Been a Bad Week in T-ville

[Bionca]

A few guys have asked me to post things that are affecting trans* women in a effort to get more actual real-world support for things that happen to gals like us. This past week as been pretty bad (not the worst by a long shot, but still pretty bad).

#1

KRXQ 98.5 FM Sacramento's Rob, Arnie, & Dawn in the Morning radio talk show makes for a sickening half-hour of ugliness and cruelty.

The male hosts on a Sacramento morning show on May 28 made the following remarks while discussing trans kids:

Williams and States took turns referring to gender dysphoric children as "idiots" and "freaks," who were just out "for attention" and had "a mental disorder that just needs to somehow be gotten out of them," either by verbal abuse on the part of the parents, or even shock therapy.

"Allowing transgenders to exist, pretty soon it becomes normal to fall in love with the animals," they said.

For his part, States bragged that if his own son were to ever dare put on a pair of high heels, States would beat his son with one of his own shoes. He urged parents whose own little boys expressed a desire to wear a dress to verbally abuse and degrade them as a viable response. "Because you know what? Boys don't wear high heel shoes. And in my house, they definitely don't wear high heels.

"I'm going to go, 'You know what? You're a little idiot! You little dumbass!'" States sneered, adding later, "I look forward to when [the transgender children] go out into society and society beats them down. And they wind up in therapy."

Or dead.

In light of the well-publicized suicides this year of the two boys who took their own lives because of bullying and harassment for "acting gay" (which, in the argot of modern North American teenagers, often refers to acting in a way considered unmasculine by their peers) the stunning lack of moral sensibility on the part of States and Williams is breathtaking. But it also points to the increasingly degraded landscape of talk radio.

[Bionca]

Sorry - hit the post button to soon.

The post above was taken from the Huffington Post, and has been making the rounds to various blogs. The hosts made a non-apology - "sorry you overly sensitive people didn't get our joke" and "We like kids and would never actually want anyone to hurt them" ... except when they advocated hurting them. Also, the ever popular "Yer trying to censor my free speech - and being mean too!"

I'm all about free speech - but even "joking" about abusing children crosses a line. Joking a bout abusing a group of children that are more likely to commit suicide, be thrown out of their family homes, and endure peer harassment is so far over the line.

the following is a list of their sponsors - I'm sure you know what to do:

The list of 98 Rock's advertisers:

Snapple - http://www.drpeppersnapplegroup.com/consumer-relations/

Sonic - http://www.sonicdrivein.com/business/contactUs.jsp

Griffin & Reed Eyecare - http://www.lasikworld.com/contact.html

Chipotle (kudos to these guys!) - http://www.chipotle.com/#flash/
speak_comment

Carl's Jr. - http://www.carlsjr.com/contact/

Albertson's - http://www.supervalu.com/sv-webapp/contact/contact.jsp

Nissan - http://www.nissanusa.com/apps/contactus

Wells Fargo - http://www.wellsfargo.com/

Red Bull - http://www.redbullusa.com/#page=CompanyPage.Contact

Roseville Auto Mall - http://www.rosevilleautomall.com/index.cfm

Bank of America - http://www.bankofamerica.com
(also see contact information at the bottom of the HRC page for BofA,
under Employee Resource Groups: http://www.hrc.org/issues/workplace/...rch_type=Quick
)

[Bionca]

This makes 5 in Memphis is the past 3 years (four within the past 2). The total number of murdered Trans* women in the US this year is 17 - and we are only half way through.

Venezuela has had a rash of Trans* sex workers murdered this past month (20) - all found with their money and phones, so robbery has been ruled out. As in many places, trans* sex workers in Venezuela work in a specific area (s). On one hand it makes it easier to connect with guys looking for them, but it also makes them easy targets. The authorities don't seem vary pressed about solving any of the murders.

[tslust]

Originally Posted by Bionca

KRXQ 98.5 FM Sacramento's Rob, Arnie, & Dawn in the Morning radio talk show makes for a sickening half-hour of ugliness and cruelty.

