Why is being transsexual used in name calling on AAR?

This morning I was listening to Stephenie Miller and she was jeering at Ann Coulter calling her 'Tranny Annie'! Why is the use of belonging to a sexual minority being portrayed as something as bad permitted in the Dem community? I don't get this... it's Juvenile and not worthy of a class act. Here, I'll out myself.... I'm a 'T'. I transitioned in Central Illinois in the eighties. I got fired from a good paying job, evicted from my house, informed by the local police that if somebody were to punch me that I would be arrested for causing the public disturbance! When I called up the Dept. of Human Rights I was informed that I didn't have any! I marched in the '93 March On Washington for all of us and now I have to listen to someone using the classification of being a transsexual as being a derogatory, bad thing to be?! :rant:

Bunk, people! I turned the radio off and got a nice cup of tea. You know, this whole show was nothing but name calling with absolutely nothing to back up why Miller was calling these people liars.

I've seen it plenty of times here.

I'm hoping most of it is ignorance and not bigotry.

About fourteen months ago I complained about this and was told that people didn't see it as discrimination. People need to begin to see that being part of a sexual minority is not a bad thing to be. Sometimes it's a hard thing to be, but not bad.

It's time for people to wake up and for the apologists to stop making excuses those that won't.

If you think a slur might be offensive, it probably is.

If you're told a slur is offensive, please don't use it again.

Though some AAR affiliates carry her show.

Nobody's saying anything contrary on air here. They announce in-between the 'show' that you're listening to AAR! If Miller is not part if AAR, the station sure is making like it is.

And the affiliates usually do NOT make that clear. Also, affiliate stations are not really AAR, either, just affiliates...

Some gay men I know refer to lesbians as "fish" and themselves as "beef." I don't know who started to label lesbians as "fish" but the fact is that women do not look like fish, do not smell like fish, and certainly do not taste like fish.

We have problems in the community with people that cannot accept bisexuals as a repressed class. Transgender people are even more on the outside of the LG mainstream, often failing to be accepted in the community for a variety of reasons, e.g., lesbians rejecting the F2M lover of a lesbian, etc.

I don't know what the solution is to this problem except that we must be sensitive to people being oppressed solely for reasons of their sexual orientation or identity.

When a straight person does it, I call it homophobia for want of a better word...

But what to call it when it is done to me by gay folks?

One day I attended a meeting for the planning of Seattle's' Gay Pride parade and was being 'cooed', (for lack of a better word for it), by a lesbian. She was flirting with me quite openly. When I spoke up for transsexual people, she avoided me like the plague. :shrug: This happened a lot to me when I was younger. I found that some turned out to be great friends afterward while other avoided me. Oh well, I just don't walk around with a 'T' on my forehead.

edit for clarification.

In the general straight population, I openly identify as a lesbian. I try not to look "dykey" though; a double-female necklace is the only clue. My username gives a general clue as to how I present. I do not identify as transgender; it's just too much for many to comprehend, much less accept.

In the LGBT circles, I am openly transgender.

In the progressive activist circles (gay, straight, or otherwise), I also identify openly as transgender, and name that as the reason for me being in the progressive camp.

I've found plenty of acceptance in all three different situations. The only problem areas are the immigrant mega-churches that are increasingly common here in SoCal.

We 'T's faced an real uphill battle just getting the name included, and then only the Pacific NW acknowledged our inclusion. The representative from Alaska was saying that transsexuals, transgender people, and drag queens were what was causing the problems why Gay rights weren't accepted by the mainstream. Even inside the 'T' community, people were arguing about what we should call ourselves, 'Transgender' or 'Transgendered'! :eyes: I had to chair some of these meetings, and let me tell you, I got a big headache from it all!

The likes of Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy tried to get the transgenders out of the equal rights bill for gays.

Never mind that such a bill would only protect the straight-looking and -acting gays, which are only 1/3 of the entire gay population anyway.

Clinton and Kennedy know that it's too difficult to include transgender, because that's what is causing the right wingers to revolt. But that's precisely why we must include it. A man is called a "fag" not for hanging out with other men, but for acting feminine. Remember!

I have referred to Coulter as (Tr)Ann Coulter several times. Honestly, I thought it was amusing. Mostly because freepers want to make a big deal about how pretty they think she is. Yet her huge adam's apple and hands are not feminine. And, let's face it, it probably makes the gay hating lurking freepers livid.

Anyhow, having read your story, I understand perfectly why you are offended. I will never do it again.

