All Together, Forward March, in Lockstep....Or ELSE!!!!

After the silliness of comparing TERFs to Westboro Baptist Church, the kooks at Transadvocate have come up with another idiotic post.  This time, they are again attacking Andrea James for the unforgivable sin of not adhering to the transgender party line.  This is not the first time Transadvocate has gone after her, they also attacked her viciously for daring to disagree with them over Jared Leto playing a "transgender" person in Dallas Buyers Club, which is kind of interesting since the movie was set at a time that 'transgender" was not a commonly used term.  More accurately, Leto played a drag queen who was HIV positive.

So, what did Andrea James do to incur the more recent wrath of the transgender extremists? She had the audacity to suggest that GLAAD is becoming too dominated by transgender extremists. And worse, she has supported the appointment of Megan McCain, who is the daughter of Arizona Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain. Gasp, she is even a Republican. This is about as far from being in lockstep as you can get, and the Transadvocate crowd will have no part of it.

Never mind that Andrea James has done for more for transsexuals than all the transgender kook combined.  Her contributions far outweigh those of men like "Cristan" Williams, "Autumn" Sandeen, and others.

This of course, has become the standard approach of the transgender extremists.  For them, it is all about controlling comments and language.  Even if the person making the comment is someone they would tend to forcibly label as "transgender."  Step of of line, and you will be attacked.  It's that simple.  You want to get along with the transgender kooks, just repeat the party line, never disagree with them, and above all, never, ever, think for yourself.

Uh, No, That's Not Quite the Truth....

In yet another "Autumn" Sandeen story, we have a lie being perpetuated across the Internet by GLAAD.  They state that Mr. Sandeen is the first "transgender  service member to publicly have "her" (sic) gender marker changed on all military documents.  While he might well be the first transgender service member to make a complete ass of himself in public crowing like a banty rooster over having his paperwork changed to reflect a lie based on fraudulent documentation, he is not the first as was documented by several statements made in response to his posting on LGBT Weekly.

From the way this reads things have actually changed for the worst. When I changed my retired USAF ID card in 1986 all I did was go into the personnel office at the nearest facility, show my old id, court ordered name change, and letter from my therapist.

The only bump was that the clerk said “I’m sorry mam. Your husband is going to have to come in himself”. That required a few words of explanation.

All official mail comes in the right name. The VA here (Portland) is fine with my transition. There seem to be quite a few of us in the area.

And as if that lie were not enough, the article is also inaccurate in saying that ALL of Mr. Sandeen's military documents were updated.  In spite of his best efforts to rewrite history (this is the idiot who now tries to claim that his fraudulent birth certificate makes him a "woman born woman") the Navy will not retroactively change the details of his actual service.  

And, changing one’s recorded name and/or gender at the DOD won’t result in being able to obtain an updated DD214 – a servicemember’s Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. According to the Army Board for Correction of Military Records’ Applicant’s Guide To Applying To The Army Board For Correction Of Military Records:

“If you have a name, gender, or social security number (SSN) change after discharge from the military, even if it is court ordered, the name and gender on your military records will not be changed since they are historical documents which record facts during the time you served in the military. If you need a certificate to show your current name or gender and that you served in the military under another, you can request such from the National Personnel Records Center, Military Personnel Records …”

So, bottom line, Sandeen used his fraudulent claim to have actually had SRS (he was castrated, which makes him a eunuch, not a female) to con the Navy into updating his "gender" on his documentation, which is something they have done for some time, but according to GLAAD he is not only the first, but has done something even he admits he did not really do.

Uh, yeah, that's pretty much how it goes....

The Silliness Continues

Well, now GLADD has become involved in the effort to force the news media to suspend reality and pander to transgender extremists.  They have several complaints...

Describing Acoff as "oddly dressed" is incredibly insulting.

The body was dressing in three bras.  Now, unless this is some very common transgender thing I am unaware of, I would say that can accurately be called "oddly dressed" and would be if the victim were a female.

Her murder did not "end her fight for acceptance," it ended her life. Period

 Well, I can sort of agree that the murder ended the victim's life, but talk about straining out gnats...

