Right-wing media attempting to pass far-right conservative author as expert on trans athletes

 

Cynthia Millen is the latest far-right activist attempting to make a name for herself by attacking transgender athletes

As I have noted on many occasions, when the right-wing media talks about trans issues, they rarely include trans people or medical professionals who have experience with trans health issues. Instead, they spotlight fake experts from right-wing groups and amplify their carefully prepared talking points. 

Not to mention conservative activists looking to make a name for themselves. 

According to Media Matters:

Fox News billed guest Cynthia Millen -- a right-wing writer with a history of hardline beliefs -- as simply a “former USA swimming official” in multiple segments in which she attacked trans athletes, including in an appearance where she decried best practice health care and promoted conversion therapy. 

 Millen is a writer for the website Catholic Stand, where she has documented extreme views on reproductive health care, same-sex couples, and critical race theory. She gained more prominence in right-wing media after releasing a letter to The Washington Times notifying USA Swimming that she was abruptly resigning from her duties because she could “no longer participate in a sport which allows biological men to compete against women. Everything fair about swimming is being destroyed.” Since then, she’s been billed simply as a “former USA Swimming official” in multiple media reports, including her January 11 appearance on Fox News.

Media Matters points out that Millen has appeared on numerous right-wing media shows where she is passed along as merely a former USA Swimming official and thus giving her attacks on trans athletes an undeserved bit of credibility. These shows conveniently omit the following:

At Catholic Stand, Millen has documented her extreme views on reproductive health care, same-sex couples, and critical race theory. Catholic Stand is owned by Tito Edwards of Little Vatican Media, who runs a list of other far-right websites including The American Catholic, which has accused gay people of “recruitment” of children with the goal of “legalizing pederasty” and has spread dangerous COVID-19 misinformation from Project Veritas. 

In one article for Catholic Stand, Millen stated that the the transgender movement is “reverting to old stereotypes of what a girl should and should not be” and referred readers to a video whose title included the deadname of celebrity and former Republican gubernatorial candidate for California Caitlyn Jenner. (Deadnaming is a form of harassment that targets trans people by referring to them by their former name against their wishes.) 

Millen has also attacked same-sex couples, writing that same-sex adoptions are “not good for children; it’s not fair to children” and arguing that LGBTQ affirmation “only serves to promote the notion that people with same-sex attraction are different from the rest of us, or that ‘unrepressed’ sexual activity is healthy for them. It is not. The Church should re-emphasize the teaching and benefits of chastity for all.

Millen the only example of the right-wing passing along their activists as concerned ordinary people speaking out on issues. Media Matters has an extensive list of GOP operatives claiming to be "concerned parents" speaking out with regards to another conservative cause celebre - Critical Race Theory:

Nearly a dozen of the Fox News guests the network has presented as concerned parents or educators who oppose the teaching of so-called “critical race theory” in schools also have day jobs as Republican strategists, conservative think-tankers, or right-wing media personalities, according to a Media Matters review.

 Critical race theory is an academic legal framework which examines the systemic impact of racism in the United States. But “critical race theory,” like “cancel culture” and “political correctness” before it, also functions as an umbrella term the right-wing movement uses to turn its mostly white adherents’ racial anxiety into political energy.

 In this case, a sophisticated, nationwide network of conservative think tanks, advocacy groups, media outlets, and GOP officials have seized on the term and, in the words of Christopher Rufo -- a senior fellow at the conservative Manhattan Institute and a key player in the effort -- sought to render it “toxic” and apply to it “the entire range of cultural constructions that are unpopular with Americans.” Republicans have proposed or passed a slew of legislation restricting “critical race theory” and hope to use it as a core part of their political strategy in upcoming local, state, and federal elections.

 

It only goes to show conservatives aren't interested in having a true discussion when it comes to seemingly controversial issues. If they were, they wouldn't be attempting to rig the narrative.

Hat tip to Ari Drennen, Media Matters’ new LGBTQ Program Director  

'He wanted to burn LGBTQ-related books. Now he is school board president' & other Wed midday news briefs

He wants to burn books about LGBTQ topics. He just got elected school board president.​ - Good Lord! This does NOT send a positive message. We simply have to do better. 

