It it worth mentioning that many of the wealthy men funding the trans movement have autogynephilia; that is they transitioned into women later in life to satisfy their feeling of 'wholeness' while wearing women's clothing, particularly their underwear.
Caitlyn Jenner is in this category but he does not support what is happening to children and young people.
Meghan, this is one of the most powerful pieces you've ever written, and that's saying a lot given how powerful your writing is generally. I think this issue of funding is one of the deeper vulnerabilities of the trans movement (in addition to the lack of logical coherence, misogyny, etc.). The public is normally responsive to journalism that connects ideological values to deep pockets, and it seems to be one of the only ways to get people to think twice critically about trans issues.
The connection also applies to activists in general: jumping on the trans wagon assures people (menstruators and ejaculators equally) a quick and simple way of establishing themselves as being on the 'correct' side of history, and protecting themselves from critique or questioning. I work in academia, where trans and race issues are about the only thing anyone talks about...or is allowed to talk about, and from a certain perspective, for that matter. It has created an intellectual environment devoid of curiosity and hostile to difference. I have had many students of colour complain to me about feeling silenced themselves on these issues. Yes, white professors telling students of colour that they're offensive to people of colour, and calling white professors racist for allowing those students to speak. I wonder if this has anything to do with rapidly declining enrolment in arts and humanities?
Thank you! And yes, it seems now that universities are treating their students as customers, and the customer is always right! Which means that they cater to these woke hysterics with no push back. It's pathetic.
It's worse than that. It's the professors who are driving wokeism with the full weight of their institutional power. Yes, the same people who talk about equity and diversity feel comfortable punishing students who express perspectives that deviate from their own. Ironically, it's the so-called marginalised students who see the dangers of cancel culture and the benefits of certain aspects of liberalism, such as free speech and open dialogue. I could go on and on...
Thank you for this excellent account of the rise of the transgender movement. It has been similar here in the UK; after Stonewall achieved its goals (gay marriage, adoption rights for gay/ lesbian couples), it morphed into an extreme trans rights organisation - and kept the money, much of it from public funds.
This is one of the best articles I've read on the coercive nature and skyrocketing acceptance of the still-ill-defined concept of "trans rights". From the feminists who spoke up, almost FIFTY YEARS ago, about the danger of men co-opting women's experiences for their own pleasure to the indisputable examples of formerly gay - , lesbian -, and women's- rights orgs benefitting from their leap to the "trans- rights" money wagon, you cover it all, Meghan.
Well-funded lobbyists have an outsize (and undemocratic) influence on transgender issues, as they do in politics in general. When a government develops its policy positions, it should consult all the people affected, and work out a proportionate and measured response. The current political system, particularly in the U.S., effectively allows lobbyists to distort the issues and write the legislation. The effect that trans ideology and its demands would have on half the population was never adequately considered. Women were never consulted. And the lobbyists, backed by billionaires, made sure of that.
Why does no one ever mention major funders of transgender advancement Peter Thiel & Paul Singer? Transgenderist policy proposals are extremely well-funded with the money of right-wing billionaires like Peter Thiel of Palantir (a data surveillance and collection entity), PayPal and Facebook who led the economic boycott against North Carolina in an effort to force the State to allow men in womanface access to women's bathrooms, etc. Thiel has also stated that he regrets women ever got the vote. Another phalanx of right-wing billionaires who push transgenderism is the American Unity Fund which was founded by vulture capitalist Paul Singer. Singer got a big chunk of his billions by buying up the debts of distressed and/or bankrupt countries like the Congo, Ivory Coast and Argentina. When these countries received humanitarian aid to keep them from starvation Paul Singer of Elliott Management Hedge fund successfully sued the impoverished countries to expropriate for himself the humanitarian aid money they received. He thus recouped on the debts he'd previously bought in anticipation of the Aid donated to these bankrupt countries. The American Unity Fund is endowed with money taken from the starving children of the Congo and other impoverished nations and is now advancing the destruction of women’s safety and political/social equity. (American Unity Fund, a 501(c) (4) non-profit organization, advances rights of LGBTQ Americans, and religious freedom by making the conservative case for both.)
It's not just the pseudo leftists like the sexual fascists of the fraudulent Green Party or the faux “anti-fascists” who are marinated in misogyny. I refuse to cede the left to these COVERT-RIGHT posers and remain staunch in my claims to feminism, which is, by definition socialist, communalist and humanitarian. Rather than getting tangled up in sectarian fractiousness I look to the actions of people – what they do - rather than what they say to form my opinions on where they stand. Someone like Kelli Keen, so far, has taken more risks to expose the fascistically regressive and cruel nature of Trans ideology than many others who may claim to.