There is no need to describe what she was wearing at the time of her murder; she had already been identified at the start of both stories, describing her wardrobe only trivializes her murder.

 It is called "reporting." It also provides information that might help jog someone's memory, and which might help lead police to the killer.  You never know. 

Acoff's criminal record is almost certainly irrelevant to the story, especially when provided without any context concerning the trans community and law enforcement.

 Well, let's provide a little context then, shall we?  Transgender people are often very ant-social and are very likely to engage in criminal behavior.  The police tend to take a dim view of such behavior.  Is that better?  Or are they supposed to lie about that as well?  And yes, I know what I am talking about.  I observed such behavior first hand for several years.  I heard them talk about engaging in criminal behavior, and not just the stuff you would expect, like drugs and sex work.  Shoplifting is a very common activity.  If you look at the "ball culture" scene, it is rife with tales of stealing very expensive garments for shows.  So, yes, let's talk about transgender and the police in context.  It says quite a lot about the real nature of transgender.

And removing pronouns doesn't fix much. Yes, the stories are no longer factually incorrect, but this tact still shows an unwillingness to respect the victim's gender identity and accept her as female.

He wasn't a female.  It is not even clear that he was full time as transgender.  But, you have to love how they blithely demand that reality be ignored, and that the newspaper should report false information.  In fact, in the article, GLADD even makes excuses for why this person might not have presented as female all of the time.  But still, they demand that part of the person's life be the basis for lies.

All, apparently, to spare the feelings of a dead person.

The New York Times Did Nothing Wrong

The transgender kooks have been out in force, blogging about how the New York Times is transphobic for simply telling the truth about a "trans woman" who died in a fire.  They are upset because the Times, according to them, was disrespectful.  The most absurd comment comes from the GLAAD Blog:

Unfortunately, the problem with the Times’ article on the death of Lorena Escalera, a transgender woman of color, is bigger than their “choice of words” or with their attempt to “capture” her story. It’s their failure to recognize trans women as women.

I hate to break it to GLAAD, and all the other "name it, and claim it" kooks out there, but no, Lorena Escalera was not a woman.  This person was someone who wore women's clothes, presented to the world as a woman, probably took hormones, but who was, essentially, a transgender male.  I have seen nothing that indicates that this person had undergone surgery, or that they had any plans to.

This person worked as an entertainer, and as an escort.  In another words, they made their living off of the fact that they were really a male who dressed as a woman.  Sorry, but that does not make one a woman anywhere, except possibly, the fantasy world that kooks like "Autumn" Sandeen, and "Cristan" Williams.


It is sad that this person died, and I am sure that family and friends are grieving, but it is also sad that this person is being used to further an extremist political agenda that seeks to completely subvert reality in the name of some bizarre form of political correctness.


What the New York Times did was the present facts about this person, and their death.  They did not hide the raw truth about how this person lived.  That this upsets the same transgender kooks who attack transsexuals who want no part of their freak show is a bit hypocritical.  Here was a person who was the living embodiment of "transgender."  And they are upset that this is being exposed.  And yet, they complain that transsexual women often desire stealth.  We are attacked for trying to simply live normal lives. 


Once again, this exposes the transgender extremist's real agenda.  It is not about "being who they really are," but about forcing society to accept an absurd view of sex and gender.

 

A Darn Good Question!

In response to "Autumn" Sandeen's rather absurd post on "trans women's shame" a person who goes by the name of "Miz Know It All" has posed a rather fascinating question for Mr. Sandeen....

