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ARG's avatar
Jun 16Edited

I am always impressed by the gay adults standing against the medicalization of gender nonconforming children. It is truly a “pay it forward” kind of advocacy. These kids are (mostly) the gays and lesbians of the future if we would just allow them to grow up. They deserve to be fought for.

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George Romey's avatar

The gay movement beginning in the 1990s was based upon the idea that "we're normal, we're just like you." And the message worked. Notice how the "trans" and "woke" movement begins to take off right after gay marriage.

Why? Because the social justice movement, including the non profits need a cause. Enter "trans." But the problem with the "trans" are the raw numbers. Somewhere between .02% and .04% of the population. It's hard to get a social justice movement and tons of non profit dollars when the population segment is tiny.

Enter in the children. Usually children that will turn out to be gay and/or possibly have mental issues going on. Get them to believe they're in the wrong body. This massively inflates the numbers and force the "gs" and the "ls" to go along. You have your new social justice warrior cause and the money that flows to it.

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Leah Ruth's avatar

💯

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ric leczel's avatar

this issues has been subsumed into the entire "hate trump" world - where sex is not binary but opinions are.

"problematic gatekeepers" is the term right before "trump-loving gay-traitor"

the secret is to tie opposition to any crazy position to trump - and voila - we are against it

good luck let's keep fighting this freedom fight

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omenapt's avatar

in my gay circles I edit everything I say just to avoid such ostracism. For my sanity I limit exposure to such circles

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DMC's avatar

Yes aex appears to be the only thing in this work that is non- binary nowadays

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Reuven's avatar

Amen. We need a big “Drop the T” movement. I wish them well, but it has nothing to do with gay rights. And narrow the focus. I can’t participate in most gay events because of “omnicause” support which includes virulent antisemitism.

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Sarah Carling Polk's avatar

The most compelling argument I ever saw for how things went off the rails was also the simplest: once gay marriage was achieved, thousands of people across hundreds of organizations suddenly faced the prospect of job loss. They needed a new mountain to climb, a new cause to raise money for—and trans rights became that cause. The entire gay marriage infrastructure, built over decades, pivoted almost overnight to an issue 95% of the public hadn’t even heard of. The general population never stood a chance against that kind of organized momentum.

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Stosh Wychulus's avatar

You do have straight supporters who are in agreement with what you're saying and we also get called right wing haters when we raise the same concerns. That seems to be the plan of attack , accusing you of being of the republican fascist persuasion for speaking up.

I've mentioned this before , there's a huge generation gap , not just with young gays and lesbians who have completely bought into the queer mentality (SF is Queer in everything now,, the library doing Queer History programs before Pride) but young people who are in total support of friends who believe they were born in the wrong body or are non-binary. You question gender identity and you are attacking those they care about. The roots for this have gone really deep.

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Sean Paul's avatar

Great article that articulates exactly what I’ve been feeling as a gay man. Our cause has been taken over by a bunch of teenagers who have decided that they want to alter their bodies rather than live as gay men or lesbians. The tide is slowly turning. The Democrats now understand that they lost the election in large part for pushing pronouns and mutilating kids. Gender clinics are closing. Hopefully insurance companies will stop paying for these procedures.

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SojournerOnSojourn's avatar

Love is natural.

.

I'm not interested in who you have sex with.

It's none of my or anyone's business. Those parades seem to make it everybody's business.

.

This is the first sane article I've seen about gayness. Thanks for putting it out here.

.

Make being gay sane again.

🙂

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KEITH's avatar

Good summary

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Edisto GOP's avatar

Great analysis and timeline. A must read.

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Bev Jackson's avatar

The gay rights movement had two fault lines from the start. The early activists you describe are the assimilationists or accommodationists. But the movement also contained tear-it-all-down radicals from the start. Look at the fierce - shameful - conflict over NAMBLA way back in the 1990s. It should have been ejected straight away. That highlights the other fault line - between gay men and lesbians. It has not always been easy to work together. Fortunately in LGB Alliance (founded 2019) men and women can and do work together, because all involved are keenly aware of this history and determined to avoid the mistakes of the past. We are proudly non politically aligned. See lgballiance.org.uk, @AllianceLGB, @BevJacksonAuth

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The_mda's avatar

Thought provoking read. Thank you.

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Christine Jones's avatar

This article should be required reading in public schools. You’ve explained what happened to all of us in such clear terms. Glad you are up for the fight to restore sanity!

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Ben's avatar

Beautifully written and incredibly powerful.

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Julie's avatar

Great series so far!

