Gender and threats to "Normality" (spilit from "The challenges ahead")

[RoseMorninStar]

AMEN! Those who did this in our town DO homeschool their children yet they still meddle in everything punblic. They get on the school board. They get people fired from the library board. They are extremely politically active and attack, attack, attack anything other than their rigid young earth creationist views.

[Sunsilver]

The problem was one of the books she based the lesson on featured a young girl with two daddies and no mother. That would have been the sticking point with the Moms for Liberty.

[Inanna]

I rarely agree with anything as wholeheartedly as I agree with this.

That was AWESOME.

[Sunsilver]

The broadcaster's comment to the guy that tries to bring religion into it is much less polite than 'can it'!
It's more along the lines of 'Shut your pie hole'. 'Gueule' means 'muzzle' in French, and saying 'tu' instead of 'vous' makes it even more impolite.

[N.E. Brigand]

New York Times: "How a Few Stories of Regret Fuel the Push to Restrict Gender Transition Care. In the campaign to ban gender therapies for minors, Republicans have amplified a group of activists who no longer identify as transgender, overriding objections from transgender people and medical experts."

[Voronwë the Faithful]

It’s important to make a commitment to each other to guard our speaking, to practice restraint so we don’t create harm. Means and ends go together; we don’t just “speak the truth” (which is only our perception of the truth) without responsibility for the consequences. Bald, direct, unskillful, so-called truths may be violent in their effect, and they can damage trust.

Hanh, Thich Nhat. Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet (p. 265).

[N.E. Brigand]

A judge yesterday required a transgender girl to wear pants rather than a dress under her commencement robe if she wished to attend her high school graduation. She had worn traditionally feminine attire throughout her four years in high school. So she didn't attend the ceremony.

Around this time in my my high school junior year in 1989, our band director, noting that the year earlier some attendees at the annual band banquet had dressed rather slovenly, required that everyone wear either a dress shirt and pants or a nice dress or blouse and skirt for the upcoming event. Noticing a lack of precision in the director's phrasing, the two boys who were the band's president and vice president that year both wore skirts to the event. There were some jokes and laughs, but as far as I can tell it was only our director who was mortified because the band president (who didn't know this in advance) was to receive an award in person from a representative of the U.S. Marines.

So for the banquet near the end of my senior year, the director made the dress requirements gender specific. Now I realize what didn't then: doing so possibly violated civil rights law.

[N.E. Brigand]

Do say gay: a "federal grand jury has returned a six-count indictment [for wire fraud and money laundering of Covid relief funds] against Florida lawmaker Joseph B. Harding, who sponsored the state's 'Don't Say Gay' bill."

Harding later pleaded guilty and today was sentenced to four months in prison.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I think I'll put this here even though I'm not sure it totally fits. There was an interesting case reported from California this morning that I would be curious to see people's opinions about. Here is the summary:

Wood v. Super. Ct.

Docket: A168463(First Appellate District)

Opinion Date: March 14, 2024

Judge: Richman

Areas of Law: Civil Procedure, Civil Rights

Samantha Wood, a resident of California, filed a petition to legally change her name to Candi Bimbo Doll, a name she had been using for over a decade. There was no opposition to her petition and no hearing was held. However, the trial judge denied her petition, citing a California case, a law review article, and a TikTok trend. The court asserted that no person has a statutory right to officially change their name to a term that is universally recognized as offensive.

Wood appealed the decision. The Court of Appeal of the State of California First Appellate District examined previous case law and found that a change of name may only be denied when there is a 'substantial reason.' In this case, the court ruled that the term 'Bimbo,' while historically derogatory, is not universally recognized as offensive. The court also noted that the term is being reclaimed in a positive way through social media trends, such as on TikTok.

The court found that the trial judge had not provided a substantial reason to deny the name change and had not properly exercised discretion according to the legal principles of the subject. Therefore, the Court of Appeal reversed the trial court's decision and remanded the case to the trial court to grant the name change.

Thoughts?

[Frelga]

If she self-identifies as a bimbo (a dumb, sexy, and probably promiscuous female), that's her business. I don't see why she can't have that name.

In the course of business, I see a lot of names, and some of them are... a lot, so Bimbo as a name doesn't phase me.

[Impenitent]

Voronwë, I have ambivalent feelings about it.
On the con side - and the reason the relevant laws exist - society would be a hostile place indeed if hate speech were allowed to dress itself in official clothing.
For the pro argument, we'd have loud red flags telling us who needs to be avoided - or at least, who needs to be approached with due caution.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Thanks Frelga and Impy.

[RoseMorninStar]

Personally I feel one way (it's absurd) but legally? That's more difficult. I don't profess to know much about the law, but I suppose an adult should be free to have the name of their choice. I'd feel more strongly if it were a parent giving such a name to a child. I recall a case a while back of parents giving their children Nazi/'Aryan' names like Hilter. That feels more sinister.

Working in insurance I saw a lot of odd names. I worked with someone whose real name was Candy Kane, so I suppose Bimbo could use Candi Doll and most people wouldn't bat an eye. Hubby worked with someone named Chris Kringle. We ensured a family who had 12 children and all the girls were named Mary & all of the boys were named Joseph.

edited to add: I like the way you write/phrase things Impy.