I’m against all forms of bigotry, which is simply judging all members of one group as if they all have the same moral failings instead of judging human beings strictly as individuals. I do not assume all Muslims are terrorists, that all women deserve to be sex slaves to their husbands, or that all French people are alcoholics.
Recently, various states in the United States have either tried to pass laws allowing discrimination against transgendered people or tried to repeal laws prohibiting discrimination against them. The rationale behind such absurdities is that all transgendered women are actually still men pretending to be women so they can attack and rape women and girls in bathroom stalls. Where they get that crazy idea from is anyone’s guess, but it actually encourages hatred against all who happen to be transgendered, often making THEM targets of violence. Quite simply, people need to stop equating sexual deviancy with immorality. Just because someone is homosexual or transsexual does not mean they are inclined to violate the personal autonomy of anyone else.
Now someone who was abused TWICE, first by an actual criminal and then by opportunistic transphobes, has decided to fight back against both types of bastards.
Woman who fought bathroom attacker refuses to let anti-trans group use her story
Last week, Kelly Herron was on a long run when she stopped to use the bathroom in a Seattle park and was attacked by a man hiding in a stall. She fought him off, screaming “Not today, motherfucker!”, and shared her story on social media with a very specific goal.
“After my assault, I came out with my story about fighting back,” she said in an email. “I didn’t want other women to be fearful and not continue to do the things that make them happy, like running!”
While Herron set out with clear intentions, a group called Just Want Privacy quickly used her experience to make a political point about prohibiting transgender people from using bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity. Her attacker, however, was not transgender.
That didn’t sit right with Herron, and she knew exactly what to say: “not today, motherfuckers.”
That’s how she replied on Thursday in a fundraising email that opposed Just Want Privacy’s efforts to repeal Washington’s non-discrimination laws and allow public facilities to keep trans people from using the restroom that reflects their identity.
“I’m more upset now than I have been all week after seeing that a political group is using my face, my name and my story to fundraise for I-1552, a ballot initiative that deliberately targets and harms transgender people—including friends whom I respect,” Herron wrote. “I refuse to allow anyone to use me and my horrific sexual assault to cause harm and discrimination to others.”
On Tuesday, Just Want Privacy posted a statement on its Facebook page acknowledging its use of Herron’s story.
“Since many of the volunteers that comprise this campaign are themselves survivors of sexual assault, the last thing we want to do is make anyone feel exploited,” it said. “If our actions have inadvertently failed in this effort, we are sincerely sorry.”
Herron wasn’t convinced. She also felt it was essential to publicly reject the group’s proposal, which needs 330,000 signatures by July to make it onto the ballot. Just Want Privacy says that men are currently allowed to enter locker rooms and bathrooms, and may assault girls and women, who aren’t permitted to question their presence. The law, however, focuses on ensuring access to public facilities and preventing harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
“My transgender friends, just like me, want to use the bathroom and get out safely. It’s that simple,” Herron said in an email. “[R]epealing non-discrimination protections for transgender people won’t make any of us safer, and it may make things worse by encouraging more harassment.”
Herron’s harrowing story is a also good reminder to never use a woman’s story of sexual assault for your own political gain.
That incident also reminded me of this:
Some Right-wing Bigots have NO Shame!
I wonder if Leah Remini and Kelly Herron have grounds to file lawsuits against that sort of crap.
If a few Jews were criminals in Europe, did that justify the Holocaust? If people were descended from a country (Japan) that attacked the United States in 1941, did that justify locking up thousands of them in concentration camps? And even if the attacker of Kelly Herron had been transgendered, would that justify discriminating against ALL transgendered people? HELL NO!
I was also reminded of a debate I had long ago with a degenerate right-winger:
https://dalehusband.com/2008/10/03/seeking-balance-in-politics-and-activism/
And yes, I can generalize. Just because ALL persons in a general class don’t demonstrate a certain behavior doesn’t make the generalization worthless. If that were the case, I shouldn’t be afraid of sharks – not ALL of them bite. …..Generalizations help us navigate the world, and keep us safe. As my relevant and correct shark example said, it would be stupid to jump in a tank filled with 100 sharks if only two are man eaters. But hey, you’re the tolerant type I’m sure, why don’t you try?
