
Waking up to several hateful, ignorant reactions to a post I made in support of trans rights reminds me that some people really need to get a new hobbyβand a life.
Anyone so triggered and upset that trans peopleβat just over 1% of the U.S. populationβexist has more issues than the National Geographic. Sorry, not sorry.
Peopleβs existence isnβt up for debate. Peopleβs basic human rights are not up for debate. No matter how βdifferentβ their lives may seem to you, me, or anyone.
Most of us βcolorβ outside the lines in some form or fashion. Itβs wild to me how so many feel the need to point out a βwrongβ color here or a βwrongβ pronoun there.
Frankly, some folks need to mind their own damn business and worry about their own coloring books!
Being transβor any gender, race, religion, or sexualityβdoesnβt make one inherently βbetter thanβ or βless thanβ anyone else. The Founding Fathers of the United States werenβt always on the right side of history, but they did get this part right:
βWe hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.β
Declaration of Independence
July 4, 1776
History shows the LGBTQ βfamily treeβ has never been one big happy family. With so many people and points of view, personality conflicts are inevitable.
As I often explain to straight friends, each letter of βLGBTQβ represents a diverse range of experiences and subcultures. Most of us grew up denying and hiding parts of ourselves, fearing our βsecretβ would make us lepers and outcasts.
Long story short, weβre a coalition of people who donβt look, think, or live alike.
Thatβs exactly why empathy and unity are important. The diversity under the LGBTQ umbrellaβspanning lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, trans individuals, and queer people of all kindsβis our collective superpower, even if it sometimes feels like Kryptonite.
Too often, though, thereβs an unspoken belief that certain identities are βmore validβ or βmore oppressedβ than others. This ainβt Queen For A Day, yβall.
Drag artists and trans people are just the latest bogeyman in the anti-LGBTQ attempt to erase us from human history. Some argue that supporting trans people detracts from the goals of lesbian, gay, and bisexual rights, but that line of thinking misses the point that each and every advance sets a precedent that expands dignity and human rights for everyone.
Iβm here to celebrate and uplift humanity. If youβre more interested in debating and keeping score, letβs just agree to disagree. You do you, boo. Iβll do me.
As I see it, weβre not just fighting for ourselves. Weβre paving the way and standing up for those who come after us, helping make the world a safer place, filled with the kind of acceptance, love, and respect not enough of us experienced.
Thanks for reading!
Clint
ON THIS DAY = OCTOBER 28
BIRTHDAYS
1897 = Edith Head = American costume designer
1914 = Jonas Salk = American biologist and physician
1936 = Charlie Daniels = American singer-songwriter
1944 = Dennis Franz = American actor
1952 = Annie Potts = American actor
1953 = Desmond Child = American musician, songwriter, and producer
1955 = Bill Gates = American Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist
1962 = Daphne Zuniga = American actor
1963 = Lauren Holly = American actor
1963 = Sheryl Underwood = American comedian and talk show host
1965 = Jami Gertz = American actor
1966 = Chris Bauer = American actor
1967 = Julia Roberts = American actor and producer
1969 = Ben Harper = American singer-songwriter
1972 = Brad Paisley = American singer-songwriter
1982 = Matt Smith = English actor and director
1987 = Frank Ocean = American singer-songwriter
CELEBRATIONS
EVENTS
1492 β Christopher Columbus lands in Cuba on his first voyage to the New World, surmising that it is Japan.
1520 β Ferdinand Magellan reaches the Pacific Ocean.
1636 β The Massachusetts Bay Colony votes to establish a theological college, which would later become Harvard University.
1824 = The Marquis de Custine is beaten and left for dead after propositioning a male soldier. The scandal forces him out of the closet, but he recovers and lives the rest of his life as an open βsodomiteβ with his partner Edward Saint-Barbe.
1886 β POTUS Grover Cleveland dedicates the Statue of Liberty.
1919 β The U.S. Congress passes the Volstead Act over President Woodrow Wilson's veto, paving the way for Prohibition to begin the following January.
1961 "Fiorello!" closes at the Broadhurst Theatre in NYC, starring Tom Bosley, after 796 performances and a Pulitzer Prize
1970 = Kate Millett becomes one of the first leaders of the growing womenβs movement when she comes out as bisexual at a Daughters of Bilitis meeting.
1981 = Love, Sidney a sitcom starring Tony Randall as a middle-aged gay man living with an unwed mother and her daughter premieres on NBC. Though gay in the TV movie on which the series is based as well as the pilot, creators and even star Randall deny the characterβs homosexuality in subsequent interviews.
1998 = Glen Murray is elected as mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is the first openly gay man to be elected mayor of a major North American city.
2002 = βLose Yourselfβ by Eminem is released on the 8 Mile soundtrack.
2009 = POTUS Barack Obama signs the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expands federal hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a victimβs actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.
2021 = Facebook changes its corporate name to Meta Platforms.
PHOTO + QUOTE OF THE DAY
βSuccess is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose.β
Bill Gates
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The quote from The Declaration of Independence was PERFECT here, Clint ππ»
I worked with Xerox 820-2's, KayPros and a host of other early desktop computers when I was with an early word-processing software company. You've never heard of it, never fear. Yes. I remember 8-1/2 and smaller removable disks (aka "media).