Can part 3 be about the damage to women's rights and safety, including males self identifying as female and raping women in prison? And about how title ix, which was fought for and written to protect female opportunities and provide a fair playing field in athletics and scholarships, which has been decimated by "gender identity?"

Females are taking the brunt....every time we enter a public bathroom or our gym's locker room, we may see a bearded bloke posturing in the mirror. Sometimes naked and erect.

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Samantha Paige (she/they)'s avatar

Lol. We’ll just keep doing all your “heavy lifting” for you, regardless.

You might wish to keep in mind that one’s rights aren’t protected from the middle. It’s on the fringe where they get tested. Those of us who live on it are the ones protecting your rights. Food for thought.

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Quentin's avatar

You are not protecting anyones rights. You are enforcing you homophic behaviors and jeopardizing homosexuals rights.

You are an autogynephil who think that because you wear pink it will allow you to get closer to women that despise you.

Having surgery and hormones won't Maje you a woman, and fighting for it is just showing how misogynistic you are.

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Samantha Paige (she/they)'s avatar

Hi Quintin:

“You are not protecting anyones rights.” -

Huh. Your opinion countering mine. Fair. It’s a push.

However, I could point to a few legal scholars that would agree that rights are protected from the fringes. But you won’t read them.

“You are enforcing you [sic] homophic [sic] behaviors and jeopardizing homosexuals [sic] rights.”

Huh. Okay. You know this doesn’t make any sense, right?

“You are an autogynephil who think that because you wear pink it will allow you to get closer to women that despise you.”

🤣🤣🤣

This doesn’t really even merit a response. But I will, respond.

An appeal to a discredited theory to support your odd little rationalization doesn’t exactly lend your argument any credibility. Furthermore making in artfully drawn ad hominem attacks wherein you assume things about me and about my motivations and experiences when you have no freaking clue what those might be, Quintin, just shows me this comes from your emotions and not from your brain.

“Having surgery and hormones won't Maje [sic] you a woman, and fighting for it is just showing how misogynistic you are.”

Your right. Surgery and hormones are not what makes me a trans woman. Being a trans woman is what makes me a trans woman.

I’m fighting for my equality and my healthcare. I’ll defer to you, Quintin, for your definition of misogynistic.

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Quentin's avatar

Misogyny is you thinking you're a woman by wearing stereotypes. 🙃

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Samantha Paige (she/they)'s avatar

Huh. Interesting. Let’s look at that, shall we.

Hmm. Thinking I’m a woman?

Like you “think” you’re gay? Is that the “thinking” you’re referring too?

Wearing women’s stereotypes? I mean I do wear a few traditional fashion staples that could be considered by some to be “boring,” but I’m not sure what you mean here. I assume you think I’m performing rather than just being me? Probably like you “perform” gay, right? Or are you just being you? I know which it is for me. I don’t perform me, I am me.

So, you’ve chosen to place me in the pejorative, and make people like me the reason for all of your “problems?” Sounds familiar to me…

Sounds like your “philosophy” is advocating for a powerless “class” of gay people so afraid of social pressures and other people’s views that you are more than willing to throw people under the bus for acceptance and protection.

I’m sure people will be more than willing to work with you and your “Org” with that history behind it.

I mean, who doesn’t wanna “share a foxhole” with someone who’s got a history in a hairy situation of saying “fuck this shit! I’m out of here!!” when the going gets tough?

By the way, you may want to take a peek at Webster’s actual definition. Because, Quentin, yours is missing something pretty important. Kind of like your “LGB.”

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Quentin's avatar

You dare speaking of homosexuality ? Guess why not lesbian will ever want you ? 🙃

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Samantha Paige (she/they)'s avatar

Wow! Yes. I do.

If I’m forbidden from speaking of homosexuality, Quentin, you should be forbidden from speaking about my experience, right?

I mean, all you do is try to define me and box me in, so…

Your last sentence is ill drafted and I can’t understand your “point.” I believe what you’re trying to do is pin my identity to some sort of promiscuous sexual practice? Maybe? That rhetorical device has been used against the gay and lesbian community for decades.

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Julie's avatar

LGB are not porn-made delusions, we are same-sex attracted normal people.

You are ruining the acceptance and normal lives we fought for.

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Julie's avatar

I WISH your "side" was still on the fringes of society. Instead, you are paraded, lauded, seen in all movies and TV shows as sympathetic characters, foisted into advertising, accepted where you don't belong, and see ruining society and LGB culture and existence.

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Samantha Paige (she/they)'s avatar

There is no such thing as LGB culture. The movement is to new. We are not guests to the Pride movement we helped start it right at the start.

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