The male hosts on a Sacramento morning show on May 28 made the following remarks while discussing trans kids:

Williams and States took turns referring to gender dysphoric children as "idiots" and "freaks," who were just out "for attention" and had "a mental disorder that just needs to somehow be gotten out of them," either by verbal abuse on the part of the parents, or even shock therapy.

"Allowing transgenders to exist, pretty soon it becomes normal to fall in love with the animals," they said.

For his part, States bragged that if his own son were to ever dare put on a pair of high heels, States would beat his son with one of his own shoes. He urged parents whose own little boys expressed a desire to wear a dress to verbally abuse and degrade them as a viable response. "Because you know what? Boys don't wear high heel shoes. And in my house, they definitely don't wear high heels.

"I'm going to go, 'You know what? You're a little idiot! You little dumbass!'" States sneered, adding later, "I look forward to when [the transgender children] go out into society and society beats them down. And they wind up in therapy."

Or dead.

In light of the well-publicized suicides this year of the two boys who took their own lives because of bullying and harassment for "acting gay" (which, in the argot of modern North American teenagers, often refers to acting in a way considered unmasculine by their peers) the stunning lack of moral sensibility on the part of States and Williams is breathtaking. But it also points to the increasingly degraded landscape of talk radio.

My first reaction is, ouch those comments hurt. "...fall in love with animals" Gee thanks, I guess that anyone who doesn't fit into their premade templates of society isn't worthy to be called a person. These are giving an open endorsement for people to beat (possibly to death) any kids who aren't "normal". Of coarse, following in the footsteps of other bigots of history, its far easier to carry out such actions if you dehumanize your targets. I bet these worship Hitler and they probably belong to the KKK as well.
On the plus side that radio station has lost a lot of money over those hurtful comments.

[ARIES666]

Is this what they call "shock" radio? I don't really listen to any of our local stations here in Toronto (no decent music), but I would assume that the kind of "drivel" that was being broadcast on your local station would not be allowed here. Actually, my station of choice is the NPR affiliate in Buffalo, NY.

Well Bionca, I hope these horrible things you are mentioning in your posts are not occuring here. There is prejudice, homophobia, sexism, intolerance, etc of course to a certain degree, but I hope they keep it to themselves and I hope they are in the minority (and in the suburbs..stay away from downtown!).

"He that cannot bear with other People's Passions, cannot govern his own." (Benjamin Franklin, 1747)

[tslust]

Originally Posted by ARIES666

Is this what they call "shock" radio? I don't really listen to any of our local stations here in Toronto (no decent music), but I would assume that the kind of "drivel" that was being broadcast on your local station would not be allowed here. Actually, my station of choice is the NPR affiliate in Buffalo, NY.

Well Bionca, I hope these horrible things you are mentioning in your posts are not occuring here. There is prejudice, homophobia, sexism, intolerance, etc of course to a certain degree, but I hope they keep it to themselves and I hope they are in the minority (and in the suburbs..stay away from downtown!).

"He that cannot bear with other People's Passions, cannot govern his own." (Benjamin Franklin, 1747)

Well I don't know about Canada, but those horrible things do happen here(in the US). While my initial thought was oh well its just some radio stunt just trying to get more listeners and publicity. That still doesn't excuse their comments.

[ARIES666]

If this morning radio show was a "comedy-themed" program, it still shows how skillfull the really good comedians/talk show hosts are. I watch Craig Ferguson and Chelsea Lately semi-regularly and they don't come across as mean...more like silly and mischevious. They poke fun at all strata of society but they walk the other side of the line. The guys on Bionca's radio station seem to walk on the other.

[darkstargemini]

Originally Posted by Bionca

A few guys have asked me to post things that are affecting trans* women in a effort to get more actual real-world support for things that happen to gals like us. This past week as been pretty bad (not the worst by a long shot, but still pretty bad).

#1

KRXQ 98.5 FM Sacramento's Rob, Arnie, & Dawn in the Morning radio talk show makes for a sickening half-hour of ugliness and cruelty.

