Bil Browning Strikes Out Again...

It has been a while since he has made a complete ass of himself, but Bil Browning is at it again. Browning, who runs the hilariously over the top gay blog site Bilerico decided to trash Ashley Love, a post-op transsexual woman who has had the audacity to be both highly successful, and to disagree with the transgender party line.  Bil is quite disgusted with the simple fact that Ms. Love will not meekly accept the label of "transgender," which he arrogantly goes out of his way to impose on Ms. Love.  She does not identify that way, but Browning doesn't care.  Of course the fact that she is quite articulate and is someone who is able to get her voice heard clearly sends Browning into fits of rage.  How dare she disagree with him!!!!


Ms. Love speaks the truth, and this is just something that Browning will not abide.  She refutes the party line, and that angers the transgender extremists, including others, such as "Autumn" Sandeen, "Monica" Helms" and "Antonia D'orsay Dyssonance."  In another words, she is hated by the worst of the transgender kooks.  Sounds to me like she is doing a pretty good job.  About the only major transgender kook who has not viciously attacked Ms. Love is "Monica" Roberts, who has expressed issues, but is unwilling to go after her like the others because, well, Ashley is African-American.  So, she only gets a little hate from Roberts.  The rest of the boys are not so kind.  It would be interesting to see if Ms. Love agrees with Roberts' racist rants.


But the real fun in a Bilerico post is usually in the comments, and this one is no exception.  They open with a woman taking on Browning for his nastiness.  A couple of transgender kooks jump her case because, like Ms. Love, she doesn't parrot the party line, and then Mr. Dyssonance himself jumps her case and tries to slam her hard.  Typical.  He really puts the kook in transgender kook.  When dealing with that one, you simply have to remember, he is not sane, so trying to make sense of his rhetoric will only give you a headache.


After the woman who started us off puts Dyssonance in his place, one of the kooks comes back after her, shocked that she actually supports Ms. Love (it is always funny watching someone who simply cannot comprehend that anyone would not swallow the transgender party line without question).


Then another wannabe chimes in that he just can't understand why some distinguish between transgender and transsexual.  He can't even muster the courage to "transition" (i.e. I would assume he means he can't bring himself to actually start crossdressing full time).  There is no so blind....


Now, things start to really get interesting...  Another nutcase (ironic, isn't it?) suggests that Ms. Love might be mentally ill and is just trying to get attention.  Now, hold that thought....we are going to come back to it quickly.  Anyway, things go back and forth about whether this person was attacking Ms. Love for being transsexual, or for not adhering to the appropriate party line.


Okay, another person takes Browning to task of his nastiness and actually does a pretty good job of putting him in his place.  This brings the wrath of "Monica" Helms, one of the most extreme of the extremists.  Now, Helms lets us know that he does not like Ms. Love, but he also takes a swat at Browning, who has actually put him him his place for acting the fool.  Helms is too nasty for even Browning.


Things continue in this manner for a bit, and someone speaks up for Ms. Love, pointing out that she speaks for transsexuals, who are being somewhat oppressed by the transgender extremists which angers Mr. Dyssonance,  He is not going to tolerate anyone trying to slip the yoke of being labeled as a transgender.  In another words, he is a classic gender fascist.  A few comments later, he attacks someone for pointing out that Ms. Love is not transgender, and that calling her such is "misgendering" her.  In this case, I would have to agree.  Of course, Mr. Dyssonance is having none of that.


A few comments later, things take a surreal turn.  Helms, who has one of the most overinflated egos among the transgender kooks, picks up on the idea that Ms. Love is trying to get attention, making a comment about how she "is trying to force herself into the spotlight."  Now, given both Helms' behavior, and that of his brother-in-arms "Autumn" Sandeen, that is downright hilarious.  Talk about the pot calling the kettle black...


And so it goes....  I am a little surprised that Browning had the good sense to stay out of the comments.  It must have been hard for him to refrain from moderating all those people taking him to task for being such a jerk....

