Representative Floyd and his Factory Equipment

This, Rep. Floyd, is factory equipment.

In spite of having work up to my eyeballs, I am burning with an anger that I just have to share.  Tennessee Representative Richard Floyd not only threatened violence against transgender people, but also defines gender, it would appear, as having "all the factory equipment."  (See the vid posted by the Transgender Law Center, along with their post.  Warning: it's highly offensive).  This reminds me of a piece I wrote a while back, about Herman Cain's homophobia, in which I asked Jennifer Strong, a Boston therapist who welcomes LGBTQ clients, about why homophobes so often focus on genitalia when expressing their loathing.  Here is an excerpt from the full Boston Magazine post:

"[Jennifer Strong] explained that a focus on genitalia allows people to ignore all the other aspects of a given relationship, especially those that might be familiar. “It’s much easier to deny someone rights,” says Strong, “when we think of them as being ‘other.'"

She adds that there’s a lot of “gender panic” in our society, with people fearing they won’t meet assumptions that men should be unlike women, who are often viewed as inferior on multiple levels. A result, Strong says, is that homophobia directed at men can be particularly virulent. And transgender individuals are targeted too: “Trans people, by definition, upset the heterosexist gender binaries,” says Strong. This, I note, is one of the many reasons I love the trans community so much — being trans is all about being yourself."

Needless to say, I am shocked at Floyd's lack of respect, love, and humanity, not to mention his aggression.

People who view difference as dangerous, are dangerous.

And why, oh why, should we have to spell that out?