This thread. TL;DR - NO!
author of Whipping Girl, Sexed Up, Excluded & 99 Erics. also a musician & biologist. more at juliaserano.com. @juliaserano most other platforms. she/her
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This thread. TL;DR - NO!
yes, it's a really ingrained biased, I've been writing about it lately
yes, she of all ppl could solve all the swirling Trump-related rumors!
The contradiction at the heart of transmisogyny has always been that people will insist they don't see us as women while treating us exactly like women, and specifically as women they are entitled to sexually exploit or brutalize.
I think he is mostly doing his own substack these days. but I wouldn't be surprised if he took a position with an explicitly right-wing media outlet given his trajectory
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I recently picked up a copy of #99Erics by @juliaserano.bsky.social and I 100% recommend it There's an excerpt shared in the link below if you want to check it out #BookSky #RecommendedReading
move over "political correctness" & "woke", there is a new ridiculously vague & essentially meaningless term in town to describe things ppl do that annoy you...
...when I critique Newsom's anti-trans positions (although some accounts seem to be real ppl). I 100% agree w/you about the vacuum consultants created by sidelining Walz. but there are other Dems (such as Pritzer) stepping up to Trump who don't have an army of online accounts stanning for them
to be clear, I don't think Dems are organizing this. but there is definitely a bot campaign (see 2nd post in my thread) that is probably organized by Newsom (along w/his podcast & social media posts) to create the impression that he's the early front-runner. they often show up in my mentions...
I've already said what I need to say about Newsom's stance on trans ppl & why it will fail in this short 🧵. but can I just add, as a long time Californian & Bay Area resident, I'm convinced that this online push for him 3 years out from Dem primaries is 100% astroterfed... bsky.app/profile/juli...
a lovely thread about my book Sexed Up – you should read it if you haven't!
jfc
Accurate.
haha I just saw that episode the other night! to their credit, at least the writers of TNG had the common decency to make her a brand new character who was the child of a season 1 character who traveled back to the past to create a time-loop paradox. the Giuliani writers weren't nearly that creative
thank you, I think you're the first person to notice that! & yes, that's partly why I wrote the thread, because every Californian I know just finds him boring and/or wishy-washy and/or willing to chase any issue (even horrific ones) if he thinks it will raise his poll numbers
considering republicans are trying to traffic children literally as we speak, “we will protect your children from republicans” is a broadly applicable goal that seems easy to sell but i guess we don’t talk about child safety at the kitchen table?
today's Giuliani news feels like when you're watching season 5 of a TV series after they've already added so many new characters & plot lines that you can hardly keep up, & then for some inexplicable reason, the writers bring back some random character from season 1 and you're like WTF?!?
unfortunately we all live in different cities now. I do have a solo music project called *soft vowel sounds* – recorded one record & played a bunch of shows, but I'm on hiatus at the moment. I plan to pick it up again soon! softvowelsounds.com
haha I wrote this song in 1998 – it's a slightly fictionalized rendition of a real life experience of me deciding to transition during a little league baseball game (the IRL game itself probably took place ~1980-81): bitesize.bandcamp.com/track/switch...
other Dem govs are pushing back – Pritzker immediately comes to mind & he is *way better* on most issues than Newsom! so why not him? or Walz? etc. that's why this push for Newsom seems so astroterfed, because he's definitely not the best, he just making the biggest coordinated online splash
this has been something I've been mulling over in that most of the accounts that have been pushing for newsom are people who do not materially contribute to basically any discussions that I've seen outside of being dunked on here it does not seem like there is any organic support for newsom atm
but this is the thing (& why I wrote the thread): if you are familiar with him (as Californians are), he isn't left-leaning & he isn't a good problem solver. he is a poll-follower & as generic of a replacement-level Dem politician can be. seriously, most other Dem governors would be way better!
Indeed, it is worth remembering that nobody is actually this excited about a sentient mannequin over three years out from an election.
...having watch his career over the last 25 years, I can tell you that Newsom will not organically excite *anyone* in the electorate. & the GOP will have a field day painting him as a winery-owning scandal-ridden elitist. which he pretty much is! seriously, there are *many* Dems preferable to him.