She was born with ambiguous genitalia, and was surgically assigned to female at age nine months. Hence the Adam's Apple.

No idea if it is true or not, but that's the rumor.

I beleive the "Adams Apple" is the result of Testosterone effects on the voice box. But women also have varying amounts of Testosterone in their systems naturally. And jsut as some will develop facial hair, some will develop larger voiceboxes with the visable Adams Apple.

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I too am tired of hearing about this as if being T is something to be ashamed of.

Being born intersexual, and having been gender assigned, she cannot help being what she is.

She is a woman as far as I am concerned, as that is what she says she is.

One should be whatever gender one wants to be.

I was just trying to shed some light on the issue.

I think that when people poke fun at her - it is at her perceived hypocrisy - acting like the good little 'Christian' and all.

She is hateful and deserves scorn; however, we need to be careful and poke fun at her chosen behavior - the issue at hand.

That was a damn cool gesture.

And honestly, I think that's how most of us learn stuff like this.

Bravo.

Peace. :hi:

this is a good point.

I am getting tired of smirking name calling and gay put downs.

"oh, that's so gay." even Maher does it.

I posted to a forum a while back from someone who said much of what you'd just said, and she is a transexual as well. I was appalled at the lack of sensitivity to transexuals and appreciate your speaking up. I'll tell you, there are many times when I'd freely admit to wanting to plant a steel-toed boot up her skinny ass, but knowing the struggles that our transexual brothers and sisters have making their way through life--it's just not worth hurting other people to get to Ann.

I wish you much happiness, now that you've transitioned to the life you were meant to live.

If the only time people see transgendered people is on his show then I guess they learn from his audience (mob mentality) that transgendered people are meant to be looked down upon.

The "guests" on his show don't have real relationship to any of the REAL transgendered people I know, including my spouse who is F2M.

And for the few in the GLBT community that look down on the T community, we are legally married and after he changes his name we can change the marriage certificate! So technically we will be a legally married same sex couple in a state (Wisconsin) that doesn't otherwise recognize such a thing. That opens a door doesn't it? So don't think that the transgendered are hurting gay rights.

It's a long slow process that involves weekly testosterone injections, monthly depo-provera shots, blood tests every 3 months, and sometime in the future surgery. All paid out of pocket.

Eventually, when all is done he will be able to change his birth certificate.

Now we just have to wait to see if he loses his job over this. He has no legal protection against being fired.

Seattle/ King county is one that I know of. Another is the state of Minnesota. The last I heard is that many others are making progress in this area. Anybody else here with information about where 'T's are prohibited to be discriminated against, please weigh in!

Rhode Island, New Mexico, and California.

Yes, even California, with its large swaths of bleeding red, protects its transgenders in employment, housing, and hate crimes legislation. The Christian death cultists in the City of Westminster (Orange County, where else?) has refused to comply though, at a huge loss to its treasury.

That made my day! I may be changing jobs soon, and one of the things I worried about was that if I do decide to transition, I might lose that job. Nice to know there's legal protection!

It's not that I have used 'transexual' as an insult.

This just reminds me to be affirming, not destructive.

I will cop to wondering about what the heck the story is with Ann Coulter, though.

Then I remind myself to focus on her hateful behavior; that is what I should be addressing.

and about 1/3 of the M2F population who are selling out themselves, other LGBTs, and innocent straights with their Republicanism.

Note that it's an M2F thing, with their male way of thinking which they refuse to discard even as they claim to be "women."

I am M2F myself, and have suffered my fair share, going bankrupt due to rampant job discrimination even in San Francisco, and being later committed to a mental institution in Arizona due to my gender and political views (yes, red states can and WILL do it). My parents bailed me out only on the condition that I renounce my female identity forever. (Guess what? I didn't.) And I am still fully behind Miller's tranny jokes on Coulter.

Here in Los Angeles, KTLK 1150AM (Air America) broadcasts Miller in place of Jerry Springer. I would rather have Miller than Springer, who's done true irreparable damage to the reputation of transgender folks.

I'm sorry that stuff happened.

I think that you will agree with me that Stephanie is NOT biased against any GLBT person per se; she is a VERY kind and progressively-minded person.

I think that she, like myself, gets so anger at a hostile, self-loathing person that she mocks Coulter any way she can, referring to Coulter's hypocrisy (that's what she's aiming at).

How do I know Coulter is self-loathing? Because of my Master's/background in psychology. If a person is that hostile to others on a regular basis, that is what is inside - hostility to self as well (i.e. self-loathing).

