hellnogaycism:

This is an old tweet, from one of the presidential debates, but it is something that is still relevant. Dan Savage has been known for his ignorant comments about race, trans individuals, bisexuality, asexuality and everything else under the sun, but what is interesting about this particular tweet is that in his world it is okay to make sexist comments in the name of irony or sarcasm  And we, the follower, are idiots if we don’t get that what he is saying is sarcastic and not just another one of his nonsensical comments.

This is what makes Dan Savage dangerous: he gets the blessing of being an equality champion from the mainstream straight and gay media without ever being called out on his various modes of oppressive statements. Savage become a creditable source for the mainstream (in actuality he really only advocates for those individuals that share his characteristics) while everyone else who isn’t in the mainstream are left to figure out how they can get their message of oppression out to the world and perhaps also show the hypocrisy of Savage. 

(via queerandpresentdanger)

Source: hellnogaycism

projectqueer:

hellnogaycism:

A reblog of our post about Dan Savage’s tweet reminded us that not everyone has heard the whole story of what makes Dan Savage the absolute worst possible representative for the queer community. Some otherwise great, well-meaning queer folks still think of him as someone who has done a lot for “our community.” 

If you think that, please go read this post. Dan Savage doesn’t care about uplifting anyone other than people just like him. He may say he cares, he may even believe he cares, but his words do more harm than good.

You can also check out this post that I compiled.

You can also check out this post - with a cartoon of Dan Savage.

TW: Each of the above links discuss rape/rape apology, cissexism, transmisogyny, ableism, monosexism, T slurs, racism, and much more problematic stuff that Dan Savage has said/done. Please be cautious when reading.

——————————————————————————————————————

DragonfLi: Is this completely made up? I’ve been reading Dans advice column for many years, over a decade in fact, and none of this sounds even remotely like him. I think all these articles were written by someone else or changed drastically from what he wrote.

——————————————————————————————————————

TW: if you go to DragonfLi’s blog, there is fitspo bull shit everywhere.

Project Queer: @DragonfLi - Did you even read any of the links? There are over 20 links listed within those resources linked above - all proving that Dan Savage is an unapologetic, bigoted asshole. The links above have multiple resources from multiple people with multiple accounts of shitty advice and oppression. They even have screencaps and LITERALLY posts FROM DAN SAVAGE’S own SAVAGE LOVE COLUMN!

What more do you want? Because you are not going to get a fully fledged confession and/or apology from the likes of Dan Savage.

Folks, just because you do not see that something is highly problematic, does not mean it is not there. Or - in this case - everywhere. Moreover, just because you do not WANT to see something as problematic, does not mean it automatically is not. PLEASE READ THE LINKS.

"But what's so bad about Dan Savage?"

hellnogaycism:

A reblog of our post about Dan Savage’s tweet reminded us that not everyone has heard the whole story of what makes Dan Savage the absolute worst possible representative for the queer community. Some otherwise great, well-meaning queer folks still think of him as someone who has done a lot for “our community.” 

If you think that, please go read this post. Dan Savage doesn’t care about uplifting anyone other than people just like him. He may say he cares, he may even believe he cares, but his words do more harm than good.

You can also check out this post that I compiled.

You can also check out this post - with a cartoon of Dan Savage.

TW: Each of the above links discuss rape/rape apology, cissexism, transmisogyny, ableism, monosexism, T slurs, racism, and much more problematic stuff that Dan Savage has said/done. Please be cautious when reading.

ASK: What's the story about Dan Savage? (I made this response post re-bloggable for those who requested it).

projectqueer:

(TRIGGER WARNING:discussion of cissexism, cissexist language/slurs, suicide (it gets better campaign), rape apologism, victim-blaming, body-shaming, slut-shaming)

Updated: December 11, 2012 (new links, new sources!)

While Dan Savage has done things for the gay and lesbian communities, he DOES exclude and/or outright INSULT many minorities within the queer community - namely bisexuals, pansexuals, and those in the transgender*, genderqueer, and gender non-conforming communities. He willfully spreads misinformation, lies, and stereotypes.

Sources for these accusations are located and proven here:

He HAS also proven to be a rape apologist, slut-shamer, ableist, AND racist a number of times.

While I think that the It Gets Better Campaign was a well-meaning project, it DOES offer false hopes - especially if members of the community are excluded/ignored. The truth is, it offers hope for the few privileged queers who believe in it. And frankly, IGB is more of a PR campaign for those who take part in it than anything else.

QueerWatch discusses this much further here.

I also suggest reading this.

When these accusations are brought to Savage’s attention, he either does not respond or reiterates the fact that most of his worst statements occurred a number of years ago.

The problem is: THESE ARE RE-OCCURRING ISSUES!

If anyone is interested, there is also a tumblr just for Dan Savage regarding all the aforementioned topics located here.

amajor7: Dan Savage (founder of the “It Gets Better” project) is a perfect example of the whole “LGBT pride so long as you’re only a white cisman and nothing else” community. Here are a few of the things he’s done: He has called trans* people “trannies” and “shemales”, as well as told a parent they were selfish for not waiting until their child has graduated from high school to have their sex-change operation. [x] He has attacked a rape survivor over her relationship with her husband [x] Savage falsely labeled Washington State Attorney Rob Mckenna as transgender as a joke(?) [x] He has stated that “avoiding bi guys is a good rule of thumb for gay men looking for long-term relationships.” [x] You can find more of his sexist, racist, transphobic, biphobic comments here.
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amajor7:

Dan Savage (founder of the “It Gets Better” project) is a perfect example of the whole “LGBT pride so long as you’re only a white cisman and nothing else” community.

Here are a few of the things he’s done:

  • He has called trans* people “trannies” and “shemales”, as well as told a parent they were selfish for not waiting until their child has graduated from high school to have their sex-change operation. [x]
  • He has attacked a rape survivor over her relationship with her husband [x]
  • Savage falsely labeled Washington State Attorney Rob Mckenna as transgender as a joke(?) [x]
  • He has stated that “avoiding bi guys is a good rule of thumb for gay men looking for long-term relationships.” [x]

You can find more of his sexist, racist, transphobic, biphobic comments here.

(via natureslittlecriminal)

Source: amajor7

Dan Savage Glittered Again, Student Arrested

queerinsurrection:

On November 9th, Dan Savage was the recipient of a “glitter bomb” stunt for the second time this month so far. He was continuing his MTV tour at University of California Irvine. One of the students involved in the stunt was grabbed by the police and arrested.

According to my source at the event, Savage was in the middle of answering a question from a student who was wondering if her boyfriend was a freak because he watched porn featuring trans women. Savage suggested that her boyfriend was a freak, while freely using the terms “shemale” and “freaky tranny porn.” That is when two individuals ran up and threw glitter on him yelling “Transphobe!” Someone from the MTV tech crew muttered “Oh, not again!” Savage laughed it off and said that being gay he loves glitter.

Later, when another student was asking him about the incident, Savage answered, “I’m used to it.”

Savage’s use of the terms “tranny” and “shemale” are a minor part of the complaints being lodged against him, however, the use of those slurs is the most visible and most discussed part of them. Savage has claimed that he was transphobic 15 years ago but isn’t anymore, however, if that is true than why would Dan choose to use those same derogatory slurs knowing how much anger it draws from the trans community and so soon on the heels of the first glitter stunt?

Was he being antagonistic or just oblivious?

Considering that he is being called transphobic so frequently that he now says he is “used to it,” it’s hard to understand how he can continue to see himself as a spokesperson for the LGBT community rather than solely a gay spokesperson. Especially when he apparently has begun bringing police to his events to protect him from the community he claims to represent.

It’s worth noting that as far as I can tell activists from previous glitter stunts have not been arrested or faced charges, including those targeting Karl Rove, Michelle Bachman, and Newt Gingrich. It is not clear if Savage requested charges be pressed or if local police are pressing charges on their own initiative, but if he allows charges to be pressed on his behalf, it will be extremely disappointing if he is less capable of handling glitter-based criticism than the conservatives that had previously been the target of it.

