There are many transphobic statements in this article that I find issue with which I think can be attributed to the author’s very narrow mindset on the issue. One problem that I have with the article is that one of the author’s main arguments seems to be that there are more important issues that should be addressed, yet she then goes on to explain she feels this law is unnecessary in its own right. Although this is clearly not an important issue to the author, that does not mean it is not important to other people. It is ridiculous to make the claim that there is some kind of ranking or order of importance for social issues. Furthermore, there is clearly something important about it if the author feels the need to write this piece, which shows that issues of gender and sexuality permeate our lives on a daily basis even though many people such as the author try to claim it is not important.
Altogether, I do not follow the logic of this piece. For example, Salama writes “Don’t get me wrong — we all deserve our rights. But the Gender Nondiscrimination Act (AB 887) and Vital Statistics Modernization Act (AB 433) are less about rights and equality than about making it easier for people to declare they are transgender.” What I do not understand about this statement is how allowing people to “declare they are transgender” is not a right that deserves to be protected from discrimination. Obviously, Salama does not think that this is a valid request, and her statement is based on the ridiculous assumption that most people feel that way.
Another main problem with this article is that Salama is advocating for the right for people to be unaccepting of others. I do not understand why this is a valid point to any extent. How could progress ever be made if people just accepted that some people don’t like progress? Sure, there is another side to every story, but I do not think this is it. This is just one example of her advocating to perpetuate hetero-normative thinking. Her use of the word “imposing” is particularly interesting and emphasizes her inability to think critically about the issue by pushing past the surface. Salama claims that people who classify themselves as transgender are imposing their views of gender on other people, but isn’t it society that is really imposing their ideas of gender and sexuality on everyone else?
Her last line is also very problematic in the way that she refers to transgenders as people who “choose to be” discriminated against. Is she trying to say that transgenders deserve to be discriminated against because they choose to be transgender? This statement to me shows a complete lack of understanding of the issue, and completely cuts down the writer’s credibility. Although this is an opinion piece, there is a way to give one’s opinion without being ignorant. I doubt that this person has ever met someone who is transgender or that she has ever tried to understand transgenders to any extent. As Andy said, being considerate is the newest trait of a Trojan, and in order to accomplish this, we must all try to understand each other’s differences and be accepting of them.
I like your arguments, specially "One problem that I have with the article is that one of the author’s main arguments seems to be that there are more important issues that should be addressed, yet she then goes on to explain she feels this law is unnecessary in its own right" and the ridiculousness of "claiming that there is some kind of ranking or order of importance for social issues"
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