In many cultures transgendered individuals are reviled, as are those with different sexual orientations to the majority. On the whole, I suspect most of us are more danger to ourselves than to others. I saw a paper which suggests mental illness and self harming, including suicide is higher amongst GLB individuals. It didn't mention transgendered, but I should imagine it's similar for the same reasons, pressures and stresses from the majority to either conform or be persecuted. With the exception of those whose habits or preferences cause hurt or damage to others (eg paedophiles), we don't cause much trouble but are an easy target for the bigots and end up harming ourselves.
Today, I also see there have been 'terrorist' attacks on westerners and others in Mumbai (Bombay)with upwards of eighty people killed. Often these 'terrorists' claim persecution as one of the reasons they strike at the majority, usually soft targets. They claim religion as their justification, although it's clearly more political than theological.
Their intentions - to change things.
Transgendered people have changed not only themselves, but also the laws and attitudes of several countries - usually in more subdued ways than the GLB lobby, but sometimes with them, or on the back of it's efforts. In Europe, it's been mainly through constant legal challenges at the Court of Human Rights, where it eventually won.
I'm aware from the memorial day, that people from amongst us pay with their lives in standing up against prejudice and bigotry, and some were just unlucky, wrong place wrong time.
I'm not aware of any of the activists in the struggle for equal rights having deliberately set out to hurt anyone unlike the perpetrators in India and elsewhere.
We're the ones who need to see psychiatrists to jump through the hoops to get 'mones or SRS, to be able to live as we want. But I ask the question; compared to the terrorists, who really is crazy?
Admin Note: I turned off commenting to this blog not because of a flame war, but because the material being touched upon was too political. Rather than see this blog get unpubbed by Erin, I'm saving it by removing further comments and let others be able to read what Angharad wanted to voice. BC does have a policy in force on blogs that spill into touchy subjects.
Sephrena Lynn Miller
BigCloset TopShelf
Comments
I have the answer to that!
I was once a transgendered person, and I remember all the hand wringing and drama. Then I decided to take the best path for me and start living in harmony with who I am. I am a very peaceful, mostly happy woman now.
Those other guys are just dumb, angry men with way too much testosterone.
The Saudi government has been studying the situation with terrorism and have apparently come to the conclusion that they come from absolute poverty, get angry about it and strike out at the weakest target to vent their anger. These idiots treat their women really badly too.
Gwen
That Argument Doesn't Hold Water In One Case
Osama Bin Laden did not come from a poor family by any stretch. The family is one of the wealthiest in Saudi Arabia. He just bought into the radical philosophy of killing innocent people in the name of Allah. Mainstream Islam does not condone these crimes. It is interesting that countries like Iran look at Transsexualism in a more favorable light than being Gay. The U.S has had their panties in a wad over this issue for decades. It's really ironic isn't it?
Hugs,
Jen
Not surprising
I think is a religious thing. Transsexualism I do not believe is explicitly reviled, despite what fundamentalists say, in the testaments mainly because I don't think those peoples had a concept for such a thing, not that a transsexual could do anything about it back then; no SRS, ya know ?
However, there were prohibitions about wearing clothes of the opposite gender and that muted any TS attempts to transition even if it is just on a visual basis only. No hormones ya know, not unless they figured out how to concentrate plant estrogens.
As a consequence, they (the Iranians) just rationalized about TS folks and figure it is also one way to get rid of gays. I suspect they have a lack of understanding of what is gender identity versus sexual preference.
Kim
Actually, that's not his "philosophy"
His aim is actually quite simple, to force the Americans, in particular, out of the entire Arabian Peninsula, which he (and many other extremist Muslims) considers holy territory which should not be defiled by the presence of nonbelievers. This is a extension of the normative Islamic belief that the Holy Cities (in particular Mecca) would be profaned by the presence of Nonbeliever, but not terribly diferent in kind.
His intention is to achieve this aim, which he and many others consider a holy obligation, by killing American soldiers and civilians until the situation is changed.
This is, in fact, a basic principle of modern warfare, practiced by every military force since world war one. That's why the British bombed Dresden, why the US bombed Saigon and declared "free fire zones" in Viet Nam, and are currently conducting most military oprations in Iraq and Afghanistan from the air, a military tool which necesarily kills approximately ten civilians for every soldier or hostile fighter killed, and sometimes more.
He's an enemy, but also a patriot in his own terms, and it interferes with clear thinking to demonise him.
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Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
Democracy
Freeman Dyson once wrote that "the American constitution was written for crooks, while the British constitution was written for gentlemen. I prefer the American model, because crooks are rather more numerous than gentlemen." He had a point, but the USA is becoming more democratic over time, as "polling" overtakes "principle," and focus groups replace wisdom and maturity. We must expect a corresponding rise in hate and factionalism made into law.
Thomas Jefferson, often described as the "Father" of American Democracy, hated democracy, and took pains to set up the "American Experiment" as a Republic, precisely to limit the power of the "mob" to pass laws inimical to minorities. He once famously said, "A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine."
Every human society is filled with boisterous passions, inclinations to take unfair advantage of others, double-dealing, and group hate toward other other groups, to exalt one's own position in the world and lay all others low.
The business of good government is to prevent this, as much as possible, but a large enough mob can override any particular "right."
I daresay most religions are societies writ large, splayed out against the sky, or above it, as "infallible" and "divinely-ordained" mirrors of our own prejudice and hatred.
You pays your money and you takes your pick, as the old sideshow carnies used to say, and you can find a religion that makes any particular group out as being on the side of the angels. That's why the various flavours of witchcraft tend to be popular with women, the various warlike flavours of Christianity and Islam are popular with angry, hateful men (and some women -- hate is an equal-opportunity addiction), and even Buddhism has its rivalries and factions.
Puddin'
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When facism comes to America it will be
wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.
--- Sinclair Lewis
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Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
Fertile soil
Just had a look at the Mumbai massacres that are STILL going on. At least ten separate sites were hit by terrorists with AK-47's and grenades, and the terrorists were specifically looking for American and British. They have taken at least 40 hostages. It looks like a horrible mess in the making, possibly another Beslan. The situation is thought by some to be taking the measure of Obama, although India will really be dealing with it. At first glance, it seems to be either the usual suspects, a front group of Lakshar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani terrorist organization and affiliate of al-Qaida, which has been waging a low-level proxy war against India for some time, or possibly the Pakistani ISI, because of the unusual coordination this many terrorists would require (maybe both).
Hundreds dead so far and close to a thousand injured.
The FBI is also on alert from reports of possible terrorist attacks in NYC subways.
It is unknown at this time how many Christian terrorists were involved.
Aardvark
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
Mahatma Gandhi
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
Mahatma Gandhi
Socioeconomic factor is significant
The socioeconomic factor does come into it though. I sincerely believe that the Northern Ireland peace process was greatly enhanced by significant economic environment improvement in Northern Ireland. If you don't have economically disenfranchised nations or social groups (or where they are quite small) the great pool of angry young people disappears and they don't fall prey to the real crazies that misuse the religion and ethnicity for personal power trip. Hardly any of these "movements" have any real succession planning, that tells us a lot about the mind set of the top dog within them.