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Transgender Community Attacks John Barrowman Because He’s “Tranny-tastic”! – Video

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John Barrowman 2

 

Here we go again……

Self described “polysexual genderqueer transgender boi” blogger  Jude Orlando Enjolras has a bone to pick with openly gay actor and LGBT rights activist John Barrowman after he posted a video on OOPSIE where he uses the word “tranny”.and the fact that he had the unabashed gall to bring it up the whole situation at Fantasticon, Milwaukee.

In a nutshell.

Barrowman used the word “tranny” in a video he posted on the website WhoSay.

Enjolras in turn posted an open letter to Barrowman asking an apology.

I am a trans gay man. Your work means the world to me. I look up to you, and it breaks my heart that you would use this word. You are a gay icon people actually listen to. The words you choose to use have weight, and the potential to hurt.

“Tr*nny” is a slur. People shout it before beating up folks like me, or worse.

Some trans people may choose to reclaim “tr*nny,” for whatever reason. We are the ones oppressed by a system that uses such words to remind us we’re different, other, deviant. It is our prerogative and right. Our word. Not yours.

So John, please, don’t.

Don’t reinforce a culture that mocks us at best and kills us at worst. That’s exactly what you did last night. Intentions are sadly irrelevant – you hurt a lot of people who love and respect you, and were absolutely crushed that one of their heroes would use the same language as the people who make us fear for our lives.

I really, really hope this gets through to you; that you say sorry to my community, and mean it.

Well John Barrowman did indeed read Enjolras’ letter. And when asked a question at Milwaukee Fantasticon , JB was honest enough to  talk about it, explain what happened, and did not apologize.

This of course did not set well with Mr. Enjolras who wrote another column upset that John Barrowman did not fall on his knees and beg for forgiveness.

I honestly don’t think I could have made my points more politely, carefully, and respectfully. Not because I think politeness is in any way owed to someone using oppressive language – I am in fact a great believer in anger as a valid emotion and tool for social change. Yet I was polite. I bit my tongue, I swallowed the rage welling up inside me and burning against my eyelids. I gave Barrowman the benefit of the doubt because I truly believed he would listen and learn and everything would be sort of fine.

Or, you know, not.

As it turns out, my hope that this was all one big misunderstanding was just that – hope, and horrendously misplaced at that.

When I was asked if I wanted to write this article, my first thought was, of course not. This is a great big horrible mess, it’s making me sick to my stomach, I just want it all to go away.

Yet here we are, because as I said before: there is no such thing as a throwaway word. Doubly so if you’re a celebrity. Double that again if you are an LGBTQIA celebrity. Barrowman does not sing, act, speak in a vacuum.

Besides, he wasn’t just my role model. Most of the LGBTQIA folks I know are speculative fiction fans, too. We just love the possibilities for representation and escape offered by genre at its best. And we deserve a happier ending than this.

An apology to the transgender community would be a great start.

Watch the video below.  Does John Barrowman owe the transgender community and apology for using the word “tranny” as a term of endearment with fellow cast members?  Or is this just an over-reaction from a community that has far worse problems than persecuting a a gay icon who has worked diligently for our equality and who  thinks people are “Tranny-tastic.”

Your call.

 

RuPaul To Trans Activist: Lighten Up! “I Love The Word “Tranny!”…

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In an interview with Mike Signorile for SiriusXM OutQ and HuffPost Gay Voices RuPaul has become the voice of reason in an interview which I am sure is going to ruffle a few trans-activists feathers.

RuPaul talked about her reality show in which drag queens face off and weighed in on other matters, including the the latest trans controversies including the now canceled ABC sitcom, “Work It,” (canceled for low rating and that it was a piece of crap, not because of the “controversy”) in which two straight men dress in drag in order to get jobs and which has been criticized by GLAAD the HRC and  gay and transgender activists for mocking transgender women.  Even though it had absolutely NOTHING to do with any trans characters.  (Drag is the new blackface obviously to trans-activists) RuPaul is imploring the activists to calm down and :

 “Don’t take life so seriously… Everybody’s offended by something. And it really goes back to the ego — egoic mind and the ego-based world that we live in, where everybody is, their identify is everything. And this is what drag is about — you are not who you think are, you’re born naked, and the rest is drag. It’s all a facade — you’re much more than what you think you are. So this idea of people feeling they’re not being represented — I remember on [the ’70s sitcom] “Good Times,” when black activists got upset with the fact that J.J., the lead character, didn’t represent what young black men in our culture — in fact the two leads of the TV show quit the show because they felt J.J., the Jimmy Walker character, didn’t represent. Well, the truth is, kids, this is a sitcom, this is a comedy — sitcom. If you want representation, you do it yourself. It starts on a personal level. If you want to change the world, change your mind. Your mind. Not anyone else’s mind. Your mind.

And as for the word “tranny” becoming the new “n-word”  RuPaul weighed in like this:

It’s ridiculous! It’s ridiculous! Words — it goes back to grade school: Sticks and stones, you know the rest. The thing is you have to look at the ego, you have to follow the money, and the payoff. And the payoff is that the ego wants attention no matter what. It will try to get it wherever the hell it can, whether it’s positive or negative. So you have to ignore it basically — you have to starve it out. And unfortunately in our culture one person can write a letter to the network and they shut something down. It’s unfortunate. But I love the word “tranny.”

And no one has ever said the word “tranny” in a derogatory sense. In fact, you have to go to the intent of the person saying it. Of course Lance Bass, his intent would never be to be derogatory. Never. So, you know, that’s really ridiculous. And I hate the fact that he’s apologized. I wish he would have said, “F-you, you tranny jerk!”

In the ACT UP age we called ourselves queers because we earned the right, we took the word back. But in reality, once you go even deeper, you know, you have to come from intent. And black folks call themselves the n-word all the time. It’s because the intent is coming from a place of love. If the intent is coming from a place of hatred, that’s different. But you can’t legislate intent. You can’t — there’s no way to do it. So, the truth is, you have to fix that individually on a one by one basis. If somebody calls you a green martian, would you be offended by it? No, you wouldn’t be. Why? Because you know you’re not a green martian. But if you’re offended by someone calling you a “tranny,” it was only because you believe you are a “tranny!” [laughter.] So then, the solution is: Change your mind about yourself being a “tranny.”

And thats NOT all she wrote!

Head on over to HuffPo Gay Voices to read the entire RuPaul interview.  (The come back to Back2Stonewall.com of course and leave a comment!)