Dale Husband
Of course, this is utter nonsense. It isn’t even a legitimate conservative thing to say, it’s just bull$#it. Most sharks do not attack people. In fact, we eat far more sharks then they’ve ever eaten people. Generalizing is always worthless and should never be excused. Otherwise, all sorts of racist, sexist, homophobic and Islamophobic crap should be excused and promoted everywhere.
We need to stop tolerating such crap and speak out against it at every turn, or eventually we WILL have our own version of a Holocaust in America! Maybe not against Jews, but it could be against Muslims, Mexicans, homosexuals, transgendered, or atheists. All that’s needed is to repeal most of the provisions in the Bill of Rights and America can then be a fascist state that MASS EXTERMINATES PEOPLE and it will be our fault as a people for assuming it could never have happened to us because we are ‘Merica!
Meanwhile:
https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/mother-son-transition-father-daughter-164709815.html
{{{Mother and Son Transition to Father and Daughter After Realizing They Are Transgender
Eric Maison and his daughter, Corey, realized at the same time that they are transgender. The father and daughter – who were formerly mother and son – were watching a documentary about a transgender girl when they had their light bulb moment.
“That’s when we both learned what it meant to be transgender, and realized that that explained both of us exactly,” Eric, 39, tells PEOPLE.
For years, both of them were uncomfortable in their bodies, but they didn’t know how to describe the feeling.
“I was always sad and angry all the time, and I didn’t know what to do about it,” Corey, 15, says.
“I knew that something was off, but I didn’t know what that was. I knew that I hated my body, I was very ashamed of it, but I didn’t know, cognitively, why,” Eric adds. “Honestly, I just thought it was me. I thought there was something wrong with my brain.”
Corey came out to her parents right after watching the film in 2012, a moment she said was “very relieving.” But Eric held on to her thoughts for another three years, for the sake of her daughter.
“I wanted to make sure that my child was taken care of. I wanted to do everything to make sure her transition was smooth and everything was in place,” he says. “As a parent, you want to put your kids first.”
Corey had issues at first – with her short hair, she became a target for bullies who would laugh and stare at her – but the teen discovered her true friends.
“I lost a lot of friends in the process, but the ones that actually did care stayed,” Corey says.
And when she rejoined a local school in Detroit after taking classes at home for a few years, the administration was immediately welcoming, telling her to use the girl’s bathroom and locker room, and briefing staff members.
“There was an issue with a few parents complaining that there was a trans girl in the bathroom with their children, and the principal basically said, sorry but, President Obama set these guidelines and we’re going to stick by them,” Eric says.
In 2015, Corey started hormone treatments, the final step in her transition, and Eric finally began to come out as transgender, first to his therapist, and then to his husband, Les.
“It actually came about by accident. [Les and I] were watching the movie The Danish Girl, and the transgender girl named Lili dies at the end, and when she dies I was crying so hard, more than you cry from a movie, and my husband hugs me and says, Are you okay?’ And I said, I’m sorry you’re stuck with a freaking Lili.’ And he took a minute to think and process that and he said, I love you, and no matter what we’ll make this work,’ ” Eric recalls.
He started taking testosterone, and then one year later underwent top surgery to remove his breasts.
“It’s kind of ironic that something needed to be removed from my body to feel more complete,” Eric says. “It was a major turning point for me. My biggest area of dysmorphia, my whole life, from puberty, from the time I started developing breasts, was my chest.”
Now both Corey and Eric – who were featured in National Geographics Gender Revolution issue – say they feel “complete,” and coming out as their true selves has made their lives better in every aspect.
“We’re just happier overall,” Eric says. “Holding a secret breaks us up and puts up obstacles. We’re better people and have better relationships with our family members.”}}}
Go ahead, transphobes, try to persecute those two. And expect to get your @$$es kicked over it!
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