Freedom and Power

In the past couple of years there have been a number of anti-transgender articles appearing in the conservative media.  These are written by people who simply do not know what they are talking about.  Listening to them is like getting an economics lecture from Michael Moore, or small arms training from Nancy Pelosi.

Gender is part of what makes us who we are, and I’m not an expert but I don’t think it’s a stretch to suppose that – like almost everything else about how we think and experience life – it might be connected to the way the brain is wired.

Some of the most important people in my life have been transgender people, and if you have a problem with trans people then you have a problem with me.  If you don’t want to read about gender or transgender people, then don’t read this.  If you think Jenner is getting too much attention, then jiminy frickin’ cricket, don’t write about Jenner.

I was in the Middle East when the former Bruce Jenner came out as a Republican and it seemed the noise of car bombs was momentarily drowned out by the sound of heads exploding.

The right wing reacted about as you’d expect.  Conservatives love to wax eloquent about the dignity of the individual, as long as that individual isn’t too inconvenient.  The left wing reacted predictably, too; presumably the same folks dismissing Caitlyn Jenner as a “rich white person” will be lining up to vote for Hillary Clinton.

You can read Zoe at A. E. Brain for knowledgeable, intelligent discussion of transgenderism and transgender issues, such as this recent post on Paul McHugh’s ‘Surgical Sex’.

Zoe seems quite interested in the Republican Party, too, but for some strange reason she has not – as of today’s date – had much to say about Caitlyn Jenner’s political leanings.  Odd, that.

Liberty Wolf does, though, and I’ll close this post by quoting him:

The far left actually has often been historically at odds with LGBT people and recently our worst detractors are called “TERFs” or “Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists”.  I can also attest that some of the most hostile folks in any crowd that comes to one of the readings for my memoir are far lefties who are “against the binary”.  I can usually spot them in the crowd, they are usually women with their lips set into a straight line, terse with anger way beyond any skepticism.  They are the “queer women” who dislike me for being “too binary”.

So really, trans people have the rare and odd privilege of being denigrated by certain actors on both the left and the right — there is no pleasing everyone and sometimes anyone at all.

Of course, there are many on the left who are supportive and the right as well.  Dennis Prager has said some supportive and clarifying words on transsexuals and I’ve noted that duly in this blog.  It all comes down to people being informed and not having an ax to grind.

And, Jenner is a Republican too!.

The far left actually has often been historically at odds with LGBT people and recently our worst detractors are called “TERFs” or “Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists”.  I can also attest that some of the most hostile folks in any crowd that comes to one of the readings for my memoir are far lefties who are “against the binary”.  I can usually spot them in the crowd, they are usually women with their lips set into a straight line, terse with anger way beyond any skepticism.  They are the “queer women” who dislike me for being “too binary”.

So really, trans people have the rare and odd privilege of being denigrated by certain actors on both the left and the right — there is no pleasing everyone and sometimes anyone at all.

Roger L. Simon doesn’t even play an MP on TV, but he thinks the Conservative UK win should make US Democrats nervous.Zoe Brain takes on Paul McHugh’s ‘Surgical Sex’.Never Yet Melted offers a tantalizing theory on John Kerry’s bike accident.Neo, who knows a thing or two about dance, shares a video of some amazing male dancers from Georgia (as in Caucasus).

Turkey / Kurdistan:  Erdogan suffers electoral setback, Kurdish party clears hurdle.  Reuters reports that Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK party (don’t you just love that name?) has pulled in only 41 percent of the vote (as of 94 percent of ballots being counted), meaning RTE can’t count on a government mandate.  The reaction of AK and RTE supporters was described as “muted”.  Meanwhile Turkey’s Kurdish HDP made a strong showing, passing the 10 percent mark needed to gain a voice in the parliament, and from the looks of things those Kurds are not hitting the “mute” button.

Afghanistan / Pakistan:  US drone strike kills 9 Taliban.  Long War Journal reports that a US CIA drone strike killed nine Afghan jihadis in North Waziristan, Pakistan.

The US has targeted members of the Afghan Taliban inside Pakistan in the past. The Haqqani Network, a Taliban subgroup that is closely allied with al Qaeda and is based in North Waziristan, has been the recipient of 93 of the 386 recorded drone strikes that have occurred in Pakistan since 2004, according to data compiled by The Long War Journal.

So a couple of jihadis decided to stage an attack in Texas, and it went just about as well for them as you’d expect.  Activist Pamela Geller held a Mohammed cartoon competition in Garland, Texas, and the event was attacked by a couple of terrorists who were promptly shot dead by a police officer.

Meanwhile, Charlie Hebdo is being honored by PEN, although Rachel Kushner, Peter Carey, Michael Ondaatje, Francine Prose, Teju Cole, and Taiye Selasi withdrew from the event.

This is a good time to link to my post on the second conversation because we’re seeing a lot of people who don’t get it.  Sometimes you have to be ready to say exactly the thing that people don’t want to hear.

In my perfect world, we would see Secular Humanists, Unitarian Universalists, Reform and Jewish Renewal people, not to mention the whole self-identified feminist and LGBT crowd, turning out and demonstrating by the thousands, and making eloquent and impassioned speeches in defense of reason, cultural pluralism and free speech, and calling down fire and brimstone on the fundamentalist fascists who would do away with those things. But that’s not the world we live in.

USA:  Maryland governor calls up national guard as protests spread.  Fox:  ‘Maryland’s governor called up the National Guard late Monday hours after rioting gangs attacked police, injuring 15, torched cars and went on widespread looting sprees in a downtown section of Baltimore. Gov. Larry Hogan issued a statement late Monday saying he was declaring a state of emergency and calling up the National Guard. “These acts of violence and destruction of property cannot and will not be tolerated,” he said at a late-night press conference.  Meanwhile, Baltimore Sun has more details:

Violence and looting overtook much of West Baltimore on Monday, injuring more than a dozen police officers and leaving buildings and vehicles in flames.

As night fell, looters took to Mondawmin Mall and a Save-A-Lot and Rite Aid in Bolton Hill, loading up cars with stolen goods. About 10 fire crews battled a three-alarm fire at a large senior center under construction at Chester and Gay streets, as police officers stood guard with long guns.

Syria:  Nusrah jihadists celebrate victory in Jisr al Shughur. Long War Journal:  ‘After defeating the Assad regime in Jisr al Shughur, several jihadist groups have released videos showing their fighters and civilians walking and parading through the streets of the city. In many of these scenes, al Qaeda’s black flag can be seen flying in the center of town, as well as on many vehicles shown in the videos.’

Bruce Jenner, who is transitioning MTF, made waves with a surprising revelation to Diane Sawyer:

“Did you cheer the president?” Sawyer asked Jenner.

“I will certainly give him credit for that,” Jenner responded. “But not to get political, I’ve just never been a big fan. I’m kind of more on the conservative side.”

“Are you Republican?” Sawyer asked.

“Yeah,” he said with a smile. “Is that a bad thing? I believe in the Constitution.”

Log Cabin Republicans:

As the nation’s only organization representing LGBT conservatives and straight allies, Log Cabin Republicans congratulates Bruce Jenner in the tremendous courage he demonstrated tonight, being true to himself both in terms of his personal identity as well as his political identity. There is a home for you in Log Cabin Republicans — as there is for all lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender conservatives and straight allies.

Twitchy has a roundup of reactions.