“Pope Francis said being gay was not a crime, but still a sin… I have nothing in particular against this pope, who seems like an improvement over other popes. Still, he’s hardly leading the charge for GLBT civil rights…”
THE REST OF THE STORY
Recent headlines in conservative media trumpeted the story of a 17-year-old girl who encountered a “naked man” in the women’s locker room at a San Diego-area YMCA, forcing her to hide in fear. The strong implication was that the individual exposed her to male genitalia, and the crowd went wild! Staff at the Y explained that transwomen were welcome in the facility and that the girl was “in no danger,” but the girl told a Santee city council meeting that she “was made to feel as though I had done something wrong.” After that, she made it to the Tucker Carlson show, and an anti-trans protest was organized at the gym. Some 50 counter-protesters joined the party, singing the Village Men classic that we all know and love.
Fast forward to the facts of the matter and we learned that the transwoman in question was 60-something Christynne Wood, who surgically transitioned long ago and participates in a regular swim group.
“I did my water aerobics workout as I always do” she told the press. “I went in with the rest of my aqua sisters. We showered, I dried off, I dressed, I hugged my instructor. I hugged other women and said to all of you: I love you so much. See you next year, and I took off for Palm Springs to visit a friend. That’s it.” Wood said she never saw the hysterical teen, and was stunned to learn that she was the catalyst for a major hoo hah in the news. “I don’t know what’s in the mind of that child,” she told the local paper.
I reread the initial coverage, and it’s true that none of the stories specified that an actual dick was swinging around the lockers. Still, even I was left with the surprising impression that a pre-operative transwoman was naked in the public space, surprising because this is not something that anyone does. Damn, I thought. We have enough problems with the bathroom issue without this. Use a changing room! Luckily for me I’m paid to look at these incidents a little more closely, but how many others cruised through those stories without checking further?
And given that right-wing local politicians are still discussing the debunked stories of kids who identify as cats and need litter boxes at schools, how many distorted versions of this scenario are going to be splattered around like gas on a fire in months to come? According to the New York Times, we have already seen 150 anti-trans bills proposed in 25 states this year alone, which I remind you, is only one-month old. Last year set records, so we’re in for really tough times.
FORGIVE ME, FATHER
A Catholic friend of mine called recently to exult that Pope Francis decided being gay was not a sin, which is actually not true. He said being gay was not a crime, which is nice of him I suppose, although criminal law is not exactly his bailiwick. Meanwhile, he made clear that being gay remains a sin, so no change there.
I have nothing in particular against Pope Francis, who seems like an improvement over other popes. Still, he’s hardly leading the charge for GLBT civil rights, and indeed, it’s the Catholic charity and hospital groups that represent most of the plaintiffs arguing for the “religious freedom” to reject gay foster parents, transgender surgery patients and other efforts by our community to avail ourselves of their ostensibly public services.
It’s not really my place to question someone else’s faith, but just keep it to yourself Catholic people. Actually, while we’re on the subject, I think it’s not inappropriate for me to repeat my signature four-part Catholic limerick from the Bush Two-era, which goes as follows:
Said the priest, it’s a terrible waste
To force all of us here to be chaste.
God gave us desires,
He invented boys’ choirs,
And He taught us His Catholic taste.
Said another, I’m of the same mind
And there’s a boy in a bit of a bind.
Still tied to the altar
In the bishop’s best halter
And we should leave no child behind.
Said the rest, we’ll release him en masse,
But we have to watch out for the brass.
The boss doesn’t miss-a-trick,
After all, it’s his Bishopric,
And he can be a pain in the ass.
Said the bishop, I’ve heard all the noise
And I see you’ve been into my toys.
You’ve used all the lube
So we’ll need a new tube
To separate the men from the boys.
GOOD NEWS FROM ACROSS THE POND
What else is new, you ask? The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that members of the Council of Europe must recognize same-sex marriages, a ruling that some are calling a “landmark.” Founded in 1949 as a legal union, the Council of Europe is not the same as the EU. But 46 countries are members, including 16 that do not believe in marriage equality. I’m not clear on how the top constitutional court enforces its decisions, but I guess we’ll find out if we keep an eye on Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey and Ukraine.
The EU, in turn, includes 27 countries and has its own charter, courts, parliament and God knows how many acronyms and agencies that I can’t fathom without the kind of diligent study that I find myself ill-suited to pursue. Every now and then I’ll announce some grand development from somewhere, Brussels, The Hague, Strasbourg, Lichtenstein, or that principality on Netflix where the young king married a publishing intern from New York. Yet there are always various countries that operate in the civil rights dark ages without penalty. Why? Again, diligent study is required so I remain at an impasse. n
