A Bit Cranky...

In scholarly circles, the term "crank" is used to refer to those people, usually with little or no actual academic training, who claim to have solved some classic math problem, or to have discovered some new "theory" in physics, or such.  They are, of course, inevitably wrong, and in many cases, their "discovery" is quite imaginative.  Here is what Wikipedia has to say about these people:

1. Cranks overestimate their own knowledge and ability, and underestimate that of acknowledged experts.
2. Cranks insist that their alleged discoveries are urgently important.
3. Cranks rarely, if ever, acknowledge any error, no matter how trivial.
4. Cranks love to talk about their own beliefs, often in inappropriate social situations, but they tend to be bad listeners, being uninterested in anyone else's experience or opinions.

Well, "Cristan" Williams has now earned that title.  He has dismissed quite a bit of scholarly research in favor of his clearly biased ideas concerning the origins of the term "transgender."  He claims that someone, vaguely referred to as "Dr. Rawson," travelled across the country, to view the Houston transgender archives.  I would assume, following a bit of quick research on Google, that this is "K.J Rawson," who lectures at the University of Kentucky, and who seems to like the word "queer" an awful lot.  While my original impression was that Rawson probably identifies as "genderqueer," I have been informed that the correct identity is "female to male transgender person."


Anyone who has dealt with Williams can tell you that the four points above are dead on with regards to his behavior.  


So, we have a kook who thinks he knows more than real academics now claiming that his research trumps that published in peer reviewed journals.  Oh well...


I would strongly urge Dr. Rawson to take anything found in the archives created by Mr. Williams with a very large grain of salt.