Bigotry aimed at our enemies only hurts our friends--it needs saying again

[AlienGirl]

Transphobic comments are not an innocuous way to blow off some steam venting about certain vicious right-wing windbags. Transphobia hurts all transgendered people in exactly the same way that racism hurts black people, anti-semitism hurts Jewish people, and homophobia hurts gay people. And it hurts the friends and families of transgendered people. Which includes me, which is why I take this very seriously.

There are PLENTY of things to say about nasty right-wing personalities without stooping to bigotry, and I know we DUers are creative enough and resourceful enough, and most importantly, ACCEPTING enough and KIND enough, to find ways to poke at right-wing jerks without accidentally poking our friends in the eye at the same time.

Tucker

[insleeforprez]

1. Thank you

Some people here definitely need to be reminded of this.

[nickinSTL]

2. absolutely

and I'm sure I'm not the only one who gets absolutely SICK of the transphobic comments about Ann Coulter.

[AlienGirl]

3. Considering the number of TG people and family and friends here...

Not the only one by a long shot.

Tucker

[nickinSTL]

6. I know some wonderful transwomen

and the Ann Coulter is a transsexual threads piss me off no end. It's really insulting to some great women, and diminishes them and their experiences, and shows the ignorance and bigotry of the posters.

[Mythsaje]

4. I think it's a bad idea to continually refer to Annthrax

as "Mann Coulter" and suggest that she's a transexual. I think it's rude and pointless...

[darkstar]

5. right on !

Thanx AG !

[Erika]

7. She acts and dresses as if she was a hot sexy babe

I think the comments were more about her lack of self introspection into her large hands, elongated giraffe throat with an over-sized adam's apple, and her anorexia body more than anything.

I don't think people were purposely being insensitive to other posters.

[mom cat]

8. A lot of hurtful things are not intentional, but they still hurt. I hope

this thread can help elucidate and not just devolve into accusations and defensiveness. We are all, or almost all, pretty well meaning people here who help educate each other all the time.

[mitchtv]

9. Generally, I agree, and lots of nasty things get said

but I'd hate to not be able to mock her looks. She could defuse this hate by coming clean. (I blame Anne)

[AlienGirl]

11. Her looks, sure...

There's plenty to say about her looks without ascribing them to gender identity. Like, she has a face like a starving horse; or, her legs look like a heron wearing pantyhose; or she has the looks and intelligence of an Afghan hound, and a whining voice to match...

Tucker

[dave502d]

10. Well said AlienGirl .n/t

[Lone_Star_Dem]

12. This is worthy of repeating

I know that most who say things like that are just not thinking of the pain they may be causing others.

Thank you for gently and eloquently reminding us. :)

[Lex]

13. I stand with you 100% on this, AlienGirl.

Your post is a good reminder.

[readmoreoften]

14. I know of a trans DU member who have left because of Mann threads.

Why come here for bigotry and ignorance, when you can get it served in heaps from your enemies? It wasn't just the fact of the Mann Coulter threads that made her leave, it was that other DU members insisted on continuing them and telling her to "lighten up" or arguing with her with BS lines like "how do you know she's not transgendered" (as if they were really concerned with whether or not Coulter was a TG person) and not backing down.

They're just silly. My partner's a butch dyke who goes back and forth with TS surgery. I don't like it either.

[AlienGirl]

15. A transman who I consider my brother almost left because of it

When I saw how much it was hurting him to read those things, I knew I had to start speaking out, over and over again if necessary.

Tucker

[readmoreoften]

16. Thanks for taking up the slack.

I got a little sick of repeating myself :)