Chad Sevearance-Turner, former president of the Charlotte LGBT Chamber of Commerice, celebrated last year the Supreme Court’s decision to allow gay marriage. Diedra Laird dlaird@charlotteobserver.com By Steve Harrison sharrison@charlotteobserver.com
The former president of Charlotte’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce has resigned after he came under fire from a conservative group, which noted that he is on a sex offender list and questioned his role in supporting the city’s expanded nondiscrimination ordinance.
-----------------------
Facebook Backer Wishes Women Couldn’t Vote, silicon valley tool
Tonight I attended a highly anticipated fundraiser for the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) (not ERA!) in New York City at the Mandarin Oriental in the Time Warner Center. The fundraiser was co-chaired by former Republican National Committee Chair/Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts partner Ken Mehlman, Paypal Co-Founder Peter Thiel and Elliott Management hedge fund CEO Paul Singer.
Mehlman The fundraiser was initially supposed to be held at Singer's home but had to be moved to accommodate a crowd of over 120 people. It was announced by Mehlman that more than 1.2 million dollars was raised tonight. The energy in the room was hopeful, enthusiastic and celebratory even in the face of yesterday's setback on Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
The crowd was a diverse mix of Wall Street titans, Republican establishment figures, LGBT community advocates and politicos (partial list below after the jump). Barbara Bush, President George W. Bush's daughter attended the event -- which was a surprise to people in the room
------------------------------------------------
North Carolina's "bathroom bill" just cost the state 400 future jobs. PayPal has canceled its plans to open a new global operations center in Charlotte, following passage of a North Carolina law that prevents cities from creating non-discrimination policies based on gender identity.Apr 5, 2016
North Carolina loses 400 jobs as PayPal pulls facility
Apr 5, 2016 — PayPal Holdings Inc said on Tuesday it canceled plans to open a global ... PayPal pulls North Carolina plan after transgender bathroom law.
May 5, 2023·edited May 5, 2023Liked by Meghan Murphy
Incisive, well written, abundantly clear, and absolutely spot on.
My growing awareness of the power of extreme wealth to distort our socio-political system for it's own ends has led me to also revise my views on taxation as I now favor ~5% per year wealth tax above some base limit tbd.
In the meantime, grassroots numbers still matter, especially at the polls. Hopefully we're getting there.
"Rejecting trans ideology was rendered mandatory for any organization wishing to continue getting funding from these corporations and donors" ... do you mean "Accepting trans ideology"?
Your comments on funding are on point, but don't they just push the question back? Pritzker, Soros, and other big-money donors themselves have ideologies, largely focused on their own self-images as progressives fighting reactionary prejudice. There are minority communities with serious problems, but they don't fit so easily into the old stereotypes. Much easier to add a 'T' to the initialism.
To the extent transhumanism is interested in artificial wombs, we're talking about cloning vats. It's to allow us to create genetically modified creatures en masse. These interested in human genetic engineering find women's wombs perfectly fine (see IVF). Of course, many transhumanists - Kurzweil- think this is all a waste and we should move straight to cyborgs and uploading.
You.misunderstand us. We have little interested in creating different, mutilated versions of human beings. We are interested in creating something _better_. The only argument is: will this be our salvation, or our replacement?
You may disagree with this vision. You may think it's nuts. Fine. But it has nada to do with this TRA nonsense.
It doesn't have nada to do with the transexualism nonsense. I think you feel defensive, as someone who identifies as a 'transhumanist', but not only are there many parallels between transgenderism and transhumanism, but again, many of the wealthy men funding this trend are transhumanists. Do you really not see the crossover?
Also: please don't psychoanalysis me. I'm arguing this because I am concerned with what's true. Similarly, I don't "identify as" a transhumanist, I am one because I think the ideas and goals of transhumanism are correct.
The two aren't that connected. Ispent a decade or so writing about and against modern fascism, and yet had a blistering row with a Prof on twitter because what he was writing about fascism was deeply ignorant (and dangerously so).
Simply none of that is accurate. The most prominent funder would be George Soros, but he's no transhumanist, and this seems just like an outgrowth of his support for left-liberal causes. There's also the Pritzkers - not transhumanists. In fact none of the billionaires you mentioned is a transhumanist.
