Not to be outdone, the very next day, the De Gustibus column in the Wall Street Journal made fun of transpeople. More sophisticated than Olbermann (what wouldn’t be?), the author reached for an example of how absurd, how totally ridiculous a liberal college education has become. Stephen Moore blames those liberals for all the “transgender studies and Che Geuvara classes.” Don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen either one in a college syllabus.
No matter, point made — anything to do with transgender must be loony, nonsensical and ludicrous. This is not the first, and I would bet not the last time, the Journal uses transpeople as the butt of the joke. We are one of the right’s favorite whipping boys right now. Here’s the letter I wrote in response:
Mr. Moore, it would be nice if you would pick another minority to use for your punch-lines — not to mention your pairing with Che Geuvara. Whenever WSJ polemicists feel the need to introduce something that is at the height of absurdity, they have an unfortunate history of reaching it using a reference to transgender people. De Gustibus especially has made sure in the past to mock transgender people.
Well, we appreciate the “good ink.” And it’s nice to know that so many folks at the Journal are thinking of us. But let’s face it — its not particularly imaginative writing and frankly, it’s in danger of getting a bit stale.
I’m sure you all are far superior to us lowly, wrong-headed and ridiculous trangender people, but might I suggest some more creative minorities to mock next time around? Perhaps, um, atheistic Communist pederasts who are left-handed and hate their mothers.
Now there’s a minority we can all dislike together. Doesn’t that feel better? I don’t know about you, but I LIKE holding up minorities for ridicule.
Riki Wilchins
One Trans Show 