Battle of the Legends (Well, At Least Legends In Their Own Minds)

When asked about my politics, I often joke that I am a member of the Radical Middle, the Extreme Center...  I say this because I find that politics is often driven by the extremes, which I do believe is unfortunate.  Granted, living in San Francisco I have to avoid the term "moderate" which is code for "conservative."  You see, conservative is a bad word here.  Instead of Left and Right, we have "progressives" and "moderates."  Basically, a progressive is someone who believes in treating human beings with a modicum of decency and respect, and a moderate is someone who wants to punish people for having the audacity to be poor in San Francisco.  But they both, strongly, support gay rights.  But I digress...  Oh, and I guess the above makes me a progressive...


Recently a war has erupted between two of the radical extremes of the online world.  "Cristan" Williams, the radical gender fascist who posts at "EHIPASSIKO" and "Woman Born Transsexual" Suzan Cooke are going at it.  This is all very interesting given that about two years ago, Cooke was making a major effort to cozy up to the transgender crowd, suggesting something of a truce where "transsexual and transgender" would coexist in a cozy separate but equal utopia.  Things went sour a few months ago, and Cooke now rants about the "Transgender Borg" and "Transgender, Inc."  Williams, on the other hand, makes silly jokes about the Swedish Chef..."Borg, Borg, Borg."  


Truth be told, I obviously come closer to agreeing with Cooke, but I find both of them to be rather amusing.  Cooke is so far left in terms of politics that she has become something of a caricature.  It is really hard to take much of anything she says seriously.  And she clearly has some issues with insecurity, so I admit, I feel a bit sorry for her.


Williams on the other hand, while also amusing in the same way that "Dyssonance" is (they are very similar in style), is also more than a bit obnoxious...well, in the same way that "Dyssonance" is.  They both think if they just keep forcing their points of view, they will wear people down.  And, of course, Williams seems to be a close friend of "Monica" Roberts, who has recently become embroiled in a controversy over some violent threats which he seemed to encourage.  Roberts, of course, is well known for being an extreme bigot.  Ironically, Cooke has been known to kowtow to Roberts as well.  In fact, if I am not mistaken, Cooke used to link to Roberts' blog.


Watching these two go at each other is rather amusing.  Neither is going to give an inch, and both are stubborn as mules.  Neither is above lowering themselves to personal attacks at the slightest provocation.  I suspect we will hear more from them in future.

Another Gender Fascist, Another Bad Joke

I have mentioned the person who calls himself "Dyssonance" before.  One of his silly little posts was brought to my attention when a well known kook, "Willow" Arune, quoted it on Suzan Cooke's transgender web site.  I left a comment there, but as is typical for those sort of sites, any dissent is avoided.

So, let's look at what this gender fascist has to say:

Imagine the term Transgender used as an insult.

Well, it is an insult if it is being forced on you.  I do not identify as transgender, and consider it an insult to be referred to as such.

Well, that’s what’s going on with a small group of trans people. And make no mistake, they are absolutely trans people. But they do not consider themselves trans people.

Now, isn't this interesting...  Mr. Dyssonance doesn't care how we identify.  He will tell us what we are.  It appears that he is the one using "transgender" or in this case, "trans" as an insult.

The particular group involved here is a break-away sect from the slightly larger US “TS-SI” sect, which is itelf (sic) a break away group from the “HBS” sect of Trans people.

Now, notice how he tosses out terms like "sect" and "break-away."  Neither is appropriate, but hey, truth is not an issue for gender fascists.

These people are surgical supremacists, to start with, and the fastest way to discern one is that they decide that some people are and some people aren’t transsexual based on puerile and utterly subjective personal opinions.

Mr. Dyssonance is really laying it on here.  Or perhaps I should say, he is really shoveling it.  I guess in his mind those who disagree with him are childish.  And apparently he has no idea what the term subjective means.  Those who identify as "classic transsexuals," or HBS, tend to have objective views.  For example, we reject the oxymoron "non-op transsexual."  This is why, increasingly, men who have no desire to lose their penis have started claiming to be "pre-op" but they never seem to have any real intentions of having surgery.  Just excuses.  We also look at other, very objective factors.  So no, our rejection of many is not at all subjective.

The splinter group in this case calls themselves “Classic Transsexuals”. They are seeking to gain ownership of the term transsexual. To them, a transsexual is only such if they happen to “vibe” right to them, and if they happen to have an acceptable “narrative” (personal history), and if they happen to hold acceptable views similar to them. The requirements for which change according to how they feel about the individual. 

