Middle-aged grump on transsexuality and its haters

Francis Sedgemore, by his own definition a middle-aged grump with a disdain for collectivist ideologies*, posted several articles on the subject. In chronological order (or time line as Facebook regulars know it), the first article is the definitive one, where you can trace the whole story:

On Suzanne Moore, gender identity and penis fixation

As a personal disclosure: being a practicing hetero wihout transsexual friends, I don't have an ax of my own to grind in the matter discussed. On the general level, any outburst of hate to a group, especially one that was (and still is) oppressed and maligned as much as transsexuals do, causes me not a small measure of disgust. And when terms like “trans cabal” are freely employed, it is guaranteed to transform the disgust into revulsion. But read the whole article, if you please.

Now the second item in the series:

Inciting hatred of transsexual and transgendered people is a criminal offence

The circle of haters widens, it seems, and to my growing surprise, women of a feminist streak are the main inciters. Of course, the main venue (the Guardian Media Group) is significant too, but of secondary importance, and anyway I prefer to leave it without comments to Francis.

The next one contains an element of surprise:

Inciting hatred of transgendered people in general terms is acceptable in law

Apparently expressing your hate of transgendered folks in general is OK, as long as you don't aim your hate at a specific person or group of such. Nah, I am not a lawyer, but that one sucks big time, I have to say.

And the last piece for dessert:

Burchillgate is no free-speech issue

In this respect I tend to lean more to the lighter view as expressed** by Terry Glavin in his Censored No More: Julie Burchill. Ms Burchill, being a equal opportunity kneebiter, is known to have a strong word for everyone and everything and is really more entertaining than serious. But of course, she went over the top professionally and with habitual grace.

Anyway, read the whole and weep. As a side lesson (for myself, at least), I see another confirmation to the lingering suspicion of mine: our political correctness is still a thin layer of veneer. Scratch it (like in case at hand) and the old prejudices and hatreds erupt in force.

Too bad.

P.S. And three posts by Zoe Brain, a real authority on the subject, to complete the picture:

The Observer Screws Up

They've got form

They've got form (Part II)


(*) Which make him a member of my karass, between other things and in spite of other things, no matter whether he wants it or not.
(**) Although I strongly protest his use of "defenestration". But I suspect he done it on purpose...