After the first glitter stunt, many reported on the fact that it was being used to criticize a gay man, calling it a queer-on-queer glitter bombing. Unlike previous glitter bomb stunts, the message was clearly based on anti-trans actions rather than anti-gay ones. In this light, calling it a queer-on-queer would be akin to calling Michele Bachman a target of a white-on-white glitter bombing. The shared identities are besides the point, Bachman’s glitter bombing was not about whiteness and Savage’s glitter bombing was not about gayness.

There is still significance in the fact that gay and trans communities are supposed to be in coalition together and that infighting can damage that coalition. However, for those concerned about infighting, it is vitally important to see the whole picture and acknowledge Savage’s anti-trans actions as unprovoked infighting that this is responding to.

As a movement, we have to be able to criticize our allies or else they are not really allies. That doesn’t mean beating upon them like a punching bag as a way to vent our frustration with the world. That doesn’t mean the good things they are doing don’t count. It’s not about who they are deep inside or their value as a human being. It just means that something they did was unacceptable and has to change.

It was hard not to notice all the cis (non-trans) people rushing to defend Savage’s transphobic actions and argue that he should be free to continue them. In many cases, this was based on an appreciation of the good work he has done with only a minimal understanding of the complaints against him.

As our community has a conversation around this issue, I would suggest that those who consider themselves allies to trans people and feel the urge to aggressively defend Savage may benefit by prioritising listening to trans people’s voices on the matter. And it goes without saying that no weight should be given to those who do not consider themselves allies to trans people and insist on telling trans people that their concerns are not valid.

Update: Dan Savage has responded via text message to Joe My God. He dismisses the criticism against him as “ridiculous” and notes that he was only mirroring the language a cis audience member was using and did mention that “some people have a problem with it.”

It is disappointing that he continues offer excuses and be unwilling to listen to the concerns of the trans community. It was that unwillingness to listen that prompted activists to resort to these stunts to the community’s attention. As I note in a comment below, if a white audience member used a racial slur, that would not be an excuse for him to nonchalantly use the slur after mentioning that “some people have a problem with it.” It should not be an adequate excuse here, either.

______________________________________________

It’s also very important to note that UCI has a violent history with the police.  Please see issues with the Irvine 11 and the Irvine 19 for more details (linked below).

 http://occupyca.wordpress. com/2011/09/15/breaking-ucipd-simulating-an-anti-occupation-operation-at-uc-irvine/ 

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/09/irvine-11-sentenced-probation-no-jail-time.html 

http://occupyuci.wordpress.com/2011/01/09/chalk-is-still-free-speech/ 

http://www.ucrebelradio.com/2011/10/grim-future-of-humanities-uc-irvine.html

Wow. The Dan Savage post has received over 250 notes since I posted it last night.

I find this quite interesting, folks.

The post originally started as a response to an ask inquiring why so many people in the queer community are not fans of Dan Savage or his rhetoric. Both myself and my friend (and guestwriter) Scrappy responded to the ask - and later we made it rebloggable since so many people requested it afterwards.

(You can view it here).

Now, it makes me wonder if I should elaborate on the issues that Dan Savage presents to the queer community. After all, Scrappy and I merely touched on SOME of the issues people have had with Dan Savage. There is much more to discuss.

And so I have a few questions:

  • Would anyone want me to elaborate further?
  • Would anyone be interested in reading an essay about it?
  • Or perhaps I could create a page here on Project Queer dedicated to discussing bigotry WITHIN the queer community?

Let me know what you all think, yeah? Thank you.

Sincerely,

Riley

ASK: What’s the story about Dan Savage? (I made this response post re-bloggable for those who requested it).

