IN-YOUR-FACE POST-EASTER ARTICLE: MassResistance is a bit unhinged

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04/09/2007

by Jeremy Hooper

Those LGBT-unfriendly folks at MassResistance are today running this headline on their website:

Okay, so this may just seem par-for-the-nutty at to you; however this little bit of text actually contains several facets of the anti-gay establishment's misguidedness that we'd like to now outline:

First off: The Boston Globe piece they are headlining isn't even really about the process of transitioning or the details involved. The crux of the article is on the debate as to whether women's colleges should allow students who have female students who have transitioned to male. It is -- get this -- a NEWS story about an issue that is actually affecting lives of some of the Boston Globe's readership. No matter where you stand on trans issues, there is plenty you can glean from reading it! In fact, for those anti-gay groups (like MassResistance) who study Massachusetts LGBT community with a fine tooth comb, we would think they would be grateful to the Globe for giving them insight into the world that they decry. We know we are always grateful to read/see portraits of even our most frightening opposition, as we learn more about what we are up against.

Secondly: The idea that this article is out-of-line because it was printed on Easter Sunday speaks volumes about how our socially conservative, evangelical opposition views their faith. Never mind that they failed to acknowledge Passover -- the fact that they are presenting the idea that a secular press outlet should be editorially influenced by any religious holiday is absurd! Are those who came home from church and opened the Boston Globe more worthy of the Globe's focus than those who read the paper while at home watching "Meet The Press"?

Third: It's just silly to suggest that folks should stop their subscription to a paper because it is covering real lives with which they may not agree. We would understand why MassResistance would make such a suggestion if the piece quoted or portrayed evangelicals in an unfair light. While we tend to find social conservatives' claims of "liberal media bias" trumped up and generally baseless, at least when they protest an outlet on those grounds, they are presenting a worthwhile reason why one might want to seek a more trustworthy source. However, in this instance, they are merely suggesting that folks should abstain from reading simply because the Globe decided to do a little bit of journalism on a certain sect of the population and a certain issue that has arisen at some women's colleges (and on such a holy day, no less). This sort of unreasoned reaction is what makes their side look so narrow-minded about so many of life's realities!

Fourth: The article, despite what they want you to believe, is far from "in-your-face," "troubling," or graphic. Again, this is an organization for whom no bit of LGBT-related minutiae slips through the cracks. It's hard to believe that this truly benign discussion of trans issues gave these kids the vapors! It's far-more-likely that they know putting "CAUTION: blah, blah, blah, blah" under a link helps the unquestioning among their followers to just baselessly assume that those evil gays are up to no good once again.

Fifth: In what way is an article on trans issues "anti-religious"? It is so enragingly arrogant that our opposition feels they have the right to label anything dealing with LGBT Americans as going against God (even when it deals with gay Christians). An "anti-religious" message is this: