Is Michael Bloomberg Transphobic? | Skeptic TaraElla 2020.4

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Today, I will be looking at the recently circulating talk that Michael Bloomberg is transphobic. I will be looking at this impartially, separate from Bloomberg's political platform. Some people are accusing Bloomberg of being transphobic based on comments he made in England in late 2016, where he said something along the lines of the average person in the midwest wouldn't understand trans rights; that they would think it was about allowing men in dresses to use women's locker rooms. Bloomberg was probably refering to the North Carolina bathroom bill debate, which was a hot topic at the time. Taking these comments out of context, some have accused Bloomberg himself of saying that trans women are men in dresses.

Now, this is clearly ridiculous. It is clear from the comments that Bloomberg was talking about what he thought the average guy in the midwest was thinking, not what he himself was thinking. I think it is symptomatic of the wider trend among trans activists in recent years, of seeing enemies everywhere even though they're only imaginary. I think it's in the same vein of trans activists recently condemning JK Rowling as transphobic, by over-interpreting the words used in one tweet, even though Rowling clearly took a live and let live attitude. Of course, there was also the false accusation that Hillary Clinton was pandering to TERFs, when all she said was that there are issues that needed time to sort out. Overall, these incidents paint the trans community as paranoid about society, and unable to engage in rational conversation. To be honest, I am thorougly disappointed in our so-called community leaders and activists. If they aren't in the right state of mind to engage in open-minded and constructive discussion, then they should step down from their role and let someone else do it. The way they are acting now is very damaging to the conversation.

I guess another reason why trans activists were quick to condemn everyone from Bloomberg to Joe Rogan, from JK Rowling to Jordan Peterson, even from Hillary Clinton to Bernie Sanders as transphobic, is because they simply can't face the reality. The fact is, if you think the whole world is against you, then it's much more likely that you yourself are the problem. For example, what Bloomberg said is certainly true of many people out there. Many people simply don't understand what trans rights is at best, and even fear that trans rights may endanger parts of the community at worst. It's simply what some people are thinking out there. Do I wish it were different? Of course I do. But we live in this world, in the here and now, and if there is widespread misunderstanding and even fear of trans rights out there, it is up to us to have the necessary conversations, to fix this problem. Refusing to face the reality doesn't help. Similarly, Joe Rogan's concerns about trans people in MMA, Rowling and Peterson's concerns about free speech, and Hillary's view that both sides need to work out their differences in time, are all very valid. If trans activists keep labeling people with legitimate concerns as transphobic, the term 'transphobic' will become meaningless. Besides, this kind of bad faith activism is simply not in keeping with the good faith engagement that the civil rights movement and the gay rights movement have long engaged in.

The other thing is, people who have concerns aren't necessarily our enemy. They are often good people with genuine concerns. It is up to us to engage in the conversation, and come up with solutions that adequately allieviate their concerns. I'm pretty sure most of them would agree to reasonable accomodations for trans people, if we come up with solutions that adequately allieviate their concerns. On the other hand, pushing people away, taking on a victim mentality, and treating the rest of the world like enemies is only going to make things worse for everyone.

Finally, I guess all this madness is ultimately rooted in negative thinking. This negative thinking is partially the result of the dark side of the activist culture of the past 50 years. For example, Herbert Marcuse, the thinker who had the most effect on the long 1968 movements, famously opposed positive thinking and championed negative thinking. Similarly, a lot of the postmodern and Foucaldian thinking that has affected activist communities is also very dark and paranoid. I think we all need to shake off these negative influences, and return to a more positive view of humanity. In short, we have to believe in the basic good of humanity. We got to have faith in humanity.