We are about to witness a collision of massive proportions among our friends on the Left.
Caitlyn Jenner is running for governor of California. As a Republican.
One the one hand, as South Park insisted, Caitlyn Jenner is a beautiful trans woman. That should put her near the pinnacle of the victimhood and identity politics pyramids.
But because she is not the right kind of trans woman, she is being discounted by the Left.
Vox has a piece: Trans people are dreading Caitlyn Jenner’s run for governor
Jenner’s politics and controversial existence as a self-professed trans advocate has long put trans Americans in a double bind, forcing them to defend her from transphobic attacks while deploring her political views. And her gubernatorial run, however successful, is amplifying those tensions once again
Jenner’s campaign, representing a party that is now forcing families with trans kids to potentially flee conservative states, puts trans people in an awkward spot — feeling like they must defend her identity while Jenner does nothing but promote herself in return.
Her run could also serve to kick up transphobia on the left. Liberals and Democrats have shown no hesitation to attack a conservative political figure’s perceived identity. One homophobic example are online liberals calling Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) “Lady G,” a reference to an obscure and unverified online accusation that he frequently visits with gay sex workers in DC. Just last week, The View cohost Joy Behar misgendered Jenner as she talked about Jenner’s gubernatorial run (she subsequently apologized).
There’s a risk that Jenner, running as a conservative in liberal California, could generate liberal transphobia in a similar way, causing progressives to conflate their annoyance with Jenner’s Hollywood persona and politics with her trans identity.
If you are confused by this, don’t be. The complaint here is that Caitlyn Jenner isn’t on ‘the team,’ and trans folks worry her run will expose the ugly side of their own political party. The ugly reality of victimhood and identity politics.
RedState had a write-up on the Left’s reaction, and ended it with this point.
The folks attacking Jenner claim to care about women’s rights. Except how can that be when they don’t seem to care about the girls who are suffering at a disadvantage in girls’ sports? They just want to dismiss that as though it doesn’t exist. So does that mean they are anti-girl or anti-women? It surely sounds like it.
This is just the beginning of the attacks against Jenner, not for being an Olympic athlete, or a reality TV star, or a California millionaire, or privileged, or even for being trans. Caitlyn Jenner will be attacked for being the wrong kind of trans. A trans person who appreciates the virtues of conservatism.
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