Tag: anti-transgender

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Target Protester Meets Real Trans Person, Goes Insane

By this point, I’m sure you’ve heard there are jerks out in the world who are way angry that super-department store Target issued a statement letting customers and employees know that the store has a very inclusive bathroom / changing room policy when it comes to transgender folks.

In other words, use whatever bathroom your gender identity aligns with.

On the other side of sanity, haters have signed a petition protesting Target’s position.

Not only that, but there are nutjob protesters now going into Target stores who just start shouting anti-transgender rants. I don’t know about you, but if I was a parent I’d be mad as hell at these folks scaring my kids.

Blogger JoeMyGod shared this video today of one such idiot who actually meets a transgender person, and he really becomes unglued over that.

It’s about 4 minutes, but watch how unhinged this guy is.

And by the way – the nut keeps saying “I can sue you if you touch me.” Really? Store security guards can’t ‘touch’ an unruly person like this?

If you go get rowdy in a bar, I know what happens there…

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Megyn Kelly Asks Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick About Transgender Bathroom Rights: “Is This A Problem?”

Fox News’ Megyn Kelly interviewed virulently anti-LGBT Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick last night regarding his opposition to newly issued guidance on transgender students rights in public schools by the Education & Justice Departments.

Kelly attempted to move Patrick past his talking points towards answering her questions, rather than give him airtime for spouting dangerous lies and myths about alleged “transgender bathroom predators.” But Patrick continued to diminish the value of trans students by saying they make up a tiny part of the population.

At one point, Patrick mentioned his role in defeating Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance last year, saying the legislation would have “allowed men in ladies’ rooms”, but Kelly was quick to challenge him. “Allow men in ladies’ rooms or allow trans women in ladies’ rooms?” she asked.

Patrick quickly deflected, saying, “Megyn, you’re missing this.” But Megyn wasn’t having it. “I don’t think I’m missing anything,” she replied.

Watch below.

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North Carolina Governor: It’s Unrealistic For Us To Repeal In Three Days What We Did In One

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, appearing on Fox News Sunday, told host Chris Wallace that he will comply with the Justice Department’s Monday deadline to either scrap its transgender bathroom law or face legal action and risk losing federal funds.

McCrory made specific mention of the three working days that the state was given to repeal the anti-trans law.

“I don’t think that three working days is enough time for such a pretty big threat,” he told Fox News. “It’s the federal government being a bully, making law.”

Interestingly, the legislation was passed and signed into law in less than one day. I’m not sure how the governor and state lawmakers couldn’t undo in three days what it did in one.

The Human Rights Campaign brings up the same issue in a statement today:

“If HB2 was passed in a day, it can be repealed in a day, too. Pat McCrory’s excuse that he needs more time to comply with the Department of Justice after he rammed through and signed HB2 in the dark of night in a matter of hours doesn’t hold water,” said HRC Communications Director Jay Brown. “Pat McCrory even admitted on national television that his biggest excuse for passing HB2 is a lie. He couldn’t cite a single example of threats to public safety from non-discrimination ordinances like the one in Charlotte. That’s because they do not exist. HB2 is breaking federal civil rights laws and has put billions of dollars in federal funding on the line. It must be fully repealed immediately.”

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Dan Savage Explains Anti-Transgender Laws To Ann Coulter

Last night on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, author/radio host Dan Savage spoke truth to the current spate of anti-transgender laws popping up in state legislatures now – much to Ann Coulter’s chagrin.

This is how Savage put a point on it:

“They couldn’t demagogue anymore about gays and lesbians because too many of us are out and too many people know us so they took the same old script – oh they’re recruiting children, preying on children, threatening children, creeping in bathrooms. That was what they said about gay men 40 years ago.

“And they’re just taking that now and applying that to trans women and it’s bullsh*t and trans women and men use bathrooms all over the country and have for-ever. And they have no cases to point to where a trans person has exploited a civil rights protection to prey on a child.”

So glad to finally see someone lay that fact out there. Go Dan!

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Ted Cruz Goes After Donald Trump’s Opposition To HB2

Following quickly on the heels of Donald Trump telling NBC News that he opposes North Carolina’s anti-LGBT hate law HB2, Sen. Ted Cruz rushed out this attack ad using the same, tired false “attack of the transgender women” narrative we’ve seen far too often.

Text of the spot:

“Should a grown man pretending to be a woman be allowed to use the women’s restroom? The same restroom used by your daughter? And your wife? Donald Trump thinks so. It’s not appropriate and it’s not safe. It’s PC nonsense that’s destroying America. Donald Trump won’t take on the PC police. He’s one of them.”

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ESPN Fires Curt Schilling Over Anti-Transgender Meme

Talking Points Memo has the details:

ESPN announced Wednesday night that it was firing former World Series champion Curt Schilling from his role as a baseball analyst after he posted several anti-transgender memes to his public Facebook profile.

“ESPN is an inclusive company,” ESPN said in a statement. “Curt Schilling has been advised that his conduct was unacceptable and his employment with ESPN has been terminated.”

The memes Schilling posted on Monday appeared to support a recent spate of legislation in various states requiring transgender people to use bathrooms that correspond with their birth sex. After facing intensive criticism online, Schilling doubled down in a lengthy public blog post calling his detractors people “just dying to be offended.”

After taking a day to assess the impact of his posts, ESPN dismissed Schilling.