I just can't watch her on Bill Maher (S.O. - Hubby-Bubby watches for me).

You hit me right on the head with that one.

If she practiced what she preached, she should stop wearing those miniskirts right away. Trying to seduce "morally upright" Republican men and sexually corrupt them is not a good thing. :evilgrin:

Of course, if she has male genitals under that miniskirt, it would be even more reprehensible for those Republican men.

All I know is that, in David Brock's book, "Blinded by the Right," he stated that he was good friends with her; Coulter was always on the arm of some rich Rethuglican, apparently. Coulter offered to fix Brock up with a date (I'll leave that to the imagination).

Take care!

Maat

This implies that this sexual minority is a bad, terrible thing to be. The result of such talk goes beyond the initial intention of insult and becomes a basis of hate for the entire group. Let me tell you a story of another of my experiences in Illinois: I lived in Springfield, the capitol of the State, not too far from the food cooperative where I served on the Board Of Directors. One day as I was walking to the Co-op a five year-old boy went walking behind me yelling out "Sex change! Sex change!" A friend that was with me at the time, turned around and told the child that he was too young to have an opinion. Now somebody had put that boy up to that. How do you think his beliefs toward transsexuals will be when he grows up? Don't you see that using such language as insulating produces fear toward the group in general which then leads to hate?

Oh, Welcome to the DU, BTW!

This is precisely why I have absolutely no respect for Jerry Springer. He's completely destroyed the reputation of the transgender community through his tasteless, vulgar talk show.

However, the hypocrisy of Ann Coulter must not be left unnoticed, whether she's really a tranny or not. When a "T" sucks up to the most virulent anti-T forces in the world and becomes their shill, it's fair game for ridicule. After all, when the day is over, Coulter won't get any of that acceptance she wants from the right wingers. And that's what Miller is trying to accomplish with her tranny jokes on Coulter.

I do have to say though, Stephanie Miller's show is not intended for children, so having a 5yo kid yell "sex change!" at you after listening to Miller is something I won't need to worry about. (There are a few sick, narrow-minded progressives too, but they are only a tiny fraction of our population.) I am sorry about that incident though, whoever raised that kid is a sicko.

And thanks for the welcome, nice to "meet" you :)

I'm FTM and I was getting kind of rubbed the wrong way by this thing with Ann Coulter too. Thank you, icymist, for bringing it up.

I despise her, I promise, but whether she was born intersexed/ambiguous or is just a female whose secondary sex characteristics border on masculine, it's not fair game to attack her for that. We have to be what They are not, I think, and while I think it's time for a little less "fair" play in some ways personal attacks are something I wish would be beneath us at all times. There's plenty to scream at Ann about without attacking her for something she can't help. Being gender variant is not a choice; being a hate-filled lying bigot is DEFINITELY a choice.

And I'd vote her as pretty until she opens her mouth. She makes me think of a new co-worker I knew once; pretty, semi-anorexic, greensmoker, real nice lady, hung on the smoking deck with her for three weeks before she went off on a horrible racist tangent. It was horrifying. Like biting into rotten fruit. It'd be so much easier if it were like Disney and the bad guys looked bad and the good guys looked good. (sigh)

However, the mention of the rumor about her being born ambiguous does make me wonder if perhaps she's not entirely comfortable with her assigned gender or gender role--and instead of dealing with her own emotions she not only represses herself but tries to repress EVERYBODY to act the way they're "supposed" to.


I don't think I'm explaining that last bit very well, but I'm exhausted and one hour away from an eighteen-hour drive. : )

Peace.

Glad to have you here. Hope your drive goes well!

Have a safe journey.

I think it is nice you came here to complain and explain. There are certainly quite a few gay people who are uncomfortable/unfamiliar with the issues of transgendered people. However, I think you should cross post this rant in GD, in the middle of the day...get more exposure. The homo/bi/trans-phobia here sometimes, gets a little old! It is one of the big reason my partner won't even read this site anymore. It was really bad after the elections. But I still see lots of "anti-gay" rhetoric here and it is discouraging. I think most don't even really think about. I am not talking about the "joke" threads and such. I am talking about the threads like, "well so and so must be sucking Rove's cock," "I bet so-and-so takes it up the ass," and "I am sure she is a muff-diver and that is just another reason to hate her (That post got axed, thankfully)". I think some think they are being funny, but it really isn't.

Thanks for ranting!

When I heard the insult on my radio, I had to say something or it would burn inside of me for not even trying. I'm glad you liked the rant. :hi: