Quickies: Gayness blamed on abuse again * Bigot coffee * Trans* people should be grateful to drag performers * Trans* rights in India increased
By Good afternoon, everyone! Time for a quick look at what’s going on in the queer world today.
Since Tony Perkins has been busy claiming that the right would never boycott a company over support of gay rights, Richard Land, president of the Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina has been covering his lying over the radio gig. And repeats the “gay people must have been abused” lie. Land apparently thinks all gay people are Doug Phillips. (Hey, three quickies for the price of one!)
JONAH, the “ex-gay” group that is being sued by the SPLC for consumer fraud for claiming they can “cure” homosexuality when there is no evidence that that is possible, is trying to raise money for its legal defense by selling coffee. As my girlfriend just pointed out, it doesn’t even say what kind of coffee it is, so how could you possibly know whether $15 for 12oz is worth it? The consensus at the Negisa Estate is that it might be if it’s Jamaican Blue Mountain, but it’s probably Arabica.
Our Lady J makes what sounds a whole lot like a right-wing argument about why trans* people should not only not be offended by the use of slurs, but should be thankful that drag performers have made them more popular. She also rambles about “political correctness” and “free speech” and other things that have no bearing on how she’s saying that trans* people are not allowed to be offended and harmed by various words.
And finally, good news in India. A landmark court ruling there recognizes trans* people has being as a “third sex,” which opens up a lot of benefits including allowing them equal access to education, healthcare, and employment, as well as prohibiting discrimination against them. This is very good news for trans* Indians.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the stuff going on around RuPual’s Drag Race. I’m probably going to write something on it soon, because I feel like there’s a lot more going on here than issues of language use.
I agree, it’s about more than language. I would love to see your thoughts on it all.
I am really looking forward to your perspective.
From Our Lady J’s semi-coherent essay:
Seriously? That’s really something to say about a community in which 63% has experienced some form of serious discrimination. I know this article is about speech, but it is the larger context of this discrimination that makes this speech so important.
Jac, couldn’t agree more. The whole thing sounds like some right-wing bit of fluff trying to shift blame onto the victim for “choosing” to be victimized. I suppose entertainers who can drop into a male persona when they need to have the luxury of not having to listen to people criticize them for breaking gender roles, especially since the only times when they have to deal with that is when they’re in control of the crowd by virtue of being entertainers.
The surprising thing is that Our Lady J is a trans woman, not a drag queen.
Yeah, one of the things that has made me really uneasy about the ongoing conversations are the ways that some trans* women are being erased because they disagree on the use of those words by drag queens and on RPDR. I’m super uncomfortable with treating people like “traitors” (as I’ve seen them called on various websites) for having a different view on language and identity.