As high court signals Roe v. Wade reversal, states eye same-sex marriage protections - Some states think that SCOTUS will reverse Roe v. Wade so they think marriage equality could be next. Because of that, they are working on state laws to protect marriage equality. Even though I still think it's too early to predict about Roe v. Wade, you never know. Preparing for the future never hurts.

Last in, first out: Chambersburg prepares to reverse local LGBTQ protections - A calamity which proves why elections are important. Every time.

Caitlyn Jenner retweets transphobic tweet aimed at trans athletes - Caitlyn, girlfriend. Just stop. Please stop.

LGBTQ kids say efforts to pass anti-trans laws is negatively affecting their mental health

This terrible development shouldn't surprise anyone. Nor, unfortunately, should the fact that in spite of all of their constant refrains of wanting to protect children, those pushing these bills really don't give a damn about the children they are truly hurting.

From The Hill:

More than two-thirds of LGBTQ+ youth say recent efforts by states to limit the rights of transgender and nonbinary people have negatively impacted their mental health, according to a poll released Monday by the Trevor Project. States in 2021 enacted a “record-shattering” number of anti-LGBTQ+ policies, making it the worst year in recent history for LGBTQ+ state legislative attacks, according to the Human Rights Campaign. 

 . . . In the Trevor Project’s survey of 820 LGBTQ+ youth aged 13 to 24 years old, 70 percent said they were closely following recent news about issues impacting the transgender community, and two-thirds of LGBTQ+ youth said debates about state laws restricting the rights of transgender people have negatively impacted their mental health. That impact has been more dramatic among transgender and nonbinary youth, with more than 85 percent of that group reporting that their mental health has taken a hit, according to the survey. 

 "These results underscore how recent politics and ongoing crises facing the globe can have a real, negative impact on LGBTQ young people, a group consistently found to be at significantly increased risk for depression, anxiety and attempting suicide because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society," Amit Paley, CEO of The Trevor Project, said in a statement.  

 . . . "I see multiple patients daily that are suffering with depression and suicide ideation and suicide attempt and anxiety, and my fear is that if we deny them this evidence-based treatment, we’re only going to see massive more patients come to the emergency room," Jesse Martinez Jr., a doctor of psychiatry at Children’s of Alabama, told Axios in May.

'Fox News guest tells audience to treat COVID with drugs used for transgender health care' & other Tue midday news briefs

Fox News guest tells audience to treat COVID-19 with drugs used for transgender health care​ - These folks are beginning to exhaust the hell out of me. 

Gay Ambassador Rufus Gifford: America’s First Handshake! - More visibility is always a good thing. 

These 27 trans athletes have competed openly in college - Meanwhile, this nonsense about trans athletes having an unfair advantage has yet to be proven. 

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Youngkin's pro-voter suppression pick once exploited gay son to hide her group's homophobia

Youngkin pick Kay Coles James has history exploiting minority status for conservative causes.

Some people have voiced their disagreement with newly elected Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin picking Kay Coles James, a woman who promoted voter suppression and false voter fraud claims, as his choice for Secretary of the Virginia Commonwealth.

 According to Right Wing Watch:

Until last year, James served as president of the Heritage Foundation, a Trumpist right-wing think tank that has aggressively promoted bogus claims about widespread voter fraud that are used to justify more restrictive voting laws. James has opposed federal voting rights legislation such as the “For the People Act,” which she denounced as a “federal takeover of elections” and a “threat to election integrity.” She claimed last year that “the left’s real agenda isn’t about helping minority voters; it’s about helping themselves: They believe voter fraud favors their candidates, plain and simple.”

Ms. James is a black woman, which may have helped her get the appointment. Granted, I don't know that for sure and it can be seen as an unfair shot to make such an assumption. Still, one shouldn't be so naive to not consider that her ethnicity will be exploited to blunt accusations of racism which generally come up (because they are mostly true) with regards to voter suppression.

