Thursday, November 1, 2012

Attention "Anti-Bullying" Advocates: Gay Male Public Figures Misgendering Girls & Women Born With A Transsexual Medical Condition Is Also Bullying, So Please Stop!


Definition from www.BullyFree.com :


What Is Bullying?
Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior that is intentional, hurtful, (physical and psychological), and/or threatening and persistent (repeated). There is an imbalance of strength (power and dominance).
The above definition includes the following criteria that will help you determine if a student is being bullied:
  • The mistreatment must be intentional.
  • The mistreatment must be hurtful (physical or psychological).
  • The mistreatment is threatening. The individual fears harms. Fear their safety.
  • The mistreatment must occur more than once. However, some disagree with this. They say one very hurtful event is enough to label it bullying.
  • There must be a power imbalance.
I'm glad they included that bullying can also be psychological. Bullying is not just tripping someone and taking their lunch money, or slamming their head against the locker. Bullying in the form of words can be more harmful than violence, especially words which dehumanize.

Bullying many times comes from those who were bullied themselves.

One interesting fact is that there are some high profile gay men, such as  columnist Dan Savage or drag personality RuPaul, who though they are both quoted as referring to themselves as "anti-bullying advocates", many would argue that both men use their media outlets to bully people who are different than themselves, particularly women, and even more so women born with transsexualism.

Hell, Dan Savage has even successfully promoted his brand to that of  the King of anti-bullying gurus. Yet despite Savage's widespread 'It Gets Better Campaign' he has been exposed more times than one, or one hundred really, of bullying transsexual and transgender people. He's done so by ridiculing and misgendering them, using offensive pejoratives and then ignoring or dismissing their grievances when they express how his transphobia negatively affects them. Further, his claims that bisexuality doesn't exist harms the bisexual community. Savage writing rape apologist sentiments in his column alienates female sexual assault survivors and belittles the epidemic of unjust court trials concerning assault. And so on.

On Monday RuPaul once again said some transsexual-phobic comments on his reality show, but this time he has gone too far. The targets of RuPaul's bullying, girls and women with a transsexual medical history, have organized a boycott meant to counter his misgendering. Learn more about MAGNET's boycott in our write up: http://themagnetsource.blogspot.com/2012/10/magnet-boycotts-rupauls-ongoing.html

I don't think Dan Savage or RuPaul are bad men, but they are men, and they have no right pretending to be experts on the young girls and women in our community, or to mock and make sexist and transsexual-phobic comments about us.  Whatever these grown men's unresolved personal issues are, they shouldn't use the women in our community as a punching bag to deal with those issues, they should seek professional help if that's what they need.

If they want enlightened people to take their "anti-bullying" initiatives seriously they would do well to stop behaving like bullies them damn selves.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

What Intersex Awareness Week Means To Me: Stop Mutilating Our Narrative


 
 
What Intersex Awareness Week Means To Me
Intersex Awareness Week means choice. The choice for human beings to make decisions on their bodies that intersex-phobic parents and unethical doctors should not be making for them
Intersex Awareness Week means education. Diversity in biology is natural and doctors should educate parents on their options instead of caving into post-birth fears by performing surgeries without the intersex person’s consent

Intersex Awareness Week is about accuracy. Stop lumping intersex people into the concocted “transgender umbrella” ideology reservation against many of our wills, and against the science. This confuses the public on what intersex actually is and silences intersex specific voices. It’s irresponsible for so-called “allies” and non-profits to promote unfounded theories and sloppy mis-education as fact.

Intersex Awareness Week is about affirmation. The APA is one of the most phobic organizations ever. The APA is guilty of stigmatizing and alienating intersex people, and it needs to stop. I’m not down with their new “DSD” label, nor is the majority if the international intersex communities.

Intersex Awareness Week is about listening. When intersex people tell Gay, Inc. and it’s Transgender Um-Scam-Brella Subsidiary “we are not the same label stamp as transvestites and gay male drag performers”, instead of LGBTransgender (NOT ‘I’) non-profits and  TG cyber-blog-bullies assaulting us for simply wanting to be represented accurately, why not demonstrate some compassion instead of their brute-like, over-controlling and ill-political tactics meant to censor and vilify dissent?