...always the next Dem politician in line in a party that likes to promote its establishment. Newsom has never proposed a policy that has excited ppl, he has no grass roots base. he's just an empty suit who looks like an actor who would play the role of president in a Hollywood movie...
...not only b/c he was extremely centrist, but he was a rich guy who owned a winery & would pose for photo-shoots like this with his then wife Kimberly Guilfoyle (yes, her!). then there's the scandal/affair with a 19 year old. anyway, nobody has ever been excited to vote for Newsom – he was just...
...& I'm not just talking about the obvious examples like this. what I mean is that *no one* has ever been excited about voting for Newsom. ever! even in 2004, when as mayor of SF when he approved same-sex weddings, ppl liked that policy but generally disliked him... bsky.app/profile/patr...
I've already said what I need to say about Newsom's stance on trans ppl & why it will fail in this short 🧵. but can I just add, as a long time Californian & Bay Area resident, I'm convinced that this online push for him 3 years out from Dem primaries is 100% astroterfed... bsky.app/profile/juli...
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writing about this topic again today so I thought I'd re-up this (🧵 includes a recent essay & video):
This week's comic, inspired by a study showing that AI summaries on top of search results are dramatically cutting traffic to websites.
writing about this topic again today so I thought I'd re-up this (🧵 includes a recent essay & video):
One thing about never-Trump Republicans, during Trump II particularly: They understand that the world they knew is dead. They have no investment in either reviving the former GOP (because they understand it's impossible) or maintaining the pre-2016 Democratic Party (because it's not their party).
I know there's a lot of bad shit going on. But I'm high key mad that when this is all over - and it will all end - we're all going to have to get new social security numbers abcnews.go.com/US/whistlebl...
when we say these people lie about *everything*, just remember they love to paint themselves as the 'facts and logic' squad
Speaking of which, the only purpose of a question like this is to add to the panic. The problem of political intolerance is *extremely* concentrated on the American right and appears in every aspect of its policy agenda. Left-wingers being rude to their conservative uncles isn’t a real problem.
This is a poorly framed question. Lots of conservatives would cut off a family member for being LGBT, for example, but that doesn’t clock as a ‘political view’ to them. Also, the narrative that leftists cut off their conservative family members too easily is extremely widespread on the right.
Its worth noting that the people making this claim are Nazis themselves. White people are especially susceptible to Nazi propaganda, & yes, some Trans people are white... but that is the biggest common denominator, not transness.
Debo leer sobre ese tema de la correlación ilusoria, pero este comentario de Julia Serano me parece importante: las acusaciones de una conexión entre las identidades trans y los tiroteos en masa parten de un enfoque incorrecto en la coocurrencia de dos elementos poco frecuentes.
Its the perfect minority fallacy. How many times are Muslims held to account for the actions of the minority? People are so susceptible to it and yes it plays into already held bigotries Because its so rare, it stands out and because it stands out, idiots think its a trend
claims that trans ppl are especially susceptible to Nazi propaganda & that we're prone to becoming mass shooters are making same mistake. there is zero evidence for either. but when "rare" ppl engage in "rare" behaviors, we incorrectly presume there must be a connection bsky.app/profile/juli...
I am extremely sympathetic to these athletes! This sucks and is (predictably) a mess. I'm also a little frustrated that the vast majority of women in track and field were completely silent about sex testing for years while their colleagues were being sidelined. www.cbc.ca/sports/olymp...
they are supposedly starting to build the Las Vegas stadium, but there are a lot of financial red flags & some ppl speculating that it won't get done. the A's owner is a liar & a scumbag & nobody trusts him. we'll see...
apparently he grew up a Phillies fan, what'd'ya know
first time I'm seeing my old A's friend pitch for my Phillies so gonna re-up this little ditty bsky.app/profile/juli...
adding "doctors" to the list of professions that, alongside judges and lawyers, have so far given a good account of themselves under authoritarianism
I just can't
It’s crazy that America just like. Destroyed science. Just looked at its golden goose and went “wow should we kill this? And not for the gold, but just because we fucking hate this thing” And if you tell random people about it they go “no, that doesn’t seem true” and just refuse to believe you
He's gonna make kids go to work camps because he can atmospherically deduce chakra misalignment.