The male hosts on a Sacramento morning show on May 28 made the following remarks while discussing trans kids:

Williams and States took turns referring to gender dysphoric children as "idiots" and "freaks," who were just out "for attention" and had "a mental disorder that just needs to somehow be gotten out of them," either by verbal abuse on the part of the parents, or even shock therapy.

"Allowing transgenders to exist, pretty soon it becomes normal to fall in love with the animals," they said.

For his part, States bragged that if his own son were to ever dare put on a pair of high heels, States would beat his son with one of his own shoes. He urged parents whose own little boys expressed a desire to wear a dress to verbally abuse and degrade them as a viable response. "Because you know what? Boys don't wear high heel shoes. And in my house, they definitely don't wear high heels.

"I'm going to go, 'You know what? You're a little idiot! You little dumbass!'" States sneered, adding later, "I look forward to when [the transgender children] go out into society and society beats them down. And they wind up in therapy."

Or dead.

In light of the well-publicized suicides this year of the two boys who took their own lives because of bullying and harassment for "acting gay" (which, in the argot of modern North American teenagers, often refers to acting in a way considered unmasculine by their peers) the stunning lack of moral sensibility on the part of States and Williams is breathtaking. But it also points to the increasingly degraded landscape of talk radio.

> strange but true they call this not normal what is normal anyway that,s what i,ve been trying to tell people here but no one gets the reality of it they think it,s a game like gay bashing stand outside a gay club wait until someone comes out and beat them to death this is as the world see,s people

[randolph]

We need a little chuckle.

[Jenae LaTorque]

I had this cartoon for years after snipping it out of a mag, Playboy?

However I lost it and am so happy you made it possible to have it again.

[sesame]

Originally Posted by Bionca

"Allowing transgenders to exist, pretty soon it becomes normal to fall in love with the animals," they said..

Wow, that means Tgirls are animals, or nearly so, somehow... subhuman. And sleeping with a Tgirl is beastiality! That is really sick. This line of thought is worse than apartheid. He needs immediate psychiatric attention. Allowing such a person to express his morbid opinion via radio is like allowing plague virus to go airborne and infect a multitude.

[TheSkronkDonkey]

I've been thinking about this post and I'm no closer to a rational response. Even if the commentators were kidding, they would still be guilty of gross negligent ignorance, if I can label it as such -- and if it can rightly be "labeled" at all.

I'd like to think it's a well-shared perception (and fact) that radio commentators (and virtually all media commentators in general), and those who frequently pay them heed, have the intellectual awareness of a bean sprout, but I doubt that that is true. Even when people say they don't, they really do take many of them seriously. Moreover ...

Even in, in fact, especially in, the 21st Century, when we have the potential, owed to our combination of technology and wealth, giving most people in the developed world lives of luxury that the bourgeois of even half a century ago couldn't have even dreamed of, to connect with the world around us and educate ourselves beyond the crudities of a high school inculcation of politically acceptable "facts", we seem more ignorant, more sheltered, more phobic, less developed, less aware, less enlightened than ever. The disparity between what we could learn and what we do learn is alarmingly profound.

I'm a bleeding heart liberal, as, I'm sure, Bionca is, and yet, this "humour" (if it was even intended as such to begin with) is toxic and putrid in the extreme. Some things truly are a violation of the sanctity of freedom of expression. If I could give these DJs a plaudit for anything, it would be for their remarkable concision; they managed to mix disgusting ignorance with abject hatred and a call to violence, along with vile, odious untruths, in a handful of sentences. That takes some doing.

[sesame]

Originally Posted by TheSkronkDonkey

educate ourselves beyond the crudities of a high school inculcation

:D That was something to ponder. Truely, we dont need to go to the library or buy a pile of books to get enlightened anymore. One can just open the TV, sit back and relax. Channels like Discovery, NatGeo, Animal planet and what not, are feeding gobs of valuable information around the clock for free! And theres this internet! Hundreds of thousands of pages on any subject, plus audio visual education! And yet, we have not improved much! We are still sitting in square one. Our minds are not getting enlightened, our views are as narrow as the medieval ages! People are such morons that they just swallow what the TV and radio broadcast, without judging the value of the content. Most people base their opinions on what is being fed to them by the media. And this is dangerous. So if we broadcast filth over the media, theres bound to be contamination in the society.