Intersex Awareness Week is about reform. GLAAD needs to stop miseducating the media that intersex is in their intellectually and scientifically dishonest “transgender umbrella whether you want to be here or not” media [mis]guide section. It doesn’t belong there. Sorry GLAAD doesn’t feel intersex people are significant enough to have their own section. And while they are at it, they can revise their section on transsexualism as well. Some people born with transsexualism also have one of the over fifty variations of intersex. Transsexualism is medical condition, not a hobby, fetish, stage act or gender rebellion. MISGENDERING = BULLYING

Intersex Awareness Week means healthcare rights. All human being should be protected, but intersex infants, children and even adults many times are not. People want others so desperately to fit into a box so they can feel okay with their narrow ideas that they will literally force intersex people into a mold, which many times leads to depression and suicide. Intersex people should not have to deal with other people's closed-minded issues directed at their own bodies. Intersex Awareness Week should be every week of the year until the intersex-phobia stops.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

UNITY NEWS: NLGJA's Own Title Is Exclusionary, Yet NLGJA Leaders Labeled 'UNITY Journalists of Color's' Name Exclusionary?


The following article was published on Saturday, August 5th in The UNITY News website, and was written by a UNITYstudent journalist: http://unitynews.org/2012/nlgja-to-weigh-name-change/.

NLGJA to weigh name change


BY BRANDI LICON

UNITY NEWS

UNITY, previously referred to as a coalition for journalists of color, shed that title this year to include the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association.

During the opening ceremonies two presenters made a concerted effort to welcome gays and lesbians. This made Ashley Love, who was born intersex and transsexual, feel left out.

“NLGJA pressured UNITY’s board to change its name, arguing it was exclusionary and non-reflective, so shouldn’t NLGJA practice the same inclusion by adding the ‘B’ and ‘T’?” Love said.

Sexual orientation is not equivalent to gender identity or a transexual medical condition, she said during Thursday’s NLGJA membership meeting. Omitting bisexuals and transexuals [and transgender people] from the title glosses over the differences in [the] LGBT [coalition], silences voices and confuses people, including journalists, she added.

At Thursday’s NLGJA member meeting, six people spoke out in support of Love’s request and none of the about 30 people there voiced opposition.

“The issue has never been on the agenda,” NLGJA President David Steinberg told UNITY News. “It has been a topic people have raised in the last year.”

The board will discuss the issue and figure out a change that makes sense, he said.

Love said this change needs to happen soon.

“We are done waiting,” she said.




Thursday, August 2, 2012

Breaking News: After Years Of Competing For The Coveted “Most Transphobic Rag Award”, U.K.’s ‘Daily Mail’ Beats ‘The New York Post’ Due to its Lana Wachowski Coverage; ‘Post’ CEO Demands Vote Tampering Investigation*





Last Saturday, July 28th, U.K.’s ‘Daily Mail’ paper published an article about Hollywood director (The Matrix triology) Lana Wachowski’s first public appearance as her true self. Wachowski was born with transsexualism and has been undergoing hormonal and medical treatment to better align her external to match her internal. The “journalist” of the article, who chose to write anonymously, used improper pronouns numerous times, which violates journalism codes of ethics, and even violates U.K’s Gender Recognition Act.

TAAD, or Transsexual Alliance Against Defamation, released a statement asking Daily Mail (DM) to retract their offensive and inaccurate usage of male pronouns, as Lana is a woman who should be affirmed and respected as such. DM declined to edit their online version of the posting, and sent a reply back to TAAD with DM's Assitant Editor Yuc Kee writing,

“We find that the more sensational and offensive our articles are, the more hits and ad revenue they garner, as well as raises the entertainment value of our content to cater to our more close-minded and transphobic readers. Sorry that transsexual women are offended that we misgendered Lana, but your feelings are not our concern. As for your request for human decency, good luck with that”.

