Happiness versus power and stuff

Have we reached a brave new world where ignorance might count?

I was shocked to read that 64 people in Bangladesh died from lightning strikes in two days of tropical monsoon storms, most of them farmers harvesting crops in rural areas. Experts said that exposure to metal equipment, and particularly cell phones, contributed to the large number. They added that deforestation practices had removed tall trees which normally take a large number of lightning strikes. I wonder if the farmers were warned about these facts, particularly about the ability of cellphones to attract bolts of lightning to devices pocketed near the heart.

In a commencement speech at Rutgers University President Obama made several points about education and politics: “Facts, evidence, logic, an understanding of science—these are good things. These are qualities you want in people making policy…But if you were listening to today’s political debate, you might wonder where this strain of anti-intellectualism came from. So, class of 2016, let me be as clear as I can be. In politics and in life, ignorance is not a virtue. It’s not cool to not know what you’re talking about. That’s not keeping it real, or telling it like it is. That’s not challenging political correctness. That’s just not knowing what you’re talking about. And yet, we have become confused about this.”

The Pew Research Center released a 2016 study that indicated people with an MA degree or above in equivalent are liberal when it comes to social, economic, and environmental matters and that highly educated Americans are forming a liberal political bloc of sorts. I am basically a raving liberal when it comes to social and environmental matters but a moderate on economic matters. Crony capitalism must be controlled by government regulation. I support moral capitalism whose adherents state: “We believe the great work for American businesses and our private foundations is to ensure our cities regenerate themselves as dynamic centers, socially, economically, and culturally. Profit is our reward for serving well with integrity.” That’s capitalism at its finest.

A few scientific facts about the transgender bathroom kerfuffle

The fact that we have about 700,000 transgenders in the U.S. with about 15,000 in the military using bathrooms of one gender or another, without a single case of molestation recorded, means we don’t have a bathroom problem, even with skirts or pants on the doors.

Let’s face it. These people are eliminating their wastes someplace. Gee, folks, it must be in bathrooms. I haven’t heard of any transgenders arrested for peeing or defecating in public recently, or in back alleys, or on the steps of cathedrals.

In the service we usually had a “Phantom Defecator” aboard ship who would drop a load in front of the captain’s door to keep an old Navy tradition alive, but it was never a big problem.

Nor has it been a problem with transgenders in the past—the long past. We have had “complex” genders around since Lucy and the first Boobus Americanus. The Greek philosophers wrote about feminine souls in male bodies and masculine souls in female bodies. And those Roman baths? Transgenders were around because the poet Ovid wrote about a man, Tiresias, when he struck two copulating snakes. I admit, that’s a little unusual.

There are records of the 18th Century French politician Chevalier d’Eton spending the last half of his life as a transgendered woman. American and European doctors in the 19th Century began writing about people who refused to change their minds about their new gender identity.

Jack Drescher, a New York psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who specializes in gender identity and sexuality, recently wrote in the Washington Post about five current facts on being transgender:

(1) Transgender people do not pose a threat in public bathrooms. There has never been a criminal case of transgender molestation in the hundreds of years of public bathrooms. “Stuff” does happen in public bathrooms---but not this kind of “stuff.” The “bathroom” bills currently discussed and passed by legislatures endanger transgenders more than anybody else. Kidney disease is prevalent among transgenders because of their reluctance to use public bathrooms.

(2) The American Psychiatric Association has proclaimed that cross-gender behaviors often start between 2 and 4 years old, and can respond to psychological gender-associated tests at age 5. Transgender children can appear in any kind of “structure”: Republican or Democratic household, military or civilian household, or in any religion, ethnic, or racial household.

(3) Although the recent battles over bathroom usage is relatively new, transgenders have been written about for many centuries. It’s entirely plausible an Apostle was gay or transgender.

(4) Recent studies of transgenders who have transitioned and have had reassignment surgery show that only 4% regret making the transition. The studies also show that suicide is dramatically reduced among those who have transed. The vast majority are satisfied with the transition.

(5) With athletics becoming so important in all phases of American life, parents, coaches, and administrators are concerned that male-to-female transgender athletes may have a competitive advantage because of size and strength factors. Because the male transitioning to female takes a testosterone blocker and follows a hormone therapy regime, that person loses some muscle mass and bone density. There is no evidence that trans athletes can dominate a sport. Can you name one?

To all Bible-thumpers and the Vatican: are the following transgenders influenced by Satan?

H.L. Mencken gave us another quotation that gives us something to think about: “Faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable.” We still have many religions in the world branding the LBGTQ community as Satan’s workers deserving to be killed by stoning---or accusing them of committing sins against society and being “intrinsically evil.”

The top 10 transgender athletes in the world make up an interesting group. After a brief study of their background, see if you think Satan represents them on planet Earth.

