Thursday, December 23, 2010

Odds 'N Ends (Again)

Let's just call this the "WTF is wrong with people?" edition.

1. [TW: Gender policing; transphobia] In San Francisco, Amber Yust went to apply for a new driver's license. Four days later, she received a personal letter from the DMV employee who processed her application. Now, using someone's private information obtained in the course of a state government job for personal reasons is, in itself, highly unprofessional and, depending on the facts, possibly illegal. That alone is a fire-able offense.

In this case, however, the DMV employee contacted the DMV customer, who by the way happens to be a transgender woman, for purposes of informing her that her gender change was "a very evil decision." Begin the countdown until anti-LGBT groups start invoking the DMV employee's special "religious freedom" right to mis-use a customer's private information for purposes of being an asshole. And also, you can set the timer for when those anti-LGBT hate groups highlight this Poor DMV Employee's inevitable firing as an instance of Political Correctness Gone Too Far.

WTF is wrong with people?

2. The South Carolina Sons of Confederate Veterans are co-sponsoring a "secession ball, where folks will pay $100 a ticket to don formal period-wear and party like it's 1860.

Because this is a thing that's really going to happen in the real world, the NACCP will be holding a peaceful march on the day of the ball. The Sons of the Confederacy, however, assure us that this isn't about celebrating slavery, it's just about celebrating the great courage of the men who tried to uphold slavery. In the words of the Sons of the Confederacy "division commander":

“'We could look back and say (the Civil War) wasn’t something to celebrate – about 620,000 died in the North and South,' Simpson said. 'If you count civilians, you’re up to about a million killed in that war.

'Do we celebrate that? Heavens no,' he said. 'War and death is never something to celebrate. But we do celebrate the courage and the integrity of 170 men who signed their signatures to the Article of Secession – the courage of men to do what they think is right.'”


Seriously, WTF is wrong with people?

3. So, in addition to marriage, the LGBT community also can't have the rainbow now.

W. T. F. is wrong with people?

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