(TRIGGER WARNING: discussion of cissexism, cissexist language/slurs, suicide (it gets better campaign), rape apologism, victim-blaming, body-shaming, slut-shaming)

Updated: December 11, 2012

While Dan Savage has done things for the gay and lesbian communities, he DOES exclude or outright INSULT many minorities within the queer community - namely bisexuals, pansexuals, and those in the trans*, genderqueer, and gender non-conforming communities.

He HAS also been accused (a number of times) for being a rape apologist, slut-shamer, AND racist.

While I think that the It Gets Better Campaign is a well-meaning project, it DOES offer false hopes - especially if members of the community are excluded/ignored. It is more of a PR campaign for those who take part than anything else.

When these accusations are brought to Savage’s attention he either does not respond or reiterates the fact that most of his worst statements occurred a number of years ago.

The problem is: IT IS A RE-OCCURRING ISSUE.

His most recent bout of news: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/02/dan-savage-glitterbombed-oregon-transphobia-_n_1071627.html

And, lastly… if anyone is interested, there is also a tumblr just for Dan Savage regarding all the aforementioned topics: http://fucknodansavage.tumblr.com/

I hope that answers your question, anon. Good day to you. <3

Sincerely,

Riley (PQ creator/editor)

P.S. If you would like to see videos of Dan Savage actually SAYING these things, simply type things like ‘Dan Savage biphobia’, ‘Dan Savage cissexism’, etc. into youtube’s search engine.

The resources are endless really…

Gay Homophobe Raises $1500+ For Truth Wins Out

by Dan Savage

Gay Homophobe—a simple website that tracks the outings/comings out/stumblings out of anti-gay politicians and religious leaders like Phil Hinkle, Ted Haggard, Roberto Arango, et al—quickly went viral after it was launched a few weeks ago. With thousands of people checking in on the site every day, the site’s creator decided to add a widget that allowed people to make a donation to a gay organization that’s out there fighting the good fight.

So far Gay Homophobe has raised $1520 for Truth Wins Out.

Dan Savage challenges Herman Cain to prove being gay is a choice (NSFW)

gaywrites:

Outraged at the presidential candidate’s claim that a person chooses to be gay, columnist Dan Savage has challenged Herman Cain to prove that this is a choice by turning gay himself. 

He posted the following open letter to Cain on his blog:

Dear Herman,
If being gay is a choice, show us the proof. Choose it. Choose to be gay yourself. Show America how that’s done, Herman, show us how a man can choose to be gay. Suck my dick, Herman. Name the time and the place and I’ll bring my dick and a camera crew and you can suck me off and win the argument.
Very sincerely yours,
Dan Savage

When someone argues that being gay is a choice, he’s not just insulting gay people. (And ignoring the science of sexual orientation.) He’s insulting straight people. If homosexuality is a choice, then so is heterosexuality. Last night on CNN Herman Cain said that being straight is something that a straight person can take or leave. Herman Cain believes that heterosexuality is something a heterosexual can decide to walk away from, like a underwater house or a lousy meal. Straight people should get angry when they hear a straight person making this argument.

Is this the right way to make a point?

(via thehopeharvest)

Source: gaywrites

Dan Savage wants Herman Cain to prove being gay is a choice | LGBTQNATION.com

Herman Cain wants to see proof that being gay is not a choice. Dan Savage wants Cain to prove homosexuality is a choice, and has a suggestion on how Cain can do that — “Suck my dick, Herman.”

Cain, who is running for the GOP presidential nomination, has repeatedly said he believes being gay is a choice, and challenges interviewers to “show me the science” that says it’s not.

Appearing on CNN’s Piers Morgan on Thursday, Cain said that he respects that gays and lesbians have the “right to make that choice. I don’t have to agree with it. That’s all I’m saying.” Earlier this month, Cain told “The View” co-host Joy Behar, “You show me the science that says that it’s not [a choice], and I could be persuaded.”

Now, Savage — a nationally syndicated relationship and sex advice columnist, and co-founder of “It Gets Better,” a suicide prevention project aimed at LGBT youth — wants Cain to prove that homosexuality is, in fact a choice.

Click the link above to read the full article.