Autumn I want to thank you for opening my eyes!
Before this I was a deluded fool. I had these clearly erroneous thoughts that I was somehow just a female when I clearly am not! Thank you Thank you Thank you! Now that my eyes are open I am going to shed my shame and start proclaiming my trans-enss to the world! But before I do… would you mind telling me how do you think should we should refer to you Autumn Sandeen? Should we follow your Gladd Media Guide and refer to you as the “gender” you identify as, though all our senses say otherwise? ” Do we say Yes Ma’am! No Ma’am” to your face, with a wink wink nudge nudge titter titter the moment your back is turned? Or should we just go with what is clearly there for the sake of “trans-honesty… “”Hey Buddy! Yeah you! You over there in the dress with the ratty hair and the goofy beret! Get a job!”
I mean, the ONLY reason I would even bring that up is that by your rather comprehensive postulations on trans-shame. Shouldn’t you, as the activist and a leader in the community be proud of your being a man! After all Autumn, you still have a functioning god given phallus, you fathered children, you were married in the Catholic Church to the woman who bore your children and you passed Navy medicals for twenty years as a man. So it stands to reason that as you have been recognized as such by pretty much every social structure there is, you are indeed a man!
So why is that not part of your trans-shame list? Why is it that my wanting to be a normal woman, an act of such intense shame, when your pretending that you are something you clearly are not (female) is an act of strength and courage? Get real Autumn You really can’t have it both ways you know. If we are as you say never to be ‘real” women, then as the morphology is rather limiting we are men. And in that same vein, if you and we are the same as you say we are, then ergo. you too ARE male! So why not go with it? Fess up! Be a man! Stand up and be loud and proud of your proclivity for gender f*****g as a dude! Well albeit a ball-less one these days! I mean why not march yourself into the nearest men’s room and proclaim loudly your right to use these facilities as a man in a dress! A man who has every right to dress and act however he wants and to pee freely when he needs to!
Oh but that is not going to happen is it? If you use the mens room dude then your fantasy would be broken. You couldn’t as a man then stand behind Janet Mock, or Jenna Talackovaand saying I am just like “Her” because, well according to you she ain’t a she! She’s a he, you know, just another dude, dude! Darn, and it was such a grand idea too! C’est la vie!
MKIA

Now, I seriously doubt this question will actually be answered by Mr. Sandeen, and to be honest, I also doubt it will be around for very long.  I rather strongly suspect that the post will quickly disappear, and the person who posted it will quickly disappear.


But this raises questions that should be answered.  More than anything I have seen, this really exposes the nasty things crawling around when you turn over the rock called "the transgender movement."  And still, some fools actually wonder why we don't want to be associated with that label...


Postscript:  Some kook calling him/herself "Penny G" posted a comment on Mr. Sandeen's blog claiming that I posted this "full nine minutes before it was ever viewable" on Pam's House Blend and then goes on to reach the incorrect conclusion that I am Miz Know It All.  Nope, I am not said person.  I read the comment on Mr. Sandeen's blog, and copied and pasted it into mine.  I suspect this person is a rather vicious cyberstalker who has been attempting to harass me for years, and is doing this as part of his obsession with me.  But no, I don't post comments on Pam's House Blend, and unlike "Penny G" I don't post as sock puppet.  If I am not mistaken, that person also tried to harass me when I commented on Mr. Sandeen's column at "LGBT Weekly."  In fact, I think that person got himself moderated there for a rather nasty comment that attempted to "out" me.  


In any case, as someone else pointed out, it could (and in this case is, due to differences in time zones).


Post-postscript:  Well, as predicted, Mr. Sandeen has censored Miz Know It All's comment, and coward that he is, he did it without even offering an explanation.  It simply "disappeared."  Of course, he can't answer her question.  And irony of ironies, he left the kook Penny G's comment, which now stands without context, but which does still contain a link to here, so anyone can still see the question Mr. Sandeen is so afraid of.


Oh, and a reminder...unlike most, if not all, transgender kook blogs, I don't censor messages unless they involve privacy violations, or, perhaps, involve unwarranted attacks on other people commenting.  Which is why most of the kooks will bother answering stuff here.  They are terrified of dealing with an even playing field.  If they can't control the debate, they know they will lose.  

Setting a Few Things Straight

I was reading Ashley Love's account of her time at the GLAAD Media Awards, and a few thoughts occurred to me.  It is important to keep the focus on the real issues.  Gender fascists like "Cristan" Williams, and "Autumn" Sandeen basically try to present "transgender" as an objective fact, obfuscating the very real truth that it is actually a socio-political movement that is basically a rebellion against the norms of society.  Further, they try to obscure the fact that transsexualism is a subjective medical condition that exists apart from both political and social viewpoints.

