#1412 Trans People as Disposable Chess Pieces in a Despicable Political Game
Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
Jay Tomlinson
4.5 • 3.4K Ratings
🗓️ 17 April 2021
⏱️ 67 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Air Date 4/17/2021
Today we take a look at the surge of anti-trans legislation coming from Republican-controlled state legislatures. Being concerned that suppressing voter turnout by targeting Black and Brown voters may not be enough to keep them in power, they are resorting to targeting another vulnerable population in the next of their infinite series of attempts to create a wedge issue by pitting people's lives and wellbeing against the prejudices of their constituents.
We also examine the harm being inflicted on trans people, the trans-exclusionary Radical Feminists who have partnered with conservative coalitions to limit trans rights and briefly explore the world of sex-segregated athletics.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: The Problem with the Focus on the Family - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 4-9-21
We talk Sophie Bjork-James' book, the Divine Institution, to demonstrate how Evangelicals use the nuclear family in order to both attack members of the LGBTQ+ community and detract away from systemic issues related to race and other Public Health issues.
Ch. 2: Debunking Myths About Trans People Part 1 - The Majority Report w Sam Seder - Air Date 4-10-21
Caller clarifies misinformation of data regarding trans identified youth vs youth referred to gender clinics.
“We are truly witnessing an escalation of attacks on trans people unlike anything I’ve ever seen in government,” says Chase Strangio. We also speak with journalist and activist Raquel Willis, who says higher visibility for trans people is not enough.
Dr. Joshua Safer, the executive director at Mount Sinai's Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, explains why gender-affirming therapies — such as puberty blockers or hormone treatment — are safe and healthy for trans youth.
Ch. 5: Debunking Myths About Trans People Part 2 - The Majority Report w Sam Seder - Air Date 4-10-21
Ch. 6: A National Wave of Anti-Trans Bills Part 1 - What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Air Date 3-3-21
The coordinated flood of legislation isn’t new. But now, it’s targeting kids.
Ch. 8: The "radical feminists" working against trans rights - Post Reports - Air Date 2-26-20
Samantha Schmidt on a strain of feminism that rejects the existence of transgender identity.
Ch. 9: A National Wave of Anti-Trans Bills Part 2 - What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Air Date 3-3-21
Hudson Taylor's talk offers the following thesis: If we are to end homophobia and trans-phobia in the world of sports (and in the world at large), we must end sexism and gender stereotyping in sports first.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Misconceptions about trans people can be shaped by who tells their stories. Three trans journalists weigh in on how that should be done: Imara Jones - creator of TransLash Media, Kate Sosin - reporter at The 19th, Orion Rummler reporter at Axios.
Ch. 12: The Problem with the Focus on the Family Part 2 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 4-9-21
We talk Sophie Bjork-James' book, the Divine Institution, to demonstrate how Evangelicals use the nuclear family in order to both attack members of the LGBTQ+ community and detract away from systemic issues related to race and other Public Health issues.
Sociolinguist Archie Crowley deconstructs three common myths around language, demonstrating how it's a fluid system that naturally evolves in the direction of inclusion.
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 14: Final comments on the messy nature of reality
TAKE ACTION
PasstheEqualityAct.com: *Lobby Day April 21st & #EqualityTime Phone Banking*
Learn about end-the-filibuster pressure campaigns in BOTL Episode #1411
EDUCATE YOURSELF & SHARE
What You Need To Know About the Equality Act (Center for American Progress)
Why the Equality Act Is So Important (Rolling Stone)
Beautiful, sacred and powerful: Inside the roller coaster fight for trans kids in Arkansas (Reckon South)
The Roots of Anti-Trans Violence - Report (Transgender Law Center)
This record-breaking year for anti-transgender legislation would affect minors the most (CNN)
New poll shows Americans overwhelmingly oppose anti-transgender laws (PBS)
Researched & Written by BOTL Communications Director Amanda Hoffman
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions):
- Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr
- Voicemail Music: Low Key Lost Feeling Electro by Alex Stinnent
- Activism Music: This Fickle World by Theo Bard
- Closing Music: Upbeat Laid Back Indie Rock by Alex Stinnent
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Protest sign that says "TRANS RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS" with two Trans Pride flags on either side of the word "ARE."
Credit: "Trans Rights are Human Rights" by Marc Nozell, Flickr | License | Changes: Cropped, blurred edges to wide image
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to this episode of the award-winning Best of Left podcast, in which we shall |
| 0:07.3 | learn about the surge of anti-trans legislation coming from Republican-controlled state legislatures. |
| 0:13.6 | The harm being inflicted on trans people, the trans-exclusionary radical feminists who |
| 0:19.3 | have partnered with conservative coalitions to limit trans rights and the world of sex-segregated |
| 0:25.7 | athletics. |
| 0:26.7 | A lot to get to, clips today are from straight white American Jesus, the majority report |
| 0:33.8 | democracy now consider this, what next post reports, a TEDx talk from Hudson Taylor and |
| 0:41.9 | a TED talk from Archie Crowley? |
| 0:50.4 | What is gender dysphoria? |
| 1:12.9 | Gender dysphoria is listed in this big giant book called the DSM, the Diagnostic and Statistical |
| 1:19.2 | Manual 5th Edition, and for people who don't know what that is, it's the book that basically |
| 1:24.9 | lays out the diagnostic criteria for mental health conditions that are used by psychiatrists |
| 1:30.5 | and psychologists, not just in the U.S but in other places in the world as well. |
| 1:37.4 | The reason that this is important, a few reasons, number one, sometimes you'll hear people |
| 1:40.5 | on the right who say, gender dysphoria is a mental illness. |
| 1:44.2 | If you're transgender, you're mentally ill. |
| 1:45.8 | See it's in this book. |
| 1:47.3 | That's not what it says. |
| 1:48.6 | In fact, the DSM 5, and that's the fifth edition of it, four other editions, is in my |
| 1:54.4 | view really, really clear, even though clinicians I think don't always see this, it's really clear |
| 2:00.8 | that gender identity is not pathological. |
| 2:04.0 | In other words, if Brad O'Neishie is identified as Brad the little boy when he's born and |
... |
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