...more evidence that we should stop listening to "the groups" (such as Matt Y): bsky.app/profile/sant...
...gonna drop this here for those who seek a more thorough & less flippant response: bsky.app/profile/juli...
I suggest that if Democrats want to succeed in the future, they should stop listening to "the groups" – you know, the Pod Save Americas & Matt Y's of the world, as they only have their own self-interests in mind...
Begging people to listen to experts on this. Many shooters are lost in this world of nihilistic trolling and so it’s important to be careful about what conclusions you come to. Often, they’re deliberately messing with your assumptions. Anyway, listen to the experts.
The Pod Save America bros are setting up a "debate" about trans rights featuring anti-trans ghoul Matt Yglesias, apparently! No clue who the "pro-trans" side will be repped by, but I'm really worried that they're going to just find someone to get steamrolled.
excited to see the popularism guys come around on this!
With SO many apologies to @juliaserano.bsky.social : Tom Clancy's Whipping Girl
unrelated to current events, I've spent much of the last week reading & writing about the social cognition phenomenon of "illusory correlation" – this is the abstract from one of the first studies to describe it (many subsequent studies support it). sharing it now for reasons....
they’re calling the most recent shooter in minnesota trans to ignore the fact that there has been an organized group of far-right suicidal school shooters and this person is very likely going to be linked to them as well
unrelated to current events, I've spent much of the last week reading & writing about the social cognition phenomenon of "illusory correlation" – this is the abstract from one of the first studies to describe it (many subsequent studies support it). sharing it now for reasons....
This is so stupid. The MAGA world has spent years falsely claiming that the opposition is all just paid shills and not real. And shit like this just lets them say "yup, everyone disagreeing with us is paid by a dark money group."
In a bold move to cement its position, the new junta seized control of the main transport artery between the nation's political capital - which they now control - and its financial one, which they do not. Armed loyalists roam the site demanding to see freedom-of-movement papers. bit.ly/4fWlaKR
Transgender studies professor Dr. Susan Stryker tears Gavin Newsom a new one while accepting the Transgender Legacy Award from the California state legislature 🔥🔥🔥 @susanstryker.bsky.social
If someone freelancing for a major donor did this during the Biden administration not only would Joe Biden have been impeached and removed from office but the person who did this and everyone who facilitated it would be facing +25 years in federal prison.
If you aren't convinced at this point that the New York Times is captured media that exists as a propaganda tool of the ultrawealthy and the GOP, I genuinely don't know what to tell you at this point. You are broken.
sometimes when I'm tired of blaming god for how much things suck right now, I blame my birds for voting for Trump just joking. my birds didn't vote for Trump. but I'm pretty sure my cat did
this is exactly right. it's the same stupid bet every republican has made since 2015.
that is a fair assessment. I also think scientists of the time who talked about "master switches" & the "gay gene" knew that language was somewhat hyperbolic or simplistic. so I guess what we're saying is that Bailey is stuck in the 1980s? (which conveniently coincides w/when Blanchard invented AGP)
More on why Newsom’s transphobia appears to be a genuine turn to the right, not some clever centrist tactic. Transphobia is a red flag in politics. It suggests someone is consuming and absorbing right wing/religious nationalist ideas.
I picked 1990s because 1st half of that decade ppl were looking for the "gay gene" & scientists would often refer to genes as "master switches". but by the 00s, scientists were regularly discussing complex/quantitative traits & understood genetics as far more complex. & we're 20 years after *that*!
apparently so bsky.app/profile/robb...