One of your commentators brought up Peter Thiel, as the new boogeyman. But Thiel doesn't push trans stuff. He mainly doesn't care (the standard transhumanist position), and has opposed exactly one Republican bill because of its anti-gay elements.
You mentioned Rothblatt, but though trans and transhumanist, Rothblatt doesn't push the ideology. I haven't found anything about her wanting to go into women's bathrooms, have men compete in women's sports, transition kids or any of the nonsense you mention. She's much, much more interested in physical immortality and replacement organs. Standard transhumanist goals.
So, yeah. It isn't some sinister cabal of transhumanists pushing this. This is up there with conflating pedophile and paediatrician.
Okay. 1) Have you read it? 2) Does it argue for all the things we oppose in this - transing kids, opposing women's only spaces etc.? 3) How much does Rothblatt give to orgs like Mermaids - if any? 4) How much time does she spend on trans activism rather than biotech? 5) Why are you choosing this one voice and ignoring all the other, far more prominent ones: Kurzweil, Drexler, de Grey....?
Yes that is exactly what has happened.
It it worth mentioning that many of the wealthy men funding the trans movement have autogynephilia; that is they transitioned into women later in life to satisfy their feeling of 'wholeness' while wearing women's clothing, particularly their underwear.
Caitlyn Jenner is in this category but he does not support what is happening to children and young people.
Yes it's nice when men can just keep their fetishes to themselves isn't it! These narcissists are intent on forcing everyone else to engage.
Once they discover exhibitionism, all bets are off.
Meghan, this is one of the most powerful pieces you've ever written, and that's saying a lot given how powerful your writing is generally. I think this issue of funding is one of the deeper vulnerabilities of the trans movement (in addition to the lack of logical coherence, misogyny, etc.). The public is normally responsive to journalism that connects ideological values to deep pockets, and it seems to be one of the only ways to get people to think twice critically about trans issues.
The connection also applies to activists in general: jumping on the trans wagon assures people (menstruators and ejaculators equally) a quick and simple way of establishing themselves as being on the 'correct' side of history, and protecting themselves from critique or questioning. I work in academia, where trans and race issues are about the only thing anyone talks about...or is allowed to talk about, and from a certain perspective, for that matter. It has created an intellectual environment devoid of curiosity and hostile to difference. I have had many students of colour complain to me about feeling silenced themselves on these issues. Yes, white professors telling students of colour that they're offensive to people of colour, and calling white professors racist for allowing those students to speak. I wonder if this has anything to do with rapidly declining enrolment in arts and humanities?
You can't make this stuff up.
Thank you! And yes, it seems now that universities are treating their students as customers, and the customer is always right! Which means that they cater to these woke hysterics with no push back. It's pathetic.
It's worse than that. It's the professors who are driving wokeism with the full weight of their institutional power. Yes, the same people who talk about equity and diversity feel comfortable punishing students who express perspectives that deviate from their own. Ironically, it's the so-called marginalised students who see the dangers of cancel culture and the benefits of certain aspects of liberalism, such as free speech and open dialogue. I could go on and on...
Thank you for this excellent account of the rise of the transgender movement. It has been similar here in the UK; after Stonewall achieved its goals (gay marriage, adoption rights for gay/ lesbian couples), it morphed into an extreme trans rights organisation - and kept the money, much of it from public funds.
Right! Of all people, you'd think journalists would be able to figure this out...
This is one of the best articles I've read on the coercive nature and skyrocketing acceptance of the still-ill-defined concept of "trans rights". From the feminists who spoke up, almost FIFTY YEARS ago, about the danger of men co-opting women's experiences for their own pleasure to the indisputable examples of formerly gay - , lesbian -, and women's- rights orgs benefitting from their leap to the "trans- rights" money wagon, you cover it all, Meghan.
So good! Will be sharing widely.
Thank you!
Wow, this is so good. Thanks. That NYT article is the peak example of mainstreamed reversal.
Thanks!
Well-funded lobbyists have an outsize (and undemocratic) influence on transgender issues, as they do in politics in general. When a government develops its policy positions, it should consult all the people affected, and work out a proportionate and measured response. The current political system, particularly in the U.S., effectively allows lobbyists to distort the issues and write the legislation. The effect that trans ideology and its demands would have on half the population was never adequately considered. Women were never consulted. And the lobbyists, backed by billionaires, made sure of that.