Transgender has increasingly become about things like gender deconstruction.  Now, as a transsexual, I see the very idea of gender deconstruction as basically an attack on the reality of my condition.  It simply does not fit with my experiences.  I do not share the political and social ideology that has brought some to that point of view, and to be quite blunt, I think it is pure crap.  So, why would I remotely wish to be subsumed into such a movement?  And yet, this is exactly what the gender fascists demand that I must accept.  Their view is, you are transgender because, well, because we say you are transgender.  

The problem, again, is transgender is not an objective concept.  It is an identity.  For example a person might be a certain race (an objective fact) they might also identify with a specific culture associated with that race (highly subjective).   Transsexualism is a medical condition, an objective fact.  Transgender is an identify, which is subjective.  A person can be a transsexual and identify as transgender.  But a person is not automatically transgender, just because they are a transsexual.  

Of course, this is highly objectionable to people like Mr. WIlliams, and Mr. Sandeen.  They cannot abide the idea that someone who is transsexual (something neither actually is) might not accept the label of transgender.  They are both at odds with society as a whole, engaging in a sort of bizarre gender rebellion, that they expect others to join.  The rather odd thing is, it is apparent that they do not even realize just how totally obnoxious and distasteful they are to a lot of people.  Nor do I think they care. 

No, in spite of what Mr. Williams' wishes to claim, the movement to separate transsexualism from transgender continues, and is, perhaps, stronger than ever.

Madder Than a Wet Hen...or in this case, Rooster

Well, it seems that the leading gender fascist, "Cristan" Williams is absolutely frantic that Ashley Love stood up to GLAAD over their abuse of transsexual people.  Ms. Love held a rally to protest how GLAAD portrays transsexuals in their media guide.  Mr. Williams, who tends to completely lose it anytime anyone declines to be called "transgender" responded rather furiously.


To be honest, there is really not much to say here.  Mr. Williams provides his usual lame argument...."transgender" has been around a long time, long proud history, Christine Jorgensen once called herself "transgender," etc.


A bit of a yawn...


Kudos to Ashley Love for standing up to Mr. Williams.  He really doesn't grasp how much of a joke he is becoming.


Update:  Since I wrote this article this morning, I happened to check in on Mr. Williams' website and I discovered that Mr. "Autumn" Sandeen had posted one of his typical self-aggrandizing pieces about how he had been at the GLAAD awards, and how Ashley Love had attended the awards dinner.  Apparently this caused both Mr. Sandeen and Mr. Williams some upset.  Not to mention the fact that the GLAAD people were apparently in a near panic that Ms. Love might actually exercise her right to free speech and say something they did not approve of.


Once again we see how the "transgender" extremists feel an amazing compulsion to control both speech and people's thoughts.  If you do not follow their party line, then they feel you must be crushed and hopefully silence.  Insane, and more than a bit unnerving.


I might add, kudos to Ashley Love for having such a terrifying effect on those who seek to oppress anyone who does not wish to be forced into a certain mindset.


Yet Another Update: Well, it seems that Mr. Sandeen and Mr. Williams are beside themselves over the very idea that Ashley Love might actually have had some influence at the GLAAD event.  Mr. Williams is desperately trying to deny that Ashley might have actually distributed any materials within the event (as she claims on her web site) and, well, Mr. Sandeen just has the vapors over the whole thing.  I mean, just imagine, Ashley Love actually speaking to people about a view that is not vetted and approved according to the official gender fascist party line.  Now, we can't have that, can we?


Oh, and uh, a clue for the "I'm shocked, shocked...." Mr. Sandeen....Ashley Love does not buy into your nonsense and she is exercising her right to disagree with you, and GLAAD.  Get over it, get used to it.

A Simple Proposal

This blog started on August 28, 2007.  This post is the 200th, which makes this sort of, kind of special.  Think of it as a collector's item.  Who knows, maybe someday it will be worth something.  Or, more likely, not....  But, hey, 200 posts.  That's quite a few.