Also, when it comes to exploiting minority status, this wouldn't be Ms. James's 'first time at the rodeo,' so to speak. 

In a 2019 interview on Fox News, she attempted to divert from accusations that the Heritage Foundation - which she led at the time - was a homophobic group. She did so by revealing that her son is gay.

 According to Media Matters:

Heritage Foundation President Kay Coles James downplayed the organization’s long anti-LGBTQ history in an appearance with Fox “straight news" anchor Shannon Bream. 

 . . . On May 2, Bream interviewed James about Google’s recent decision to disband its Artificial Intelligence ethics board after Google employees and others protested her inclusion on the board in part because of her and Heritage’s positions against transgender rights. During the interview, James whitewashed her organization’s anti-LGBTQ history and responded to criticism of the organization’s stance on queer issues, saying, “None of which is true, by the way. None of it is true.” She also suggested she could not be a “homophobe” because she has a gay son.

This is what James said:

 . . .Homophobe? I don't think so. You know, I, I, I've never talked about it publicly, but I have a gay son whom I love beyond all measure. And he and his community have welcomed me, have helped me grow, have helped me to understand. There’s no hatred there. That’s my child you are talking about.

Bream did not challenge James about this because of simple bias. 

Media Matters has pointed out that while Shannon Bream pretends to be a journalist, she has used her show as a sounding board for anti-LGBTQ groups and positions. She is especially "known" for inviting anti-transgender groups and spokespeople on her program where all involved routinely smear and misgender trans people. 

If Bream was any type of decent journalist, she would have asked James about the contradiction between her statement about her gay son and the Heritage Foundation's homophobic and transphobic positions.

Bream could have even asked James about the contradiction between her statement  and the tweets which she (James) were sending out at almost the same time about the Equality Act. James claimed that the gay community accepted her and allowed her to grow, but apparently not so much that it prevented  her from amplifying misinformation about laws benefitting the community and particularly her son.

So perhaps my accusations about James's ethnicity being exploited by the Youngkin administration aren't as rude as they seem. If she has no problem exploiting her son's sexual orientation to cover up homophobia, why should she have a problem exploiting her ethnicity with regards to potential  voter suppression accusations?

Even worse, based upon how easily she exploited her son's sexual orientation, LGBTQ Virginians may also have something to fear with regards to her appointment. 

'Amy Schneider becomes first woman to win one million on Jeopardy' & other Mon midday news briefs

Amy Schneider

Amy Schneider Makes History Again Becoming First Woman to Win $1M on Jeopardy!​- Good for her. Keep shining in spite of the haters. 

Meet five trailblazing LGBTQ candidates of 2022 - More of us should run for office. 

Out wrestler Jake Atlas returns to the ring fight against mental health issues - Good for him. I hope it works out. 

Skater Timothy LeDuc Could Make History As First Nonbinary Winter Olympian - Success!

Franklin Graham whines that President Biden is being too mean to Trump

Franklin Graham is only fooling himelf.

The recent attempt to falsely imply that Trump was the true victim of the Jan 6th insurrection  by the Family Research Council's Tony Perkins was bad enough, but I think Franklin Graham came close to topping it on Saturday. 

Graham was furious at President Biden for a speech he made on Thursday castigating Trump for his continued lies about the 2020 election and the Jan 6th insurrection:

 

Graham's pleas should fool no one. At best, they are highly delusional and at worst, cynically calculating. Either way, Graham probably wants people to forget that while Trump was in office, he was probably his most loyal foot soldier. He basically bent over backwards either praising Trump, justifying his lies by sometimes lying himself, and even remaining silent during and after some of Trump's most egregious offenses. There is a litany of tweets which speaks to this. Here are a few:

A true religious counsel of  a world leader wouldn't be so annoyingly accommodating. Graham, on the other hand, weaponized his faith in service for Trump. All of the words of Jesus were obscenely bent and twisted in order to fit as the Gospel of Trump.  And now that this chapter has ended, Graham seems to think that he turn things back to what he probably assumed they were. 

It's not going to happen, no matter how hard Graham tries. He is only fooling himself.