Alex R. Orue: Archive

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Truth Wins Out Files Defamation Suit Against... →

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The Advocate Interviews Dan Savage

The Advocate (Referring to Savage's MTV Special): One of the stories is of a trans man, as you’ve mentioned. Obviously you were glitter bombed by trans activists while taping Savage U. 
Dan Savage: [Laughs] You know, I have been glitter bombed a few times, only once was it a trans person.
TA: Really? 
DS: My trans friends really want me to emphasize that only once was it a trans person. The rest of them have been just like batshit victim mongers.
TA: They’ve criticized you for a long time. And I wonder if the criticism was in the back of your mind when picking the story to feature? I mean, it’s a third of the special. 
DS: No, not at all.
TA: No? 
DS: I mean, I am not anti-trans.
TA: Was it helping to show that you’re not? 
DS: I’m not saying that you are saying that I am. But other people out there are. The violence that trans people are subjected to is so much worse, and the reality is the whole bullying issue comes down to gender non-conformity. It’s the gender non-comforming kids who are singled out. And we would have been irresponsible to do this special without doing a trans story. People are going to accuse me of only including a trans story because of this criticism. However, I can’t win for losing. If there wasn’t a trans story in there, I’m anti-trans. If there is a trans story in there, I am covering for my anti-trans loathing. There is just no way of winning. The explosion is going to be there’s no bisexual story in there. OK, so I’ll be accused of being bi-phobic.
TA: Well, there is one testimonial from a bi youth. 
DS: Yeah.
TA: You’ve said that the way trans activists have dealt with this issue, with the glitter bombs, is making people want to talk about trans issues less. Why do you say that? 
DS: You can go to Bilerico Project and read the “trans mafia” post. We are reaching a point where no one feels they can get it right. You talk to gay bloggers and they say they are just going to avoid the issue. Because if I get a noun wrong or a pronoun wrong, I am going to get called Hitler and glitter bombed and screamed at. I get letters about trans issues and I think maybe I shouldn’t write about that, maybe I should leave that alone. Is that what they want? I write the most widely read sex column in America, and if I stop writing about trans issues or addressing them or using letters where trans is raised for fear of getting it wrong, then that’s going to add to the trans invisibility problem. You can’t win. That’s the problem with some of this. It’s not about people who are all on the same side honestly hashing shit out. It’s about a tiny sort of batshit wing of the movement blowing its stack and wanting to be the victimy-est victims in the room by claiming to be victimized by their allies. It’s a stupid waste of time. You know, somebody throws glitter at me and there are 900 people at the event. We still have a great event. We talk about trans issues. I answer some trans questions on top of everything, and all anybody comes away with is, you know, he got glitter bombed. [Laughs]