Monday, November 21, 2011

At Bilerico, It's Agree With Bil's Way or the Highway

It has long been obvious that Bil Browning is an LGBT extremist who has no respect for the opinions of anyone who does not share his radical view of how the world should operate, but he has really gone off the deep end...  In a recent diatribe, he said the following:

Over on the "Sec of Labor Issues Statement for Transgender Day of Remembrance" post, Lisa McDonald decided to use the topic - a day set aside to honor transgender people murdered because of their gender expression - to reiterate her dislike for LGBT people:
What about the rights of anyone that is included in the Transgender umbrella living or murdered? You know those who don't wish to be labeled Transgender or that might take offense to gay politics? I suppose their rights don't matter as long as those who are happy being labeled Transgender and the LGBT gets from free press from their loss of life.I will be openly protesting the Transgender Day of Remembrance on their behalf and to point to the injustice of forced transgender inclusion. As for the Obama administration shame on them for bowing to queer politics and Mara Kiesling.
I'll be damned if I give any space to someone who apparently wants to wrap themselves in the Fred Phelps flag and piss on someone's grave. If that's the type of person you are, you don't belong here.
Good grief!  The only one acting remotely like Fred Phelps is Bil Browning himself.  He is showing the same sort of blind adherence to a point of view that Phelps does.  He is right, and damn anyone who disagrees with him.  Sad in a way, but not surprising.  Extremists tend to be more alike than different, even if the target of their extremism is radically different.  Simply put, the reason I consider Fred Phelps to be a nut case whose views are not really worth anything is why I feel the same about Bil Browning.  Intolerance is intolerance, period.


This is shown by his next remark:
If you regularly write complaints about how much you hate being lumped in with the gays and lesbians and the "transgenders," feel free to haul your ass right out of here.* Seriously. If it bothers you that much that people refer to themselves as they wish, go somewhere other than our comments section where they're free to do so.
I don't know when I have ever seen anyone complain "that people refer to themselves as they wish," unless it was someone taking the officially approved "Bil Browning position" and insisting that transsexuals must obediently accept the label "transgender."  The issue is not people calling themselves "transgender," but instead is people forcing that term on others.  Sadly, Browning not only insists on forcing his views on others, he lies about other's views in a pathetic attempt to justify his outrageous attitude.


Bil Browning, like a lot of extremists, cannot abide dissent.  The sad thing is that so many of his followers are more than willing for him to silence those who do not share a particular viewpoint.  This approach is quite common among transgender blogs.  More often than not, they hold comments pending moderation, so they insure that no view contrary to the party line slips through.  Others will quickly ban anyone who provides a coherent argument against the transgender position.


As always, my blogs welcomes those who disagree.  I only censor comments that invade people's privacy.  Beyond that, I take on all comers. 

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Remembering Their Dead

Well, here we are...another November 20th, and another round of posts on all the transgender blogs about how this is the "Transgender Day of Remembrance."  Yes, it is time to celebrate all the honored dead, who sadly, in most cases, did something really stupid.


Now, don't get me wrong.  I am not engaging in blaming the victim.  No one deserves to die, but in most of the cases of those who are honored and even near worshipped each year the victim could have, and yes, should have, taken steps to avoid being murdered.  It is just common sense.


And every year, the transgender extremists seem to go out of their way to discourage people from showing said common sense.  After all, they believe it is their absolute right to act as they wish, and expect people to, well, suck it up.  Unfortunately, no matter how much they believe in such a right, and no matter how much such a right might exist, reality says if you are not careful, you may end up dead.


If you are a pre-op, or you are a crossdressing male who belongs to the "They Will Take My Penis When They Pry My Cold Dead Fingers From It" club, and you become involved with a man who does not know your situation, and you let him "discover" your little secret without warning, then you run a significant rise of violence.  It may be wrong, and hey, you may even live in a jurisdiction where the "trans panic" defense is not allowed, but what does that matter if you wind up seriously injured or dead?  But hey, you will be honored on the next Nov. 20th.  