Interestingly enough, DM's story was published just three days before I. H. A.T.E., or International Haven Advocating Transphobia & Exploitation, announced the winner of their five-year long competition named the ‘Most Transphobic Rag Award’. On July 31st they awarded ‘Daily Mail’ with the sought after title. The two leading contestants had been both ‘Daily Mail’ and U.S.A.’s ‘The New York Post’ (NYP), with media analysts previously estimating that NYP would win by 10-15 votes. Yet DM’s recent Lana Wachowski story pushed them passed the finish line in the nick of time, winning by a mere five votes in a judging jury of one hundred people.

The same day just hours after the winner was announced, NYP released a statement questioning the legitimacy of the voting process, with charges of biased judges and vote tampering. NYP attorneys demanded an investigation by I.H.A.T.E., which they denied. I.H.A.T.E. president, Helia Jeffries (former spokesperson for ‘RadFems Against Healthcare Rights and Freedom of Choice’, gave a statement,

Grade A Transphobia is Grade A Transphobia. The Daily Mail has proven they have what it takes to ridicule and marginalize those types of people in a way that far exceeds industry standards, making them our top choice for the 'Most Transphobic Rag Award’ honor. While The New York Post leads the way in the states for unchecked transphobia, sexism and defamation, they are clearly only in second place internationally. Thanks to the many publications who participated in this competition, and we look forward to five years from now when will be holding this competition again. Fear is meant to spread, so start typing away!”

The next day NYP filed a lawsuit with the Global Office of Propaganda Pushing (GOP) with claims that I.H.A.T.E. was biased in their results, as Jeffries, its president, resides in London, home to ‘DM', and used to be on a mud slinging team with Daily Mail's CEO, Bob Leeds.

Leeds responded, “This is just ridiculous. Yes, Helia and I used to play in the Mud Fighting League together, but that was years ago and has no bearing on our rag's triumph. My writer’s have exceptional transphobic talents and won fair and square. And our editor-in-chief, Hugh Thatcher, has gone above and beyond to make this acknowledgment happen. When one of his staff writers portrayed those tra**ys in a humanizing light, he would personally edit it moments before publication, changing a pronoun here, sensationalizing an experience there, or adding the right amount of fear mongering at the very end. Those Yankees need to stop being sore losers and admit defeat. While they’re busy pouting, my employees are already getting started for the 2017 games. Let the most shameless transphobe win!”

New York Post Editor-in-Cheif Fred Smith fired back the same day during an interview on Faux News saying,

Damnit, just damnit! My staff worked mighty hard to misgender and dehumanize women born with transsexualism, it’s a shame that Daily Mail snatched the ‘Most Transphobic Rag Award’ when we clearly encouraged more ignorance and mockery of people’s lives then they did. Mark my words, we will win next time, you can be sure of it!”

The investigation on whether the competition results were accurate continues, though the overturning of DM’s victory seems unlikely, as Jeffries says the expertise of the jury panel was superior, which included pseudo-shrinks Blanchard and Bailey, healthcare-exterminator Janice Raymond and other leading transphobes.

A later addition to the jury was American gay activist Dan Ravage, who has been ‘glitter bombed’ repetitively for his notorious transphobic, sexist, bi-phobic and classist remarks, as well as spreading rape-apologist propaganda in his sex column. After activists protested his use of the slurs ‘she-male’ and ‘tra**y’ during his speech at I.H.A.T.E.’s annual gala, which was the same night the ‘Most Transphobic Rag Award’ winner was announced, Ravage replied,

 “Silly tra**ys, stop playing the oppression Olympics. I’m a white gay man, so it’s socially acceptable for me to say sexist and transphobic comments because most people are too clueless to see my ‘Animal Farm’ antics. Besides, if GL-NT-AAD can say that transsexual women are the same label [transgender] as male cross dressers and male transvestites, why can’t The Daily Mail also use male pronouns on female transsexuals?”