Is there any way to enforce some morality into the speakers?
Is there no law against broadcasting scornful language, hateful opinion, racism in any form?

[TheSkronkDonkey]

Originally Posted by sesame

:D That was something to ponder.

Thanks. I can't really say it was intended to be, but my wording was certainly deliberate, for one effect or another.

Truely, we dont need to go to the library or buy a pile of books to get enlightened anymore.

Erm ... yes, we do. Books and libraries are still the two most important repositories of knowledge on the planet.

One can just open the TV, sit back and relax.

I'll pretend I didn't just read that. TV ... sit back ... RELAX??!! Learning is not a "relaxed" pursuit. TV stultifies and stupefies the mind.

Channels like Discovery, NatGeo, Animal planet and what not, are feeding gobs of valuable information around the clock for free!

That is true, and audio-visual information can sometimes be valuable, if not essential, but TV is still TV.

And theres this internet!

That's more what I was alluding to. With the Internet, you actually have specialist websites, discussion forums, torrents, YouTube and other file and video-sharing sites, plus outlets to buy/order books and other critical data items. Further, all of this actually requires some effort, which is the opposite of TV.

We are still sitting in square one. Our minds are not getting enlightened, our views are as narrow as the medieval ages!

I wouldn't say that our views are as narrow; much of our thinking and behaviour *is*, however. In fact, we've been operating under the same psychological impulses for thousands of years.

People are such morons that they just swallow what the TV and radio broadcast, without judging the value of the content. Most people base their opinions on what is being fed to them by the media.

I think you're correct, with this.

And this is dangerous.

VERY.

So if we broadcast filth over the media, theres bound to be contamination in the society.

It's not just "filth". Even well-intentioned items can be riddled with errors and misinformation. The problem is an inability and/or unwillingness to apply oneself and to question, explore and learn.

Is there any way to enforce some morality into the speakers?
Is there no law against broadcasting scornful language, hateful opinion, racism in any form?

It depends on the country.

Enforcing them against hate speech can also be difficult, for a number of reasons. And ...

Morality cannot be "enforced"; it must be learned.

In fact, anything of worth can only be attained with time and effort.

[sesame]

Originally Posted by TheSkronkDonkey

If I could give these DJs a plaudit for anything, it would be for their remarkable concision; they managed to mix disgusting ignorance with abject hatred and a call to violence, along with vile, odious untruths, in a handful of sentences. That takes some doing.

• When we hear truth, we feel uncomfortable, because its so hard to swallow. But we somehow respect the honesty.
• When we hear a blatant lie, we know it right away. Because it stinks.
• Things get complicated when we get a mixture of the above in all proportions. We tend to accept it. And thats usually what happens all around us, all the time.

By the way, Shronky, you obviously meant to say RJ, not DJ.
RJ= Radio Jockey, those who blabber over the radio.
DJ= Disc Jockey, those who work in night clubs and dance floors and manage to concoct a cocktail of music.

[ila]

Originally Posted by sesame

:D That was something to ponder. Truely, we dont need to go to the library or buy a pile of books to get enlightened anymore. One can just open the TV, sit back and relax. Channels like Discovery, NatGeo, Animal planet and what not, are feeding gobs of valuable information around the clock for free! And theres this internet! Hundreds of thousands of pages on any subject, plus audio visual education! And yet, we have not improved much! We are still sitting in square one. Our minds are not getting enlightened, our views are as narrow as the medieval ages! People are such morons that they just swallow what the TV and radio broadcast, without judging the value of the content. Most people base their opinions on what is being fed to them by the media. And this is dangerous. So if we broadcast filth over the media, theres bound to be contamination in the society.

Is there any way to enforce some morality into the speakers?
Is there no law against broadcasting scornful language, hateful opinion, racism in any form?