I do wonder if some of those who die are not subconsciously looking for release.  I do wonder if they are suicidal.  I understand the temptation that one might feel to seek out companionship.  But one has to be careful.  Taking chances is stupid.  Letting a man discover your penis without warning is very likely to end badly.  He is probably not going to be delighted to discover you are a male, no matter how often you call it a "neo-clit."  He is likely, at best, to reject you, and at worst, to engage in violence.  


If you have to reveal, do it in a public place, but one where there is enough privacy that he is not going to be shamed.  Remember, no matter how "out, loud, and proud," you are, he may not share you beliefs.  


And also ask yourself, is it worth your life to engage in sex work?  There are other options.  It is NEVER your only option.  It may seem an appealing choice, but is it worth your life?  Most who engage in sex work wind up using drugs to dull the pain, and then they find that they have to do more sex work to afford the drugs, which leads to more pain, that requires more drugs....well, it just gets worse and worse.  Is it really what you want?


If you are truly transsexual, it is a matter of transition or die.  If you are transgender, if you want to hang on to your maleness while pretending to be a woman, you really need professional health, and you really need to consider if your little hobby is worth dying for.


But seriously, those who do die are not martyrs, and while they should be mourned, they don't deserve the near worship they receive.  They should be seen as tragic examples of what not to do.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Should Little Bobby Be Allowed To Be A Girl Scout?

The latest round of transgender insanity comes from Colorado where a seven year-old male asked to join a Girl Scout troop, and was initially denied. Bobby Montoya appears to identify as a girl, and is allowed to dress as one by his mother.

Now, this issue hit home for me. When I was around 10, I too wanted to join the Girl Scouts. Of course, at the time, it was completely out of the question. I did borrow my friend's Girl Scout Handbooks, and pretty much devoured everything in it. I dreamed of being allowed to be a Girl Scout, and even had a membership card that I found in a friend's basement. His mother had been a troop leader, and she had dumped a bunch of stuff there.

Now, I think it is wonderful that the Girl Scouts are willing to be more open-minded these days, but I think there need to be some limits on this sort of thing as well. It is not clear from the articles that I have read whether Bobby actually identifies as a girl, or if he identifies as a boy who wants to be a girl. His mother refers to him with male pronouns, and he has a male name.



And, in fact, it appears there are some such limits.  Here is the statement from the Girl Scouts of Colorado:

“Girl Scouts is an inclusive organization and we accept all girls in Kindergarten through 12th grade as members. If a child identifies as a girl and the child’s family presents her as a girl, Girl Scouts of Colorado welcomes her as a Girl Scout. Our requests for support of transgender kids have grown, and Girl Scouts of Colorado is working to best support these children, their families and the volunteers who serve them. In this case, an associate delivering our program was not aware of our approach. She contacted her supervisor, who immediately began working with the family to get the child involved and supported in Girl Scouts.”
The key point here is, "presents her as a girl."  While I would disagree with the use of the term "transgender," this is a reasonable start to a sane policy.  What I am concerned about is the entire way this case has been handled.  It appears the mother is more interested in pushing an agenda than in what is right for both Bobby and the Girl Scouts that will be affected by this whole mess.

It appears that Bobby dresses as a girl, and is allowed to engage in girlish behavior, but it is also clear that he, and his parents, are presenting him as a boy.  While, of course, in such a case it would be prudent and proper that the troop leader and other adults be informed that the child is transsexual, I would expect that a child in such a circumstance would be effectively stealth. This is clearly not the case here.  Stories have, for example, reported on Bobby being bullied at school.

If this child actually identifies as a girl, and actually wishes to be a girl, then why is he, and his family, not making an actual effort to allow him to live as such?  Why is his situation so well known? 


This is the transgender extremist's dirty little secret.  It is really not about being who they claim to be.  It is about being a male who is presenting as a female.  It is about subverting gender, it is about transgressing societal norms, and it is about forcing themselves on others.


If one claims to be a woman, or a girl, then one should be that.  And if one is a transgender, then one should simply accept that one is at odds with the majority of society, and accept that people are going to wish to set reasonable limitations.  Bobby, and his family, do not have a right to disrupt a Girl Scout troop, just so he can play dress up.  If he wants to be a Girl Scout, then he needs to be a girl first, not a boy playing so bizarre game of make believe.