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The Wicked Messenger
Posted: 18 years ago - Mar 09, 2008The Wicked Messenger:
Gay Columnist’s Anti-Trans Hype was NOT funny...First Amendment rights notwithstanding, when it comes to some on-going, really sensitive subjects, the last line in the Bob Dylan tune of like title states, "If you cannot bring good news, then don’t bring any!"
Irresponsible ridicule dehumanizes the target of the derision and often leads to bullying or worse...
As many in the national LGBT Community are still reeling from the senseless February 12th slaying of 15 year old Lawrence King at the hands of a classmate, simply because he was openly Gay and gender-variant, out plops this stinking load of anti-Transgender crap last week from an hour’s drive north of me in Denver:
"Homo-Razzi in the News" by Benjamin Paige - 7 Year Old Transvestites in Public Schools - Gayzette http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TS/News/US/Benjamin%20Paige/ben-paige-hi-res.jpg
----------- See above link for the vile details: ----------
Pam Bennett, a very influential member of the Colorado Trans Community who recently ran for a city council seat in the City of Aurora, Colorado took the issue on immediately and the following resulted:
Gay publication apologizes to community for article about transgender Colorado student
by Nick Langewis
http://pageoneq.com/news/2008/Gay_publication_apologizes_to_community_for_article_about_transgender_Colorado_stud_0307.htmlA monthly magazine out of Denver has issued a retraction and apology to the LGBT community following hyperbole gone wrong in the publication of an Op/Ed column about a transgender Colorado student...
----------- See above link for the entire story: ----------
Certain TG activists and concerned citizens including myself have taken other steps to try mending this slashing cut in the fabric of the Rainbow Flag made by a person who, given the position he holds in Colorado’s LGBT Community, ought to in all seriousness have known better!
And even though the Publisher of the Gayzette, Rich DeMarah, has publicly apologized and thankfully retracted that heinous article, as far as I'm concerned, the damage is already done. That columnist spoke his first mind on Transgender issues. He clearly doesn't "get it" but even beyond that, he has thrown his hat in the ring with haters like the 58 Far Right religious organizations here in Colorado Springs, some of which made similar public rants against this child and her family!
The original article NEVER should have seen the light of day in any respectable LGBT media outlet - unless The Gayzette has the same sentiments against Transgender people as he does. But whatever the case, that article is already out there in the hands of the LGBT Community - and therefore has already strengthened the attitudes of Gay sectarian elitism, perpetuated hateful, anti-Trans ignorance, and has fueled the fires of the same Equality-stifling, inexcusably divisive bigotry that got us full-time Trans-folk stripped out of the most recent try for a Federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act!
Also, consider this fact: Retractions never get the same front billing as the original article gets in any news publication!
Therefore I, for one, will stand against anything that the author of that hate-speech is part of until he spends EQUAL TIME rebuilding the bridges his hypocritical prejudices have burnt down.
If he balks at making it properly right, I will use all the power I currently have in the TS Activist Community to go against this offender.
He should lose his job over this because it is FAR worse than Mr. Imus' quip about "nappy-headed ho's" which lost him his job!
HOWEVER - I shall first look for the full extent of that retraction before I decide to launch my Nationally-Based "answer" to this anti-Trans nonsense!!!
Nancy-Jo Morris
of Colorado Springs
Recipient of the Thomas G Martin Activist Award of 2007 (along with 3 other awards on that year for my activist role in the LGBT Community at large).
Executive Facilitator of PAGE (Peak Area Gender Expressions) Serving the Transgender Community of Southern Colorado
Co-Chair - El Paso County Stonewall Democrats (Not speaking on behalf of the Caucus here)