Well, I wanted to post something special to mark this occasion, and I decided to to a post that has been rattling around my brain for a while.  I know a lot of people are tired of the stupid gender wars that are fueled by the insistence of those who demand that everyone join in a lock step march under the transgender umbrella.  And it should be obvious to those pushing that view that, well, it just is not going to happen.  Oh wait, I forget, they are a bunch of men who think they can push women around...


So, I make the following proposal to settle the matter once and for all.


The gender fascists simply acknowledge what they already know....that transgender is an identity, not an objective state of being.  That is, they openly acknowledge that no one should ever be referred to as transgender, gender variant, or other such terms unless they have specifically identified themselves as being such.  Period, end of story, no exceptions.  No more claims as to who is transgender, only an acknowledgement that transgender is an identity that some adopt.


This would be changed in places like the GLAAD media guide, pointing out that unless a person willingly identifies as transgender, they should not be referred to as such.  It would also be communicated to the medical profession.  


This would end the fighting over language.  Those who identify as transgender could rally for their rights, and leave the rest of us alone.  And we could move on and discuss our own issues, without having to worry about being associated with groups we do not identify as members of.


I know....  It is not likely to happen.  Men like "Cristan" Williams, "Autumn" Sandeen, and "Monica" Helms need the lie that transgender people include transsexuals.  They are not really transsexuals, but they want to use that label when it suits them.  They want, very much, to be "women with penises," even though such does not really exist.


But under my suggestion, they can make that claim all they want, and well, the rest of us can join our true peers in having a good laugh.

Why Is the Transvestite Sandeen So Upset Over a Transvestite Fantasy?

Well, it appears that "Autumn" Sandeen, has his panties in a wad over what is, essentially, a transvestite fantasy.  In his latest post at Pam's House Blend, he is in hysterics over a new ABC TV show called "Work It."  The show is about two men who pretend to be women so they can get jobs as pharmaceutical representatives for a company that is apparently in total violation of Federal law.  I wonder how they will explain the company getting away with a policy of hiring "only women?"  But I digress....


The show, which seems to basically be a rehash of the old plot concept from Bosom Buddies and Tootsie.  The idea is, a straight male is "forced" by some circumstance beyond his control to dress up as a woman.  He may be doing this to get a job, or to obtain some other benefit.  And even though it goes against his very nature, he succeeds, and perhaps, comes to be a better man because of it.  Oh, and he finds that he enjoys being a woman, if only for a while.  In another words, it is a classic transvestite fantasy of forced feminization.


So, why is Mr. Sandeen so upset?  Well, it appears that LGBT activists have declare war on this show because it "trivializes" the experiences of transgender people, and well, it makes fun of the idea of men wearing dresses.  In another words, this is a safe issue for them to use to "prove" that they are really, really aware of, and concerned about, transgender issues and they are doing something about it,


Of course, the whole thing is just ridiculous.  This is a show about two straight men disguising themselves as women to get jobs.  They are "pretending" to be women in order to get a job they would otherwise be denied (again, how is this company getting away with a clear violation of Federal law?).  That is totally unrelated to "real" transgender people who ae pretending to be women because they think it is a fun and cool thing to be a "woman with a penis."  And, it is unrelated to true transsexuals who are women, who are in the process of putting they lives on track.  


The claim is made that in "real life" transgender people face problems:

In the brick-and-mortar world, most of us late-transitioning trans women didn’t have the benefit of make-up and wardrobe departments to facilitate our transitions. Many of us started our transitions with deep voices, heavy beards, and bone structures that didn’t say “woman.” Many of us were — many of us are — visibly trans, not “passing” in our target sex of female.

Of course, Mr. Sandeen fails to mention that he, and other transgender people generally attack anyone attempting to be  actually "pass."  The whole idea for people like him is to be visibly transgender.  They are not interested in actually being female, but derive their identity from being "women with penises."  So, a show about two straight men who somehow manage to overcome obvious problems and succeed in passing, is just too much for them.  They think, how dare these men actually work as women, and not "trans women."  It appears that they are upset with this show for much the same reason that they hate those who identify as transsexuals, but not transgender.  They hate anyone who is successful at being a woman.  