GL-NT-AAD's, or Gay & Lesbian -Not Transsexual- Alliance Against Defamation's, staff was asked to comment the next day on Dan Ravage’s statement, as well as comment on TAAD pointing out GL-NT-AAD’s practice of blurring the distinction between the transsexual medical condition and the many forms of gender bending and sexual fetishism. Instead of replying, they paid two transsexual women to make a joint statement in their defense. One was a transsexual reality star named Ima Prince. The other was named Equala Tee Mimick, who’s a transsexual tabloid writer who GL-NT-AAD is blatantly producing to be their shield to defend their gay and lesbian staff members whenever the transsexual community calls them out on misrepresentation. These two women released a joint statement on GL-NT-AAD’s website:

“GL-NT-AAD has done wonders for our careers and personal financial security, so in return we feel retained to defend their problematic media guide and poor messaging concerning transsexualism. When GL-NT-AAD stops promoting our self-serving interests and aspiring celebrity, then we may find the integrity to join our sisters in their quest for GL-NT-AAD to reform their media guide. But until then we will continue to head the Token Trans Tom committee. Besides, those uppity transsexual women should be grateful for the crumbs Gay, Inc. gives them. Seriously, like who do they think they are, women or something? As if! No, they are third genders, fetishists and impersonators. They should just shut up and accept that misgendering narrative, we know we have”.

Transsexual activists were unsatisfied with GL-NT-AAD’s trans* spoke model’s comments betraying their own community for personal gain, and re-asked GL-NT-AAD’s actual paid staff for a real dialog in a formal setting, which GL-NT-AAD declined because “colonies should know better than to question their masters”. TAAD then reached higher up to GL-NT-AAD’s Board of Directors, who were also unable to be reached for additional comment regarding their misgendeirng and misrepresentation of women with transsexualism, choosing instead to promote a socially engineered “transgender umbrella” ideology, which is a constructed reservation where they marginalize all those who don’t fit into the norm. This intellectually dishonest framework creates conflicts and censors dissent, though the mainstream media will never know it since they are beholden to GL-NT-AAD’s last word on the matter. TAAD persisteded, asking GL-NT-AAD for the right for minorities to represent themselves, instead of the majority dominating their lives, but GL-NT-AAD replied saying they would prefer to be the ones to control transsexual women, regardless if their patient rights and well-being are being violated as a result. "Misgendering is not a concern to us", they said.

Yesterday TAAD filed a complaint with the Non-profit Department of Accountability and Ethics saying that GL-NT-AAD is censoring, misrepresenting and co-opting minorities. TAAD is awaiting a ruling.

Transsexual activists continue to protest ‘The Most Transphobic Rag Award’ contestants, as well as I.H.A.T.E.’s hate speech.


(* This was obviously a parody, infused with actual current events and ongoing practices, meant to draw attention to real issues such as transphobia, conflation and unethical jouurnalism/media guides)


Tuesday, July 3, 2012

A Rose Is *Still* A Rose - Period























A ROSE is *still* a ROSE!

[Not a sub-rose, not a modified rose, not a rose impersonator, not a 2nd class rose, not only a rose on the weekends, not a rose mocker, not acting on some rose fetish, not a plastic rose, not simply "expressing" a few rose characteristics, not condescendingly "identifying" as a rose -- but from the seed, rooted as and blossomed into its natural destiny: A ROSE - inside, and out, from it's origin, always and forever, a rose, period. Please, PLEASE keep your weeds, fake chemicals and pollutants out of the garden, or don't act clueless or attack when the rose uses her protective thorns to shield herself from entities or non-roses who would do her harm,  thank you]


Monday, June 4, 2012

Don't Means Don't: The Ten Don'ts of Don't


Don't Means Don't:
The Ten Don'ts of Don't













Don’t hate me because I’m feminine.

Don’t fear me because I am aligned with the gender binary

Don’t judge or resent me because I am perceived by the world as a woman, period

Don’t censor me because I am a heterosexual woman of transsexual and intersex experience

Don’t bully me because you won’t have a gentle and rational debate

Don’t misgender me to cater to your social engineering and gender deconstructionism agenda

Don’t cast me into a 3rd gender narrative because you may identify in the ‘gender queer’ culture

Don’t desex me because you have internalized and unchecked transsexual-phobia which you act upon

Don’t sinisterly put words in my mouth because my truth unedited is valid and exposes your concoted falsehoods and unjust politics

Don’t, just PLEASE Don't miss the opportunity to discover what a true ally could be (which does not mean colonialist). Allies are better than frenemies





Philadelphia Trans* Health Conference 2012 Was Quite Interesting This Year