(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



They must hate rock 'n roll... [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-07-10

The current Republican Party has picked the group of Americans it wants to demonize in the hope that enough voters in the mushy middle will vote Republican in order to keep all of us -- especially "the children" -- safe from this social menace: transgender and non-binary people. This is a mean-spirited, cynical, ugly campaign of fear, intimidation, and hatred aimed at a group that is one of the most vulnerable communities in the US today. The kind of people a bully looks to target. Pretty par for the course in what has become of the GOP at this point.

I'm not going to repeat the many powerful arguments against transphobia or go over the many reasons why "protecting the children" is such utter nonsense. If people want to talk about protecting our children from actual menaces, I'm ready to talk -- about how many school kids' lives could be saved if we banned military assault weapons and closed loopholes that let people with severe mental illness or criminal histories access guns. I'm ready to talk about educating families and schools about bullying, including online bullying, and building support systems to interrupt and prevent those problems. I'm ready to talk about after school programs with proven successful track records for kids living in poverty, about nutrition and exercise and efforts we can make to build a healthier, less violent, and more mutually accepting society.

But according to the likes of DeSantis and a bunch of other new "family values" social warriors, apparently the great threat to the health and well-being of America's kids comes from -- wait for it -- people who don't conform to gender norms.

Which makes me ask: do the peddlers of fear of gender non-conforming Americans also hate rock 'n roll? I mean, they must, right? I mean, American rock 'n roll -- one of the greatest and most lucrative cultural exports any country has ever made to the rest of the world -- would not be the amazing thing it is without gender play and gender bending.

I mean, if gender bending and gender fluidity is wrong, it certaintly seems to be incredibly popular. And fun. And sexy. And thought-provoking. And profitable! And deeply part of the American and British rock scene. Lest we forget, one of the most badass all-male rock bands of all time bore the name…

If you’re supporting this whole anti-trans crusade, then I think you have a moral duty to stop singing along with “We Will Rock You” from here on out. No more “We Are the Champions” either. It’s all Bing Crosby for you here on out.

Let’s face it. Dudes with long, willowy hair and gals with short cropped cuts have animated our musical and pop cultural world for so long, and as far as most Americans have been concerned, it's been a ton of fun!

And here's the thing. It's not like rock 'n roll invented gender play. Here's a photo from the 1920s of some British navy men having fun, including several dressed in drag. Better not let any kids see this photo. They might ask interesting questions.

Far better to teach children to conform to authority and believe things that religion teaches them -- you know, like, in some cases, teaching children that they might go to hell and be tortured for all eternity, and that their friends who don't convert to their religion will face that violent horrific fate. That's a nice thing to teach a child.

Apparently we're supposed to be afraid of Americans who pursue their own happiness and in doing so may be different in ways not everyone understands. I suppose that means we should fear Americans like U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine, the first trans person ever to hold this position in government. Levine is pictured below with, going from right to left, Israel's Ambassador to the U.S., Michael Herzog, Israeli pop star and Eurovision winner Netta Barzilai, and Sharon Herzog, wife of the Ambassador (and incidentally, showing solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community through her choice of outfits). They gathered at the Israeli embassy in Washington DC for an annual Pride celebration.

Photo credit: Shmulik Almany, Embassy of Israel. Photo taken from a Pride celebration held at the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC on June 30, 2023.

So look... I am hoping that if you're reading this now, and you know somebody who is buying into this anti-trans garbage talk, that you'll consider maybe asking them to explain to you just why they apparently hate rock 'n roll. Which is kinda like hating apple pie, the American flag, and, you know, a little idea called personal liberty. Let freedom ring.

Note: A version of this story also appears on my blog, theaccidentalrabbi.substack.com.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/7/10/2180361/-They-must-hate-rock-n-roll

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/

You are viewing proxied material from magical.fish. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.