Wilchins’ explains, “...when it came to transgender kids, beginning around 2015, the Times underwent a strange transformation, shifting from an early and long-time support of transgender rights to the nation’s leading voice attacking transgender kids. And stranger still, this wasn’t based on new reporting or fresh medical evidence, but on talking points being promoted by white Christian nationalist organizations that were devoted to eradicating transgender kids in order to reignite their stalled anti-gay culture wars.”
Wilchins’ book details the history of the Times’ coverage of trans issues from the 1960’s to the present day and how it all went wrong in 2015 when the Times began twisting real facts and using alternative facts to push their agenda, which originated with (no surprise) the MAGA and Christian nationalist right whose ultimate goal is to eradicate transgenderism. All truths are avoided or played down in order for the Times to achieve its despicable agenda.
This book was a revelation to me because the Times was a newspaper I used to respect. I had no idea that it had sunk as low as the National Enquirer with regard to trans kids’ rights. That saddens me and from now on, I will be suspicious concerning everything spewed out from the Times.
I highly recommend Riki Wilchins’ new book to all trans folks who are concerned about maintaining their hard-earned rights.
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| Wearing LEAU |
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| British beauty Diana Grant, out and about |
Sad, another Icon sells out to Maga.
ReplyDeleteWhen transgender teens are "sold out" you're really also selling out transgender adults. Don't teens become adults? Given the long list of different peoples the Christian establishment denigrates it's not wonder church affiliation and attendance is on the decline, while spirituality is not. I'm glad I do not live in a "Red" state.
ReplyDeleteI do like Diana's outfit. The jacket looks great. I shall look out for one, but in blue not red.
ReplyDeletePenny from Edinburgh.
I have to say that the animation is truly hypnotic.
ReplyDeletePenny from Cambridge
I'm old enough to remember when The New York Times sold out on the entire LGBT community. AIDS was running rampant across New York City and other gay communities. The Times would not acknowledge AIDS, much less print the acronym. My Washington Post did the same. My job supporting computer sales and support had me in DC weekly and I always picked up a copy of The Blade, the DC gay weekly paper -- which was often 1/2 inch or thicker, 90% at least was obituaries.
ReplyDeleteAs always, I was a regular at drag shows and had a very special friend, Suzan St. James, one of DC's best DQs. She wasn't feeling so well, and then her very supportive parents brought her home to care for her. I never saw her again. Fast-forwarding to the first time "The Quilt" was fully displayed -- this was on a park immediately south of the White House called The Ellipse. I had walked into the middle of the displayed quilts, listening all the while to the names of AIDS victims being read aloud. I was "this far" from being overwhelmed when I saw Suzan's quilt. It was more than I could take, and I broke down in tears.
Our larger community was being thrown under the bus since "forever". The Times and The Post finally came around and became supportive. The gay community became legally supported over time. But here in Maryland the "LGB" portion began throwing our "T" community under that bus in order to get legislation passed. Ricki Wilchins has been around to watch all this going on, and she's right on target. We have lots of work tp do and a growing number of attacks to repel. Just like CIS women, we have to work so much harder for what we need and want.
Stana, this segment really stirred me up. I'm not sure how I dodged the AIDS bullet, but somehow I did. A lifetime of staying informed had a lot to do with it. It should be the job of each of us to stay informed and support efforts to fight off efforts of The Orange Menace and his henchmen to destroy us with his MAGA army. If we have to give up some invisibility, so be it. I'm giving everyone a "homework assignment". We're better off knowing important pieces of our foundations. Your assignment is to watch the film version of Larry Kramer's brilliant play, "The Normal Heart". This tells us the story about how a small group of gay men and women kept at it and finally brought about the visibility of AIDS through The New York Times and Washington Post. They never got through to that SOB Reagan, but George HW Bush had a bigger heart and set the table for even more support from the Clinton administration. Lots of important people are still here because of the efforts of leaders like Larry Kramer, When Arena Stage (I'm a subscriber) produced the play in 2012 I saw it several times and was privileged to have shaken the hand of Larry Kramer and thank him for his work -- and his stunning play.
So watch this film of a great play about the seminal work done by a small but powerful group of our forebears. I already have plenty of tears reminding me of those hard times and of my very special friend, Suzan St. James.