Why does no one ever mention major funders of transgender advancement Peter Thiel & Paul Singer? Transgenderist policy proposals are extremely well-funded with the money of right-wing billionaires like Peter Thiel of Palantir (a data surveillance and collection entity), PayPal and Facebook who led the economic boycott against North Carolina in an effort to force the State to allow men in womanface access to women's bathrooms, etc. Thiel has also stated that he regrets women ever got the vote. Another phalanx of right-wing billionaires who push transgenderism is the American Unity Fund which was founded by vulture capitalist Paul Singer. Singer got a big chunk of his billions by buying up the debts of distressed and/or bankrupt countries like the Congo, Ivory Coast and Argentina. When these countries received humanitarian aid to keep them from starvation Paul Singer of Elliott Management Hedge fund successfully sued the impoverished countries to expropriate for himself the humanitarian aid money they received. He thus recouped on the debts he'd previously bought in anticipation of the Aid donated to these bankrupt countries. The American Unity Fund is endowed with money taken from the starving children of the Congo and other impoverished nations and is now advancing the destruction of women’s safety and political/social equity. (American Unity Fund, a 501(c) (4) non-profit organization, advances rights of LGBTQ Americans, and religious freedom by making the conservative case for both.)
It's not just the pseudo leftists like the sexual fascists of the fraudulent Green Party or the faux “anti-fascists” who are marinated in misogyny. I refuse to cede the left to these COVERT-RIGHT posers and remain staunch in my claims to feminism, which is, by definition socialist, communalist and humanitarian. Rather than getting tangled up in sectarian fractiousness I look to the actions of people – what they do - rather than what they say to form my opinions on where they stand. Someone like Kelli Keen, so far, has taken more risks to expose the fascistically regressive and cruel nature of Trans ideology than many others who may claim to.
I have never heard of Paul Singer and did not know that Thiel has also funded the trans takeover? Links?
I can send you my research on this angle (about 22pages) in a pdf, but it won't download on this portal. bw
Gender Fri Apr 8, 2016 - 4:44 pm EST
PayPal pulls 400 jobs from NC over bathroom law, but keeps business with gay-killing regimes
Ben Johnson bathroom bills , north carolina , paypal , transgender
-------------------------------------
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article64943682.html#storylink=cpy
Chad Sevearance-Turner, former president of the Charlotte LGBT Chamber of Commerice, celebrated last year the Supreme Court’s decision to allow gay marriage. Diedra Laird dlaird@charlotteobserver.com By Steve Harrison sharrison@charlotteobserver.com
The former president of Charlotte’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce has resigned after he came under fire from a conservative group, which noted that he is on a sex offender list and questioned his role in supporting the city’s expanded nondiscrimination ordinance.
-----------------------
Facebook Backer Wishes Women Couldn’t Vote, silicon valley tool
By Owen Thomas, Apr 28, 2009 2:53 PM, gawker
Facebook Backer Wishes Women Couldn’t Vote
---------------------
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-08-07/argentinas-vulture-paul-singer-is-wall-street-freedom-fighter?leadSource=uverify%20wall
Subscriber Only BusinessEconomics Paul Singer Will Make Argentina Pay
In Buenos Aires, Paul Singer is a vulture. On Wall Street, he’s a freedom fighter
By Katia Porzecanski, August 7, 2014
------------------
http://www.towleroad.com/2010/09/afer-post/
They Got the Money 09/23/2010
Ken Mehlman, Peter Thiel, and Paul Singer (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-08-07/argentinas-vulture-paul-singer-is-wall-street-freedom-fighter )Host Manhattan Fundraiser for Team Challenging Proposition 8
Guestblogger COREY JOHNSON
Tonight I attended a highly anticipated fundraiser for the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) (not ERA!) in New York City at the Mandarin Oriental in the Time Warner Center. The fundraiser was co-chaired by former Republican National Committee Chair/Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts partner Ken Mehlman, Paypal Co-Founder Peter Thiel and Elliott Management hedge fund CEO Paul Singer.
Mehlman The fundraiser was initially supposed to be held at Singer's home but had to be moved to accommodate a crowd of over 120 people. It was announced by Mehlman that more than 1.2 million dollars was raised tonight. The energy in the room was hopeful, enthusiastic and celebratory even in the face of yesterday's setback on Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
The crowd was a diverse mix of Wall Street titans, Republican establishment figures, LGBT community advocates and politicos (partial list below after the jump). Barbara Bush, President George W. Bush's daughter attended the event -- which was a surprise to people in the room
------------------------------------------------
North Carolina's "bathroom bill" just cost the state 400 future jobs. PayPal has canceled its plans to open a new global operations center in Charlotte, following passage of a North Carolina law that prevents cities from creating non-discrimination policies based on gender identity.Apr 5, 2016
North Carolina loses 400 jobs as PayPal pulls facility
CNN.com
https://money.cnn.com › 2016/04/05 › technology › pay...