Schilling has got the network in hot water before. After sharing a meme comparing Muslims to Nazis last August, he was suspended from hosting duties for the duration of the rest of the baseball season. Back on air in February, he received no reprimand for suggesting that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton “should be buried under a jail somewhere.”

Here’s the meme Schilling shared which was supposed to represent transgender women:

Of course, the wingnuts have all come out in an outrage, but more interesting is the response from Schilling’s wife who took to Facebook to proclaim what a transgender ally Schilling is:

Now, does the person Shonda Schilling describes in her post sound like the “educated” and “loving” person who would post the meme above?  I can’t imagine anyone who has trans friends would share that image.

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Donald Trump Opposes North Carolina Hate Law

During a town hall appearance this morning on NBC’s Today Show, Donald Trump seemed to oppose anti-LGBT laws like North Carolina’s hateful HB2.

I say “seemed” because during his answer he kept saying “Leave it the way it is.” Leaving it the way it is would mean keeping HB2 in North Carolina., because that’s currently “how it is.”

But the gist of his answer would seem to be in opposition to the legislation that has garnered so much attention and caused so much economic hardship for the state.

Here’s Trump talking on the issue this morning:

“North Carolina did something that was very strong and they’re paying a big price. And there’s a lot of problems.” Trump said. “Leave it the way it is. North Carolina, what they’re going through, with all of the business and all of the strife — and that’s on both sides — you leave it the way it is. There have been very few complaints the way it is. People go, they use the bathroom that they feel is appropriate. There has been so little trouble. And the problem with what happened in North Carolina is the strife and the economic punishment they’re taking.”

UPDATE: Trump’s opponent in the Republican presidential primary blasted Trump for even suggesting opposition to the hate law.

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North Carolina: Gov. McCrory Issues Executive Order Protecting State LGBT Employees

This is basically a symbolic gesture that brings little relief to North Carolina’s LGBTs.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed an executive order today attempting to do some damage control in the aftermath of his state’s hideous anti-LGBT law, HB2.

The executive order “affirms” that North Carolina state LGBT employees are protected from discrimination in the work place. Private businesses, however, are still free to fire employees for being LGBT.

It also says that “when practicable in the best judgement of the agency,” the state shall provide single occupancy bathrooms for those with “special circumstances.” That would be transgender folks I imagine. Note the “when practicable” and “best judgement” clauses there.

ACLU of North Carolina Acting Executive Director Sarah Preston is underwhelmed:

“Gov. McCrory’s actions today are a poor effort to save face after his sweeping attacks on the LGBT community, and they fall far short of correcting the damage done when he signed the harmful House Bill 2 into law which stigmatizes and mandates discrimination against gay and transgender people. With this executive order, LGBT individuals still lack legal protections from discrimination, and transgender people are still explicitly targeted by being forced to use the wrong restroom.

“An impressive and growing number of businesses, faith leaders, and public figures have come out to condemn House Bill 2 as an unnecessary and dangerous measure that unfairly targets gay and transgender people. Regardless of political affiliation, more and more political leaders also understand that discrimination is bad for business and politically toxic. The public believes in equality and fairness and House Bill 2 and measures like it are out of step with the values of most Americans.

“Efforts to divide the LGBT community by extending limited protections but leaving in place the rules mandating discrimination against the transgender community will only strengthen our resolve to fight back against this discriminatory and misguided legislative action. We call on Gov. McCrory and the North Carolina legislature to repeal House Bill 2 and replace it with full non-discrimination protections for all LGBT people.”

From Rea Carey, Executive Director, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund:

“Governor McCrory’s executive order today is too little too late. It is like trying to solve a massive life threatening injury with a small band-aid that doesn’t come close to covering the wound. Complete repeal of HB2 and the passage of comprehensive statewide non-discrimination legislation are the only actions that will provide real, strong protections for all the LGBTQ people of North Carolina.”

Watch Gov. McCrory share the big news below. In addressing the current backlash to HB2, McCrory takes a moment to smack those who protest the anti-LGBT law:

“After listening to people’s feedback for the past several weeks on this issue, I have come to the conclusion that there is a great deal of misinformation, misinterpretation, confusion, a lot of passion and frankly, selective outrage and hypocrisy, especially against the great state of North Carolina. Based upon this feedback, I am taking action to affirm and improve the state’s commitment to privacy and equality.”

You see, all of those who are against the divisive legislation are simply wrong due to our “misinformation, misinterpretation, and confusion.” The problem is our “selective outrage and hypocrisy.”

Riiiiiight.

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The Truth About The Anti-LGBT “Bathroom Predator” Myth

Conservatives are using bogus scare tactics about “bathroom predators” to pass creepy, invasive laws regulating transgender people’s bathroom access.

And uncritical media coverage is helping them do it.

From Media Matters:

That “bathroom predator” talking point is a myth. Law enforcement experts and people who work with victims of sexual assault have called it “beyond specious” and “the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.” There have been zero proven incidents in the more than 17 states and 200 cities where transgender people are currently protected from discrimination and allowed to use public bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity.

But the “bathroom predator” myth has dominated news coverage of the fight for transgender equality. Reporters repeat the talking point without debunking it, so viewers are left thinking that LGBT nondiscrimination protections might lead to sexual assault.

Republican politicians are using imaginary horror stories about bathroom predators to pass creepy, invasive laws policing the gender of anyone who goes to the bathroom in a public place. That’s the story media outlets should be telling when covering “bathroom bills” like North Carolina’s.