Recently, I have been letting friends know I don't go for the "lgbtq" crap. That's because I was one of the first to work for "gay" instead of homosexual. We asked the media and friends to say "gay" and "lesbian and gay" because that's what people were in fact saying in the gay scene in the 60's and 70's.
The problem with straw letters for people is that they often give equal vote to people who don't show up or only show up in small numbers. Gay men consistently outnumbered bis and lesbians in the gay scene and in the work of early organizing. Sometimes groups call themselves lgbtq without having any of several groups actually working with them. This is both stupid and fraudulent.
The linguistic problem is a minority are trying to badger the masses into talking their grammar.
When we asked people to say "gay" not "homosexual," we were asking the press to honor what was already happening linguistically.
Because of my position on this, Pam Raintree called me a "transphobe." Now there's a word in wide usage!
She also wants people to call us the "pink" community. I know lots of dykes who hate pink.
Laughing at Pam's outrage, something made me recall
Little Red Riding Hood.
I was traumatized as a child by the story of Little Red Riding Hood. As I recall it, the Big Bad Wolf ate Gramma and got into her clothes. Surprising my parents let me read stories about cross-dressers so young, but then, I was one of eight kids. My folks had no helicopters. Not even a little one. We only had an old 1929 Durant... the model with a cloth top.
Back then, grownups claimed often "You are what you eat!" Not so with Big Bad. He didn't resemble Gramma one teeny bit. "My, what big eyes you have, Gramma! My what long, sharp teeth you have, Gramma." exclaimed Little Red, so frightened she grabbed the ax that stood next to the door and was on the verge of slaying the wolf.
"Slow down there now, li'l Sistah!" pleaded Big Bad calmly. "Don't be such a transphobe. Cross-dressing is my right. I belong to the qlbtxyz community. What kind of liberal are you, after all? Let go of your prejudices, girl!"
This slowed Little Red's just enough that the wolf gobbled her down in a flash.
Big Bad lived happily ever after, thinking she was really, really bad in Little Red's hoody. Much nicer than Gramma's duds, dude!
The End!
Actually, I only feel compelled to check out trannies when something seems wrong...like the ears being way too big. When the teeth seem long and sharp, I also exercise extreme caution. To that degree, there are quite a few trannies who would call me prejudiced.
Cheers!