Wednesday 12 November 2008

A Sea of Yellow Cards Filled the Room

Today's first battle is over at the Irish Sun. Some more exposure of the facts, and some more exposure to these kinds of comment:
By Lahla, 11-10-08, 04:03 PM

You’re not a man because you have an operation. You’re just a freak who believes everything they’re told. Do you honestly think all of us don’t feel like we should in our body? It’s a natural way of life. These people are just so insane they think they really should be a man or woman when they’re a woman or man, respectively. Get a hobby, freak.
And this:
By Mr. T, 11-11-08, 05:14 PM
Why?
There is a psychological condition where a person believes he has too many limbs. Doctors rarely if ever perform an amputation. Why then would they perform a surgery for someone who think he’s in the wrong body? For a man becoming a woman, they cut open the penis and turn it inside-out. I really wish instead they insisted they got therapy until they accepted hand they were dealt.
Which doesn't work, but makes those wishing for it feel more comfortable. And this:
By Normal, 11-11-08, 08:20 PM
Amazing
Wow, I’m amazed at the number of weird perverts.....
And so on.

It could be worse though. And sure enough, over at the Memphis Flyer, it is. Discussing the police beating, and subsequent murder, of Duanna Johnson.
Toast, Midtown 11/10/2008 - 3:44pm
RIP He-She
Nice. And this one:
V-8 POWER, south 11/11/2008 - 6:55pm
what are they gonna bury this freak in,,a dress or suit..?
About 25% of the comments are like that, it's not that I'm cherry-picking. Some have been suspicious of police involvement, others bemoaning the rate of violence in the community generally. A few were even supportive.

Now that the UPI has picked the story up - with the detail that Duanna was killed execution-style with a single gunshot to the head - maybe it will go national. We'll see.

Finally, a post on TransEpiscopal that literally brought tears to my eyes. Sometimes it seems an awfully big mountain, and an awfully small teaspoon to be moving it with. I need the occasional story like this to recharge my batteries, and restore my faith in Humankind.
When Bishop Gayle Harris asked if we were ready to vote, she didn’t have time to specify that those in favor of the resolution should signify a yes by raising their yellow cards. Yellow cards just started rising, beginning with the left side of the hall. “Hey, what if I had started with the nos?!” she said. But the avalanche was unstoppable: a sea of yellow cards filled the room. When Bishop Harris asked those against the resolution to raise their red cards, I saw no more than 10, again, in a room of about 800 people. I imagine there were some quiet abstentions, but based on that sea of yellow cards, there can’t have been many.

So the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts has now gone on record in support of transgender civil rights here in Massachusetts as well as at the federal level, and it has asked the General Convention next summer to augment its non-discrimination canon to include transgender people as part of the ministry of all the baptized.
Excelsior.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

The yellow cards have never benefited from a relationship with a TS. When a community has distain for people that do not contribute to the accepted culture rejection is expected and enforced by the extremists. A person working a 9-5 job would not have been on the streets at that hour. True this is not the way to solve problems but it is also not the way to get acceptance.

Anonymous said...

Anon, you're logic-challenged. First, "yellow card" refers to an entirely different story in the post. Second, you seem to be equating "contribute to society" with "work a regular day job"...which is hardly the only way one can contrbute. Third, being out late is not grounds for police to stop you, much less beat or shoot you.
It's true that if you don't conform to society's norms, you may be a social outcast--but that doesn't make you a legitimate target.

Lucrece said...

Massachusetts is a wonderful state. Ever since I moved from Florida, I have yet to hear "that's so gay" or "faggot". The "gay jokes" are utterly nonexistent.

I know it isn't like that everywhere, but I can tell the pockets of resistance are rather small; and that, unlike Florida, homophobia is not a core value in the culture.

Chris said...

Do you honestly think all of us don’t feel like we should in our body?

Now I'm curious - I've always assumed that some people do feel at home/ease in their bodies.

Anonymous said...

"Second, you seem to be equating "contribute to society" with "work a regular day job"...which is hardly the only way one can contrbute. Third, being out late is not grounds for police to stop you, much less beat or shoot you.
It's true that if you don't conform to society's norms, you may be a social outcast--but that doesn't make you a legitimate target."

You do not understand the southern culture. The night is a time for the hunters. Perhaps not a legal target but a target all the same. 90% of all crimes go unpunished.

Anonymous said...

"You do not understand the southern culture. The night is a time for the hunters. Perhaps not a legal target but a target all the same. 90% of all crimes go unpunished."

Pardon me, but it seems like someone drank the kool-aid.

The purpose of the executive branch of the government is to uphold the law. The police are funded by legislature and work for the Department of Justice. The sworn duty of the police is to uphold the law. Murder is illegal. Therefore if anyone should be expected to uphold the law it should be the police. I suppose that if someone were to vandalize your car at night, or kill your loved ones you would simply shrug it off as "southern culture." I pity you troll.

--Christine

Anonymous said...

The yellow cards have never benefited from a relationship with a TS.
Neither have the Hallmark cards or the Yellow crayons or the Playing cards or the Yellow submarines.

Incidentally a study recently showed that 99.9% +/- 3.7 of all cardboard did not benefit from relationship with human beings. The figure decreased to 95.6% +/- 7.2 when only blue card was considered and rose to 108.3% +/- 4.2 for red card. Uncoloured card was found to have a value of 102.4% +/- 3.9 which was not statistically different from the average result for coloured card.

Intrigued from Biblos

Anonymous said...

"The purpose of the executive branch of the government is to uphold the law."

The executive branch is a dismal failure.

Anonymous said...

"The police are funded by legislature and work for the Department of Justice."

The local police are funded by local government through local taxes.