Sandeen attempts to feign ignorance of the whole concept of stealth:

In the brick-and-mortar world, the two crossdressers in Work Itwould be having uncomfortable discussions with the HR department of their new employer about transitioning in the workplace, including negotiating restroom use. They would likely at least face workplace harassment, and if they lived in the 35 states without employment protections based on gender identity, they might not have been hired — or if already hired might have been fired — specifically for being trans…and without much legal recourse. 

I live in the brick and mortar world, as he puts it.  I have never had an uncomfortable discussion with the HR department.  In all of my jobs, except one, I was not remotely out.  I did work at a position as an outreach worker for a research project that targeted people who identified as transgender or transsexual.  I had participated in the project at the request of my therapist at the time, and I sought the position because it provided me with both an income and health insurance benefit that would cover my sex reassignment survey.  I later moved on to another position that was not directly related to transgender issues.  But even there, there were no such discussion.


No, most jobs I have had since transition have been held simply as a woman.  I never seriously considered "transitioning" on the job.  Even in the outreach position, I had been in transition for years, and was simply listed as a female.  In fact, I ignored requests sent out to all employees in the organization to, "be out."  Every year, during Pride Month, they would distribute posters featuring employees who were willing to publicly identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.  I had no desire to do so.


I lived in one of those 35 states.  In my first job after transition, I was hired as as a woman, and assigned to the lingerie department.  In my job, among other duties, I had to assist other women in the dressing room.  No one ever questioned whether whether I was a woman.  Granted, unlike those Sandeen describes, I had undergone electrolysis, had been on hormones for years, and well, I admit I am blessed with relatively good bone structure.  But, more importantly, I did not begin transition until i was ready.  This was not a silly fantasy for me.  It was about being who, and what, I really was.  Not engaging in dress-up and forcing people to indulge my delusions.  I was not interested in being transgender, or even transsexual.  I was simply living as the woman I already was.  


The only connection this show has to transgender is the fact that it is essentially a clean version of transvestite fiction.  You would think that someone like Sandeen would be excited to have this presented weekly.  But, the LGBT activists have spoken, and so he must rush to front of the mob, and help lead the charge.  After all, if they get this show cancelled, they will have shown their power and TV executives will be under their control.


Personally, I think the show is a rather silly idea.  The answer to sex discrimination is to take the employer to court, not to pretend to be the sex they are willing to hire.  But that would not make a very good TV show.  Another objection to this show is that it uses the idea of men dressed as women for humor.  Funny, but I would think they would start by making an effort to shut down every drag show, and to force every drag queen, to  stop performing.  Of course, men dressed as women is humorous.  And yes, that is a problem for transgender people.  After all, that is exactly what they essentially identify as.  


GLAAD has the following to say about the show:

GLAAD has seen the pilot and while the show’s pilot does not explicitly address transgender people, many home viewers unfamiliar with the realities of being transgender will still make the connection. Work It invites the audience to laugh at images of men trying to adopt a feminine appearance, thereby also making it easier to mock people whose gender identity and expression are different than the one they were assigned at birth. Said GLAAD’s Acting President Mike Thompson, “Transphobia is still all too prevalent in our society and this show will only contribute to it. It will reinforce the mistaken belief that transgender women are simply ‘men pretending to be women,’ and that their efforts to live their lives authentically as women are a form of lying or deception.”

These problems are even more pronounced in the show’s printed ad, which depicts the two main characters dressed as women while standing at men’s room urinals. Not only does it inadvertently further notions that transgender identities are humorous or artificial, but imagery like this are one of the first things anti-LGBT activists resort to when trying to deny transgender people protections against discrimination. As Mark Snyder from the Transgender Law Center said in a recent article, a printed image like this in magazines or the sides of city buses will “make it more difficult for transgender people to gain full equality — including the important right to access public accommodations appropriate to their gender identity.”