Just practically speaking... A lot of trans young ppl who can grit their teeth and make it to 18 aren't gonna make it to 25.
sorry, my bad. I'm not sure where the more general idea that "brain development continues through age 25" came from. not sure if it was a junk science/pseudoscience study, or if it's a popular misinterpretation of a more legitimate study. but it's being misused/abused either way
Online age verification is not like "showing ID to buy alcohol" because a) the liquor store doesn't get to scan your ID and store a digital copy of it forever in a database that will inevitably get hacked b) you don't have to show ID to go to the library because they have cocktail recipe books
Nem sabia que a Julia Serano tava no bluesky!
actually we know who first invented the “no transition before the age of 25” talking point: Lisa Marchiano juliaserano.medium.com/did-lisa-mar...
...may as well re-up yesterday's short 🧵 here too: bsky.app/profile/juli...
I agree with what Erin says here, but would add that Newsom's recent comment citing the age of 25 is especially scary, as that's well beyond centrist-sounding "fairness in sports" rhetoric – it is a hardcore anti-trans activist talking point! it's like he is actively consuming 4thwavenow/TERF posts
the funny thing is that "gay genes" is Still how "lgb" terfs/gcs still try to justify the "biological basis" of sexual orientation while claiming trans people dont exist
...jfc just seeing this now, how obsessive & creepy... bsky.app/profile/miti...
good point!
...anyway "autogynephilia" is a zombie theory that Bailey will forever peddle despite the fact that it's been disproved by multiple research studies (see my reviews here): juliaserano.medium.com/autogynephil...
...and even if there were such a thing as an "AGP gene" he would find it in cis women & cis men too haha... juliaserano.medium.com/the-white-lo...
in addition to how ghoulish this is, Bailey is scientifically stuck in the 1990s with this "when we find the right genes" claim. has he really not heard of complex traits & GWAS studies? there is no "gay gene", or "trans gene", or "AGP gene" because that's not how genetics work!
excellent piece by excellent author. I've always voted blue no matter who but going forward I will not vote for anyone on the national stage that does not loudly and repeatedly affirm my right to exist + vow to fight to claw back the rights taken from us by the current regime
If you ever receive one of these "don't talk much about authoritarianism" Dem messaging memos, please hit me up on here or via email. I will try to get them mass circulated. It's worth everyone seeing these memos, particularly when the language electeds are using seems lifted directly from them.
...btw someone shared this in the replies to this thread, in response to someone who took issue with my "Newsom-stan-bots" comment. so I thought I'd add this evidence here: bsky.app/profile/patr...
...if you are intrigued by these #99Erics excerpts, you can find links to buy the book or download the first 5 chapters for FREE at juliaserano.com/99erics.html. and if you like it, please give it a good review on places like Goodreads, Amazon, etc, as it really helps with getting the book noticed!
Beshear can get reelected in KENTUCKY. Its past time to just say that democrats who do transphobic things aren't being strategic, theyre just transphobes.
I cite those Ettingermentum articles in the piece!
Equal Rights for All is the obviously morally right position and easy to explain.
The ever-great Julia Serano
...seriously, it's SO MUCH EASIER for Dems to simply adopt good talking points about why they won't abandon trans/LGBTQ+ ppl (à la Beshear, Walz, etc) than to risk alienating ALL OF THESE VOTERS. it's a no-brainer! (problem is centrist Dem consultants have no brain) www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...
...if you won't read the whole essay, this one excerpt (there are more if you scroll up & down) should convince you – Dems can't ditch trans ppl without potentially alienating 8% of all voters! bsky.app/profile/juli...
since Bluesky is chock full of Newsom-stan-bots insisting that "Dems should compromise on trans issues", I will re-up my November essay about why this is not only immoral & unempirical, but BAD POLITICS. Dems WILL LOSE if they do this, here's why (no paywall): juliaserano.medium.com/should-democ...
...& here is a video of me reading from another #bisexual themed chapter from the same book (99 Erics): bsky.app/profile/juli...
It is objectively not worse on Bluesky. You don't get yelled at on Twitter because you are saying things the Nazis agree with.
i'm not saying anything is anything, other than it's really noteworthy that a surge of newsom supporters came out of nowhere and continually post things like "why don't you uppity trannies accept gavin as your slop god. i used to support you freaks" whenever we say we don't really like him
Governor Newsom dates 19 year old, thinks that anyone under the age of 26 isn't fit to make meaningful decisions.