“There is currently an ongoing genocide against trans people in the United States. I am begging you to take this seriously, even if you’re going to joke about it. Especially if you’re going to joke about it, because humor is powerful and words have consequences.”
I agree… which is why I think this tweet is actually spot on. Sometimes it’s actually more important to say the n-word, hard r and all, because to soften it would be to soften the danger.
When we talk about the Holocaust, we don’t say Hitler “unalived people” or “put them to sleep.” We show them the pile of shoes. We describe the evil in detail, because that’s going to galvanize people.
That’s not the same thing as disrespecting trans people. It’s recognizing the danger and not coddling the people who are facing that danger. Yes, words hurt, but the kind of stuff Trump has in store for people like us will hurt a whole lot more than if you called me by my birth name. It doesn’t help anyone to sugarcoat it.
“There is currently an ongoing genocide against trans people in the United States. I am begging you to take this seriously, even if you’re going to joke about it. Especially if you’re going to joke about it, because humor is powerful and words have consequences.”
I agree… which is why I think this tweet is actually spot on. Sometimes it’s actually more important to say the n-word, hard r and all, because to soften it would be to soften the danger.
When we talk about the Holocaust, we don’t say Hitler “unalived people” or “put them to sleep.” We show them the pile of shoes. We describe the evil in detail, because that’s going to galvanize people.
That’s not the same thing as disrespecting trans people. It’s recognizing the danger and not coddling the people who are facing that danger. Yes, words hurt, but the kind of stuff Trump has in store for people like us will hurt a whole lot more than if you called me by my birth name. It doesn’t help anyone to sugarcoat it.