GLAAD clearly has no grasp of transgender reality.  When you have men, who are intent of being "trans women," i.e. retaining their identity as men, while attempting to force society to accept them as women, simply, and only, because they claim to be women, it is really kind of hard to argue that they are not engaged in a form of lying or deception.   Granted, the deception is not the one that GLAAD is thinking of, but it is, at best, a shaky position.  And the issue is not the right to access public accommodation appropriate to theyr "gender identity," but quite the opposite.  It is about men, who are quite happy as men, getting into women's spaces.


As to the print ad, I grant, it is a bit absurd.  Transgender people don't walk up to urinals like that.  No, they stand to pee in the stalls of women's room.  After all, as I said, forcing  their way into women's rooms is a major part of their agenda, though I do suppose they would welcome forcing women's rooms to include urinals.  But that is a whole new discussion.

There Is None So Blind...

Well, Pam's House Blend has updated their TOS, apparently in an attempt to look a bit less fascist in their attempts to censor.  Among other things, they are specifically codifying the right of transsexuals to self-identify as "not transgender" while still, rather actively, forcing the label on them.


And in order to justify this, "Autumn" Sandeen resorts to his cherished GLAAD Media Reference Guide (emphasis is his):

Transgender: An umbrella term (adj.) for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. The term may include but is not limited to: transsexuals, cross-dressers and other gender-variant people. Transgender people may identify as female-to-male (FTM) or male-to-female (MTF). Use the descriptive term (transgender, transsexual, cross-dresser, FTM or MTF) preferred by the individual. Transgender people may or may not decide to alter their bodies hormonally and/or surgically.

Transsexual: An older term which originated in the medical and psychological communities. While some transsexual people still prefer to use the term to describe themselves, many transgender people prefer the term transgender to transsexual. Unlike transgender, transsexual is not an umbrella term, as many transgender people do not identify as transsexual. It is best to ask which term an individual prefers.

Now, I don't know about you, but I personally consider it a very serious insult to be referred to as Gender Variant.  Worse even than having the "transgender" label forced on me.  And, since they chose to use the word "and" to link transsexuals to that term, that is exactly what the bigots over at GLAAD are doing.  Clueless?  Yes, they are...

Of course, this is all completely lost on Mr. Sandeen.  While he is patting himself on the back because the GLAAD Guide to Insulting Transsexuals for Fame and Profit actually says you should ask how people identify, it still effectively forces two labels on us.  Of course, in his mind, along with being a legend, he is also Mr. Politically Correct.  But, he remains deliberately blind/

The Vulture Sandeen Continues to Pick the Bones of Mike Penner

If you possibly thought that Mr. "Autumn" Sandeen could sink no lower in his attempts to use the late Mike Penner, also known as Christine Daniels, as a source of self-promotion, then you haven't read the latest drivel in his column at Pam's House Blend.


It seems that the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation had awarded Penner, then known as Christine Daniels, its 2008 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Newspaper Columnist.  Unfortunately for them, Penner was in the process of returning to a male role, so he never bothered picking up the award.  And as Mr. Sandeen pointed out, he would have trashed it if he had received it.


So, GLAAD decided to give it to Mr. Sandeen, who has blown his acquaintance with Penner into "a cherished friendship."  Of course, this was clearly not how Mike Penner saw things, but that is not about to stop Mr. Sandeen from using this tragedy for self-promotion.  And since he is such a loyal lap dog for GLAAD, they are more than happy to assist him in the effort.


Of course, when Mr. Sandeen is taken to task for his own behavior, he is quick to use the power of censorship to block such criticism.  Even some of his peers in the transgender extremist cliche are disgusted by his use of Penner's suicide to self-promote, but Sandeen's true believers are quick to shout them down.


Mike Penner should be allowed to rest in peace.  He was driven to suicide, at least in part, by those, like Mr. Sandeen, who sought to use him.  They wanted to push him out into the spotlight that they themselves so desperately crave.  He was a celebrity, and they sought to join him there.  They were disgusting then, and are more so now.