Okay, what did you do with the real Sesame. Sesame wouldn't make the spelling and grammar mistakes that are in this post.:D

[sesame]

ILA I missed your classes on English and Shakespeare for the last two weeks, baby. Thats why I have digressed. May I be allowed some special tuitions then?

How are you doing, old pal?

Change your avatar back to Amy or something. Dont be that fat polar bear anymore. You look like Papa Bear. (pun intended)

[TheSkronkDonkey]

Originally Posted by sesame

• When we hear truth, we feel uncomfortable, because its so hard to swallow. But we somehow respect the honesty.
• When we hear a blatant lie, we know it right away. Because it stinks.
• Things get complicated when we get a mixture of the above in all proportions. We tend to accept it. And thats usually what happens all around us, all the time.

Those are platitudes. Honesty is not always respected. We don't always know blatant lies and not all blatant lies stink. We tend to pick and choose what to accept and what not. In my opinion.

Originally Posted by sesame

By the way, Shronky, you obviously meant to say RJ, not DJ.
RJ= Radio Jockey, those who blabber over the radio.
DJ= Disc Jockey, those who work in night clubs and dance floors and manage to concoct a cocktail of music.

Shronky?

You got me there, sheshame.

Hey, that's just given me an idea.

What would Sean Connery sound like if he had to say "sesame seed"? I'd like to hear it.

Seriously, thanks for the correction.


* * *


I feel we need to try and keep the focus on the original thread topic.

I did some Google-ing and it turns out that even more nasty stuff was said.

From excerpts on this page: http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/u/Ma...ed-at-Children ...

"I have every right to call you a freak and judge you on that. It makes me sick. 'Mommy, I'm a girl trapped in a boy's body,'" he simpered, mimicking an effeminate little boy. "I want to wear a dwess."

[After another co-host Dawn Rossi spoke, "horrified by the rising crescendo of ugliness towards the children and their parents from States and Williams] "You're actually defending allowing people to become freaks?" they seethed. "A boy who wants to wear a dress is a freak. A nut."

"If the kid ever gets to be eighteen," States snarled, "and says 'I still feel like a woman!' you say, 'Get out! Go be a freak! And understand, SON, that society will never accept you because we still have some moral judgment."

[Bionca]

I totally forgot I posted this. I have to be fair about the radio hosts. They did the right thing eventually. After a failed "sorry you got offended" non-apology, their listeners expressed displeasure and with some serious advocating from GLADD and various trans people some of the station's larger sponsors threatened to pull their ads (Chipoltle and Snapple, and I think Bank of America).

With this pressure the hosts apologized and stopped their show for a week. Then they invited a local Trans woman and the moother of a trans child to talk for the whole segment. They discussed the problematic comments, had callers, and generally did some good education.

I think the hosts and station did the right thing. They fucked up, they missed their first chance to apologize - this happens. The shining moment was after realizing what happened and that real actual people were hurt and offended they made amends. It isn't that they made ignorant comments, it is that they took their mistake as a chance to learn and educate others.

We all start not getting some issues (sexism, homophobia, racism, anti-trans bias whatever). It's how we handle ourselves when we learn that our prejudices and opinions are challenged. The hosts and station did that.

[Bionca]

mwah Sesame - been awhile

[sesame]

Yeah, a really Looooong painful while.
But dont worry Sweetie, you can make the pain go away in a flash. Just continue to mwaah me with ravishing kisses.

[johndowe]

Hi there.

I see that ignorance and stupidiy is alive and discustingly well in Sacremento, and after banter like that you don't have to wonder why there is so much gay and tg bashing, these 2 or 3 (what did the girl say) should be arrested and charged with: hate mongering and inciting violence, i don't know what is more unbelievable, that these morons are on the air, that someone hired them to go on the air, or that some people actually listen and agree with them.

JohnDowe.

[johndowe]

Hi there.

Reread the posts and saw that they "fixed" their mistake, but did the host that made the coments learn anything, or did they focus their banter on some one or something else?

JohnDowe.