1. William Bruce-Caitlyn Jenner was called the greatest male athlete in the world after winning the decathlon at the 1976 Olympics, and was on the Wheaties box for a time as a symbol of athletic ability. The decathlon demands strength, speed, endurance, physical skills, and mental drive in ten events. But Bruce wore dresses and felt “female” quite early in life. It took a long time for Bruce to become Caitlyn, but she finally appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair and stated: “For all intents and purposes, I am a woman.” She is considered to be the most famous transgender in the world—while still being the dad of the famous clothes-shedding Kardashians!

2. Dr. Richard Raskind-Dr.Renee Richards, a pro tennis player as well as a well-known eye surgeon, had a sex reassignment operation in 1975 and won a New York Supreme Court case allowing her to play professional tennis as a woman after she was barred by the U.S. Tennis Association.

3. Michael-Mianne Bagger in 2004 became the first openly transitioned woman to play in a professional golf tournament—and is still a pro on the Australian Ladies Professional Golf Tour. Michael had gender-reassignment surgery in 1995, and before Caitlyn Jenner was considered to be the most prominent transgender in sports.

4. Burton Boyd-Fallon Fox served in the military as a man, decided to have gender reassignment surgery in Thailand in 2006, and is now the first openly transgender athlete in the history of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). She still faces controversy over whether she has an advantage over other female fighters.

5. Caster Semenya won the gold medal in the IAAF women’s 800 meters in 2009 and was immediately challenged by others because she looked like a male. Rumors abound that she has no ovaries or uterus and has both male and female genitalia. She may be “intersex,” not transgender. She has been allowed to compete internationally, even if sponsors have been unable to clearly define whether she is male or female. A very interesting case. Check Google.

6. Dr. Robert—Bobbi Lancaster is a transgender golfer and physician in Arizona She grew up in Canada, had gender surgery in 2010. She now practices both medicine and pro golf.

7. Chris Mosier is a male sprint duathlon competitor now. He was one of the leading female Triathlon participants a few years ago. I have written about him recently. He suffered about 30 years as a female before transgendering.

8. Lana Lawless was born male but underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2005 after retiring as a police officer. She won the 2009 Long Drivers of America title in 2009, prompting the organization to change its rules, stating that females must have been female at birth to compete. She filed a lawsuit—and won it. The organization now accepts transgenders as competitors.

9. Kyler Kelican-Kye Allums, the first openly trans athlete in NCAA Division 1 history, played on a women’s team at George Washington University in 2010, then started to identify as a male. He cited this reason to transgender: “These girls were like my sisters and having them refer to me using female pronouns every single second of the day and not knowing how they made me feel, I couldn’t keep playing like that.” Kye is now a male mentor to LBGT youth.

10. Johnny-Jaiyah Saelua was the first transgender national soccer player to compete in a men’s FIFA World Cup qualifier for American Samoa in 2011. Born a male, Jaiyah was a “Fa’afaline” with both masculine and feminine gender traits, a third gender specific to Samoan culture. A third sex, so to speak. It is something else we have to get used to.

After reviewing these ten transgenders, do you have any reason for believing they are not part of God’s creation? They are all extraordinary athletes who have displayed strength, drive, character, and achievement. Do you have a collection of rocks to use in stoning them dead?

Are all LGBTQ people going to hell? “Christian” groups are now marching through Target stores, waving Bibles, and yelling, “Are you going to let the devil rape your children, America? Instead of bowing to the homosexual, perverted agenda that’s taking over our nation, you need to run from this place! It’s a very dangerous place! Target is opening its bathrooms to perverted men!” Actually, Target is opening its bathrooms to ordinary people just like the ten transgender athletes I have listed.

Some facts, evidence, logic, and understanding of science

The Christian Right, which includes some of the Roman Catholic bishops in the United States, says President Obama has overstepped the boundaries of the presidency in proclaiming his policy about the use of bathrooms. Let’s remember that sex is mentioned in the general laws about discrimination. Making peeing a criminal act backed by jail time and fines if you use the bathroom of your brain’s choice is against the law. Denying transgenders equal treatment is not only discriminatory, it shows complete ignorance of human biology.

Gender is formed in the brain. The overwhelming evidence on how gender is formed is based on the presence or lack of androgens. Androgens are steroid hormones that develop and maintain masculine characteristics. Estrogens are steroid hormones that develop female secondary sex characteristics. In short, someone who identifies as transgender may be straight, gay, or bisexual as any other person. Genitalia and reproductive organs don’t define gender. Hormonal influence on the brain does.

The Book of Leviticus and all those guys quoted in the Bible didn’t have a clue. Ignorance is not a virtue. Scientific facts overwhelm it. Read Valerie Tarico’s article “Texas Parents Go Mama-and-Papa Bear on Behalf of Transgender Son.” It’s a revelation about Emily, the transgender football player in a family of six.