Media bias when the "left" slurs back
Reading a blog post by Kellie posted on July 16, 2006 on the topic of smearing got me thinking. I’ll repost a snippet here but you should go back to her site to read the full story (at this link HERE) and her excellent thoughts:
Read this news story [Ed.-from Boston.com regarding a new intolerance that is sweeping Provincetown]. Now, consider for a moment what the response would be from certain quarters were/when equally bigoted, insulting, derogatory comments are made toward the lgbt community by a handful of equally bigoted, insulting, derogatory folks. Inevitably the usual (read: Left-leaning) suspects would decry and tar the entire- take your pick- conservative/Republican/Christian/traditionalist communities for the ignorant bigotry espoused by some within their midst. Should we now equally decry and tar the entire lgbt community as ignorant bigots based upon the despicable acts of some as accounted in the above story?
I think Kellie is on to something very important in her post on this case of potential reverse discrimination in Provincetown, MA. I was at a Gender Coalition meeting for tolerance and rights for transgender folk about two months ago. In the midst of that meeting someone said that the “right” really hates transgender folk and will try to put a stop to any actions we might take to gain equal rights (not special ones, just the same old rights we all had before some of us came out as transgender – which if we do that we do generally to make other people feel comfortable with us; talk about catch-22). I had to stop and (politely) challenge this person saying that not everyone on the right is bigoted or small minded and unable to see that being born with the incorrect birth anatomy or being somewhat off center from the standard issue gender is a horrific event. Indeed, there are many who have no issue with us at all and would happily defend us, why? By and large, most of us aren’t doing anything to harm anyone else, we’re just seeking a little balance and normalcy in our lives and many on the right see that as well.
Bottom line? Neither the right nor the left should be whitewashed for the extreme activities of some of their members. I would argue those extreme elements need to exist in their groups to actually ignite change and to cause open debate, but to whitewash ALL the left or ALL the right unfairly with the extreme (and many times wrong view) is just that, it’s unfair.
(image courtesy of Emdot, used under Creative Commons License)
I am a classic example of why fundemental Christians shouldn’t be pigeon-holed into the black hole that is “bigot”. There are some, like myself, that stuggle with GID, and sometimes one’s religious beliefs make that struggle a bit more difficult. Once reconciliation between what one feels and what the Bible says has occurred, life becomes a little easier to bear. GenderTree has an interesting article here that I found helpful.
Hi Brenda,
Thanks for your insightful comment and the link to the excellent and helpful article. I find it interesting that sometimes people are cast onto one side (left) or the other (right) simply due to how we appear to others. Maybe it’s our minds way of helping us sort out the universe somehow.
I agree with your thought about how people of faith with GID have a real dilemma on their hands. It sounds like you’ve come to a personal peace on the subject; I’m happy for you
Like you, I found my faith in Christ an apparent conflict with the reality of having GID. Prayer, good counsel, and study helped me to come to an internal truce on the subject. Who we are is, to a degree neutral. What we do with our lives tells the truth about us. Curiously, I found my faith rekindled as I came to grips with my being transgender where prior to that it had been waning. I hadn’t expected that to happen. I’m still not sure what to really expect around the next bend in my journey.