Wednesday, October 14, 2009

The Arrogance of Some

There was a recent posting on Bilerico entitled "What Barack Obama really said about transgender rights." It was in reference to his recent speech to the Human Right Campaign. The bottom line is, he didn't really say much of anything, but that is not really what this article is about.

Like many Bilerico postings, what is really interesting shows up in the comments. And like just about any comments on an issue involving those who are transgender, the most aggressive of the gender fascists, "Monica" Helms is sure to show up. And he did.

And as is often the case with any discussion on Bilerico, someone who does not adhere to the official party line, and who has not been tossed off of Bilerico for actually making valid arguments against that party line, will show up, and ask something like:

I do not understand the intentional conflation of these two very different states, one a medical condition, requiring medical treatment, and the other an adopted identity that, there seems to be general agreement, does not require medical treatment.

I don't understand why it is necessary to say both are the same, why it is demeaning to one or the other just to point out the differences, and the different needs, and why the emphatic response that this differentiation is politically imprudent.

Now, that seems pretty straightforward. A lot of us don't understand these things, or more to the point simply do not agree with these positions, but we are open to discussing them rationally with those who do push these positions. So, are they willing to engage in such a discussion? Let's see what Mr. Helms has to say on the matter:
You don't "understand," because you refuse to understand. SOP.
Now, quite frankly, that strikes me as a pretty dismissive and arrogant response. Mr. Helms seem to expect everyone to just blindly accept his "transgender dogma," without question. But of course, some don't:
I don't understand because I don't subscribe to your ideology.

And it angers you that you can't impose it on me--and others.

Your ideology is fading.
Too true. Helms cannot see that people just might disagree with him. Worse, he simply cannot accept that disagreement. But he is not the only one, here is what "Angela Brightfeather," born Jim Sheedy, who spent most of his life as a successful businessman after a seven year stint in the Army as a drill instructor, has to say:
"And it angers you that you can't impose it on me--and others.

Your ideology is fading."

And now you understand why we are divided and will continue to be so. People like yourself continue to create rungs on the ladder that you climb at the expense of leaving others behind. Very similar to what HRC wanted to do to "Transgender people" in ENDA.

That makes it very difficult to take you seriously since your willing to do to some people in your own community, exactly what your fighting against someone else doing to you.
Now, first off you have to understand, this fellow is Mr. Helm's partner in founding Trangender American Veteran Association. Now, notice how he insists on referring to "people in your own community." Again, no one gets a choice from the gender fascists. You are part of their community, whether you like it, or not. But, then what else would one expect from a drill instructor?

And then Helms chimes in with this final bit of arrogance:
She's from Canada. I can't understand why she even cares what happens here in our country. She doesn't have a dog in this hunt. I think you pinpointed the real reason she commented here.
When all else fails, he tries to find some excuse for just dimissing this person's comments as otherwise invalid. As Mr. Helms would say, I guess that SOP, Standard Operating Procedure.

Quite simply, many of us are tired of being used as the transgender community's "beard." We are tired of them trying to hide their fetishtic behavior behind those of us who actually have a medical problem. And we will continue speaking out.

2 comments:

Quay Summer said...

As a trans advocate (having a brother who will be my sister) in transition I feel it's important to keep this as a medical diagnosis. It's a travesty that insurance doesn't cover treatment in this country when most countries that have national health plans do pay for treatment. But if it's removed from the realm of a medical condition, or syndrome the chances of ever getting more second party pay goes right out the door. I do feel my sister was born with this and it deserves treatment as much as any other birth defect.

Just Jennifer said...

Yes, that is very important. And while it is still not remotely universal, there are insurance plans that do cover sex reassignment surgery. Many insurance companies offer it as "rider." It is up to the individual employer to add it to the group plan.

Unfortunately, this remains a controversial topic, which many insurance companies either labeling the treatment as still experimental (which is an absurd claim), as cosmetic (again, absurd), or as not medically necessary. This last would possibly be open to challenge.

Transsexualism, or preferably Harry Benjamin Syndrome, should be recognized as a birth defect, not a mental illness.