania and spent their adulthood exploring progressively larger and queerer cities. They currently work as an online tutor in the subjects of math, science and writing. When they are not tutoring or carrying out the gay agenda, they enjoy reading, cooking, science documentaries, and long walks on the beach.
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Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Recent Comments
User Avatar
Hanoumatoi { I just remembered hearing about Mr King before (I refuse to do him the honor of calling him Representative, though honestly, I'm iffy on even... } – Apr 27, 3:53 PM
.
User Avatar
Jac { Nice catch! Skimming the article, I saw they were both from CO, and it was such ridiculous legislation, I assumed it was state level. I... } – Apr 27, 3:43 PM
.
User Avatar
Hanoumatoi { I believe there is an error in the description of the last item. Both Steve King and Rep Jared Polis are members of the national... } – Apr 27, 3:34 PM
.
User Avatar
Will { I agree, what a great apology. Cheers for Phil Plait! My favorite part of his apology: And for the other bit, people derisively calling us... } – Apr 27, 3:21 PM
.
User Avatar
Vince Gabrielle { They've spent 40 issues in the future. That's more than enough time to figure out that people don't have the same hostile reaction to homo... } – Apr 27, 12:10 PM
.
User Avatar
Jon Brewer { Even Family Guy mentioned the Iceman gay rumors, which tells you how ubiquitous it was. I will say, in X-Men's defense, that, given the time... } – Apr 26, 3:44 PM
.
Latest Network Posts
Meet the Pro-Vax Bullies
Meet the Pro-Vax Bullies
Virtual Field Tripping: Shelf Life from the AMNH
Virtual Field Tripping: Shelf Life from the AMNH
1
2
3
4
»
Copyright © 2015 GhostPool.com. All rights reserved.
http://queereka.com/2015/03/30/quickies-fallout-in-in-more-bills-in-23-states-maher-has-dear-muslimina-moment/
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