So, now "classic transsexual" is a splinter group.  Actually, it is probably the more common term.  And I hate to break it to Mr. Dyssonance, but words do have meanings.  Actually, he, and his ilk, are the ones trying to gain ownership of the term "transsexual."  And no, it is not just about vibing.  Yes, one's personal history is a factor in deciding if one is a transsexual.  Especially if the person making the decision is a licensed professional.  As to "acceptable views," there are a lot of people I would consider to be transsexual who I strongly disagree with.  There might be some who don't consider those who disagree with them on some social or political view to be "transsexual," but such an approach is absurd, and such a claim is bogus.  It is just a bit of smoke and mirrors to avoid the truth.

And no, the requirements don't change.  Being a transsexual is not about holding any political or social views. It is about having a brain that is sexually differentiated differently from the body.  Period.

Now, I am not going to bother with the rest of the article.  It can be summed up simply as a typical attack on the idea that transsexualism is inherent, and not simply something one chooses.  Clearly, Mr. Dyssonance is one of those who knows, deep down, that he is pretending to be a woman.  So, he attacks those who have a history that indicates a biological basis.

I will note that he does make up one fact.  He claims that no "mainline scientist" supports the idea that transsexuals are "neurologically intersex."  While he might be able to maintain such a claim by insisting on using that specific term, in the broader sense, his claims is totally untrue.  It is true that the term "intersex" tends to have a very specific meaning, and is generally limited to conditions involving the genitalia and internal sex organs, the idea that transsexuals are, to use an older term, "psychic hermaphrodites" is not a new one, and has been a widely held one since Harry Benjamin first suggested it.

Or to put it more succinctly, Mr. Dyssonance simply makes stuff up as he goes.

Game Over

Once again, Suzan Cooke just doesn't get it.  In the post "Game Changer" Cooke says:

When “Classic Transsexuals/HBSers” started calling me names because I refused to continue playing the trashing people with transgenderism game since people with transsexualism are supposed to be superior and not just another oppressed group, I started seeing this as part of how the right wing has kept everyone down.

The disagreements people have with Cooke is not because we think we are superior.  It is simply because we know we have nothing in common with those who are transgender, and we don't want any part of that movement.  To suggest we are superior, is to suggest that we are comparable.  We simply are not, and don't care for the suggestion that we are.

Transgender is about being something is one is not.  Transsexual is about being what one really is.  Those who are transgender have a seemingly overwhelming need to cling to their past, and even their present, as their birth sex.  Transsexuals want to correct things, and move forward.

Cooke's post is based on an article by the transgender kook "Antonia D'orsay" who posts under the name Dyssonance.  In his article, he says:

What if the game changed, though? What if all those transsexuals could get surgery without a problem — it was taken care of with the same dispassionate efficiency of treating the flu.

“ok, we’re going to do your surgery next Tuesday at 10. Your copay is 150, sign here.”

Well, setting aside that fact that "Dyssonance" seems to be suggesting surgery on demand, which would result in a vast number of regrets and which would probably end the possiblity of surgery for everyone, the simple answer is, "It wouldn't change a thing."

How do I know?  Just over four years ago, that was pretty much my experience.  My co-pay was $250, but yes, like an increasing number of employers, mine provides coverage for SRS.  I was the first MTF to take advantage of the option.  I know of one other who did.  The simple fact is, there were, at the very least, six other people who were "potential candidates."  None, as far as I am aware, have taken advantage.  That is, six people, all MTFs, who were "transgender" who could have had their surgery for $250 or so, who didn't bother.

People have SRS because they need it badly enough to do what it takes to get it.  In my case, I worked at a job that was half-time, and which paid me considerably less that I could have made elsewhere.  Since having my surgery, I have become full time, and make considerably more money.  But in order to get my surgery, I put up with a lot.

The idea that if it were less expensive, more would have surgery is simply not true.  This has been shown, time after time, when transgender types, including some very well known activists, have spent money that could have paid for a trip to an excellent doctor in Thailand on something they wanted more, like a fancy car, or a new house.  Of course, they continue to whine about how, if only their insurance would pay for it....

It wouldn't change a thing.