Twit Awards for the Week 1/15/24

We mentioned in the news that a bill in West Virginia would define “any transvestite and/or transgender exposure, performances or display to any minor” as “obscene material.” Allowing a minor to see a transgender person could result in a $500 fine or a year in prison, or both. For attempting to outlaw transgender people at schools (including staff, faculty, and students), and for going extra far with his transphobia, state Senator Michael Azinger gets a Twit Award. Truthout has this story.

Also in West Virginia, a bill would outlaw mental health professionals from “exacerbating gender dysphoria” for those under 21 years of age by “continuing such condition, delusion, or disorder with no intent of cure of cure-pursuing recovery”. Of course, their idea of a “cure” is to turn LGBTQ people into cisgender and heterosexual people–in other words, conversion therapy. For requiring a practice which has been demonstrated not to work, the sponsors of this bill get a Twit Award. This story comes from LGBTQ Nation.

An Ohio state Representative Beth Lear has introduced a bill to force transgender students to use the restroom at school which aligns with their assigned sex. She defends it by citing Luke 17, where Jesus says anyone who causes a child to “stumble, it would be better for you to have a millstone hung around your neck and be thrown into the deepest sea.” Unfortunately, Jesus never equated living your gender identity with stumbling. In fact, Acts 8 mentions the Apostles accepting an Ethiopian eunuch into their group, an act which runs quite contrary to the idea of respecting the gender chosen by God. For using scripture to place a heavy burden on another without making any effort to relieve the burden (an act Jesus actually did warn against), Ohio state Representative Beth Lear gets a Twit Award. The Advocate has this story.

A bill in Florida would make “lewd or lascivious grooming” a scond-degree felony, and impose up to 15 years in prison as a punishment. The bill specifies that, “A person who engages in the process of preparing or encouraging a child to engage in sexual activity through overtly sexually themed communication with the child or in conduct with or observed by the child without permission from the child’s parent or legal guardian commits lewd or lascivious grooming.” It is a bit more specific, but still, it covers quite a bit. For use of a term which is popularly used to demean LGBTQ, and especially transgender, people, Florida state Representative Taylr Yarkosky gets a Twit Award. This story comes from LGBTQ Nation.

A state representative in Florida, Jason Brodeur, has introduced a bill which would define “an allegation that [a] plaintiff has discriminated against another person because of their race, sex, sex orientation, or gender identity” as “discrimination per se.” So, calling someone racist, sexist, homophobic, or transphobic is discrimination against that person. For ignoring the idea that the truth matters, and for rushing to defend those accused of racism, sexism, homophobia, or transphobia without regard to the validity of the accusation, state Representative Jason Brodeur gets a Twit Award. LGBTQ Nation.

At a debate between two Republican presidential candidates, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis claimed that Disney is “transing” children. First off, “transing” is not a word, and it turns “trans” from an adjective into a verb. Secondly, Disney is notorious for inserting quickly-passing references to a character’s sexual orientation or gender identity into movies, and then removing that reference in order to show the movie in some other country. For claiming that a company which barely recognizes gender identity or sexual orientation in it movies is actively trying to turn children trans, and for rushing to demonize transgender people, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis gets a Twit Award. This story comes from The Advocate.

Libs Of TikTok created a tweet, that Marjorie Taylor Greene retweeted, which said, “Remember when Nikki Haley said parents should be able to let their 12-year-old kids get s** change surgeries? This should’ve immediately ended her campaign. Completely disqualifying.” The video actually showed her responding to a question about allowing a 12-year-old child to socially transition; it did not mention surgery. For claiming that someone supported a practice which was never mentioned, and for claiming a social transition is the same as gender confirmation surgery, Libs Of TikTok and Marjorie Taylor Greene share a Twit Award. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

Tags: featured, news, opinion, Transgender

Category: Transgender Opinion