Some on the Left are certainly keen on using the promotion of transgenderism as political currency. But is the question of whether men and women are different really a left/right issue?
There are, without a doubt, many, many Democrats who acknowledge physical distinctions between the sexes.
So call it conservative persecution if you want, but it seems to me much broader: On Thursday, Twitter locked out Heritage Foundation Media Director Greg Scott for a tweet about dudes competing in chicks’ sports.
Greg was notified that his post violated the social media platform’s rules against “hateful conduct.”
Result = suspension.
He was commenting on the case of gigantic-armed JayCee Cooper (see the photo above), a man recently told he couldn’t compete as a powerlifter against girls because…well, you know.
The 31-year-old athlete really wanted to do it, as told to NBC News:
“In a world that wants to take away our power and strength, powerlifting is a way to gain that strength back and feel powerful and feel ownership of our own lives. It helps us find strength within ourselves and helps us find strength within our bodies.”
Is proving you’re stronger than people who are far, far weaker than you really an effective way to feel powerful?
Dr. Kristopher Hunt, chair of USA Powerlifting’s medical review committee, explained things to JayCee in an email exchange:
“Male-to-female transgenders are not allowed to compete as females in our static strength sport as it is a direct competitive advantage. … The fact that transgender male to female individuals having gone through male puberty confer an unfair competitive advantage over non-transgender females.”
Organizational President Larry Maile laid it out this way:
“It’s an issue that we have to consider dispassionately and make our best judgment collectively about what the impact on fair play is for us, and that’s the basis on which we’ve proceeded. … [Powerlifting] is really unique, because we’re a high-strength and low technique sport…”
But for JayCee, it’s about feeling:
“The barbell, for me, has been a very empowering way to be in my body — which is politicized every waking second, connect with it — and feel like I’m achieving something. … It’s a very almost spiritual feeling in the sense that I’m carrying all of this trauma with me, and I’m literally focusing all of that into the barbell. In that moment, I get to control what’s going on.”
And fairness is the name of the game:
“[I]t’s not fair to genetically eliminate an entire group of people.”
The NBC story was titled “Stuck on the Sidelines: A Transgender Powerlifter Fights for the Right to Compete.”
Back to Twitter, here’s Greg Scott’s “hateful conduct”:
https://twitter.com/SohrabAhmari/status/1129145041413398528
Interesting timing. Less than a week ago, Twitter apologized to psychologist Ray Blanchard for flagging his account in the aftermath of labeling transgenderism a mental disorder:
The unrolled "Credo" thread that got me locked out and then unlocked in 24 hours. https://t.co/kzwcy9mae7
— Ray Blanchard (@BlanchardPhD) May 13, 2019
Twitter has unlocked my account and graciously apologized for their error. My sincere thanks to the people who expressed their concern during the past 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/fblijhdi5k
— Ray Blanchard (@BlanchardPhD) May 13, 2019
Wonder if they’ll say Sorry to Greg.
As for JayCee Cooper, he isn’t alone — Mary Gregory’s in the same boat (here), having recently been stripped of several world records. But others are takin’ toxic masculinity and whippin’ the stew out of women (here).
We’ve reached a very strange point when people are fighting over what their eyes and common sense tell them; and Twitter’s claim of “hate” smells of fish. But that could just be my earlier article — about something related and quite stunning — here.
In the meantime, if you’re jonesin’ to post something on social media suggesting Jack and Jill ain’t the same, oh be careful little hands what you tweet. Otherwise, you could end up like the assumed proof of JayCee’s reality below the waist: you could get suspended.
[For more about JayCee, enjoy the video below. But beware: LANGUAGE.]
-ALEX
Relevant RedState links in this article: here, here, and here.
See 3 more pieces from me:
Lesbian Couple Identifying As Straight Couple Prepares To Transition 5-Yr-Old Son Into A Daughter
SHOCKING VIDEO: Encino, Texas Cop Bodycam Captures Jaw-Dropping Surprise For Law Enforcement
Find all my RedState work here.
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