Figuring out the Left usually becomes an exercise in futility. They, who revel in identity politics, suddenly become exasperated when someone refers to its members as part of a group.
“We’re individuals!” they say. “We all don’t think alike, silly!”
But then they right turn around and act like a hive mind — again.
Out at the University of Oregon on Tuesday, Caitlyn Jenner and her publicist Alan Nierob made an appearance to discuss public relations. However, The Daily Emerald reports approximately 20 protesters (a commenter to the piece says there were more like 40) showed up to protest the transgender Olympic champion — because she “did not consult UO’s transgender community.”
In a Facebook post (which includes images of the signs at left), protest host Andrew Robbins complains that “the trans/gender diverse community was not consulted about this decision and we believe Jenner’s politics are harmful to all marginalized communities. This is a coalitional issue, and we are actively protesting this event.”
Suggested ways to help include “mak[ing] a sign and come to the event to express your views (about Jenner’s politics, the lack of transparency/consultation in hosting this event, or anything else you want to critique,” writing op-eds to counter the idea that Jenner’s appearance is “benign,” and “com[ing] to the venue and stand in visible dissent.”
That last one comes with a warning, however:
“Please be aware of your safety and mental health first and foremost – there may be Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists, White Supremacists, or police/campus security present.”
Indeed, considering their acronym the Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists could try claim the area as their very own!
Robbins […] said that although transgender people are becoming more visible and that the idea of gender diversity is becoming normalized, Jenner should not be the only representative of transgender people in the media.
“If Caitlyn Jenner is the only person people have reference to, then whose lives are being silenced?” …
Some students and community members wanted to take action in other ways than the organized protest before the event.
Avi Yocheved, a first-year UO student, and two other individuals who did not want to disclose their names, approached and spoke with attendees who were in line before the event started to inform them about resources for transgender people, such as Trans Lifeline, the TGI Justice Project and the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund. They were not part of the protest.
Yocheved — who uses they/them/theirs pronouns — said they wanted to use the publicity of the event to raise awareness for organizations that contribute to transgender who have fewer financial resources than Jenner. Yocheved works with the UO LGBT Education and Support Services department and brainstormed with their co-workers and classmates from their transgender studies course about actions they could take at the event.
“We already knew there were people protesting,” Yocheved said. “So we felt like we could do something more useful than adding ourselves to that.”
UO Ph.D. transgender student Bethany Grace Howe is responsible for inviting Jenner, and she noted she’s been in contact with both Jenner and Nierob since seeing the latter speak in a class a few years ago.
“So when I talk about Jenner,” Howe wrote in a blog post, “and when I host her on Tuesday, it is not a celebrity I see, but a friend I’m finally getting to show around my home.”
MORE: Transgender workshop teaches men how to sound feminine
MORE: The bizarre politics of single-sex transgender admission
IMAGE: Sam Felder/Flickr, Facebook
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