PayPal pulls North Carolina plan after transgender ...
Reuters
https://www.reuters.com › article › paypal-pulls-north-...
Apr 5, 2016 — PayPal Holdings Inc said on Tuesday it canceled plans to open a global ... PayPal pulls North Carolina plan after transgender bathroom law.
-------------------------
He hasn't. His main stance is that he doesn't much care one way or another, that it is a distraction from the real causes of humanity, as he sees them
Incisive, well written, abundantly clear, and absolutely spot on.
My growing awareness of the power of extreme wealth to distort our socio-political system for it's own ends has led me to also revise my views on taxation as I now favor ~5% per year wealth tax above some base limit tbd.
In the meantime, grassroots numbers still matter, especially at the polls. Hopefully we're getting there.
"Rejecting trans ideology was rendered mandatory for any organization wishing to continue getting funding from these corporations and donors" ... do you mean "Accepting trans ideology"?
Sorry that was fixed! You are correct!
Your comments on funding are on point, but don't they just push the question back? Pritzker, Soros, and other big-money donors themselves have ideologies, largely focused on their own self-images as progressives fighting reactionary prejudice. There are minority communities with serious problems, but they don't fit so easily into the old stereotypes. Much easier to add a 'T' to the initialism.
Huh. So, in other words, the huge funds being poured into this insanity... are not coming from transhumanists.
Hmmmm.
I mean, they are... Not sure what you think, for example, artificial wombs or implanting wombs in men equates to.
Implanting wombs is transsexualism.
To the extent transhumanism is interested in artificial wombs, we're talking about cloning vats. It's to allow us to create genetically modified creatures en masse. These interested in human genetic engineering find women's wombs perfectly fine (see IVF). Of course, many transhumanists - Kurzweil- think this is all a waste and we should move straight to cyborgs and uploading.
You.misunderstand us. We have little interested in creating different, mutilated versions of human beings. We are interested in creating something _better_. The only argument is: will this be our salvation, or our replacement?
You may disagree with this vision. You may think it's nuts. Fine. But it has nada to do with this TRA nonsense.
It doesn't have nada to do with the transexualism nonsense. I think you feel defensive, as someone who identifies as a 'transhumanist', but not only are there many parallels between transgenderism and transhumanism, but again, many of the wealthy men funding this trend are transhumanists. Do you really not see the crossover?
Also: please don't psychoanalysis me. I'm arguing this because I am concerned with what's true. Similarly, I don't "identify as" a transhumanist, I am one because I think the ideas and goals of transhumanism are correct.
The two aren't that connected. Ispent a decade or so writing about and against modern fascism, and yet had a blistering row with a Prof on twitter because what he was writing about fascism was deeply ignorant (and dangerously so).
Simply none of that is accurate. The most prominent funder would be George Soros, but he's no transhumanist, and this seems just like an outgrowth of his support for left-liberal causes. There's also the Pritzkers - not transhumanists. In fact none of the billionaires you mentioned is a transhumanist.
One of your commentators brought up Peter Thiel, as the new boogeyman. But Thiel doesn't push trans stuff. He mainly doesn't care (the standard transhumanist position), and has opposed exactly one Republican bill because of its anti-gay elements.
You mentioned Rothblatt, but though trans and transhumanist, Rothblatt doesn't push the ideology. I haven't found anything about her wanting to go into women's bathrooms, have men compete in women's sports, transition kids or any of the nonsense you mention. She's much, much more interested in physical immortality and replacement organs. Standard transhumanist goals.
So, yeah. It isn't some sinister cabal of transhumanists pushing this. This is up there with conflating pedophile and paediatrician.
Martine Rothblatt, a transhumanist, literally wrote a book called, "From Transgender to Transhuman: A Manifesto."
Okay. 1) Have you read it? 2) Does it argue for all the things we oppose in this - transing kids, opposing women's only spaces etc.? 3) How much does Rothblatt give to orgs like Mermaids - if any? 4) How much time does she spend on trans activism rather than biotech? 5) Why are you choosing this one voice and ignoring all the other, far more prominent ones: Kurzweil, Drexler, de Grey....?