Liz Trotta bigoted comment

[Amy1988]

As a conservative myself I was offended by Liz Trotta referring to Chelsea Manning as a homosexual transexual. Now I don't give a ->-bleeped-<- about Chelsea Manning.  She's a criminal who betrayed her country but Liz is smart enough to know that homosexuals and transexuals are two completely different things but I guess she just wanted to demean People in general and encourage hatred.  Republicans wonder why they don't get voted into office anymore. 

[alabamagirl]

I have no idea who either of these people are. Can we please have some sort of link to a video or article?

[Ms Grace]

I think this was better suited in the Politics section so have moved it here.

Chelsea Manning, a trans woman (formerly Bradley Manning), was convicted of treason after releasing US classified info to Wikileaks a few years back. Trotta is presumably some opinionated media person.

Discussion to remain calm and respectful thanks.

[alabamagirl]

I think this was better suited in the Politics section so have moved it here.

Chelsea Manning, a trans woman (formerly Bradley Manning), was convicted of treason after releasing US classified info to Wikileaks a few years back. Trotta is presumably some opinionated media person.

Discussion to remain calm and respectful thanks.

Oh, well, "homosexual transsexual" sounds like a weird way to phrase it, but I have no idea if it was incorrect since I don't know Chelsea Manning's orientation. She could be a homosexual transsexual. Or she could be a heterosexual transsexual. Or a bisexual transsexual, etc. Since I don't know the tone of Liz Trotta's comments, or the views she holds in regard to trans* folks, I'll reserve judgment. Maybe she was just confused about the terminology.

[Amy1988]

Her tone was very condescending of gays and transgender people.  I can't find the video but it was on Fox News this morning.  Perhaps you can search their website for it.

[alabamagirl]

I searched around on foxnews.com as well as YouTube, but I couldn't find a video. I did find a quote that sounds like it may be a transcript of the remarks you're referring to by doing a regular Google search, and you're right, it's definitely transphobic.

There is something inherently wrong with the armed forces that defend us. We now know the Veterans Administration ignored hundreds of sick veterans begging for medical care to the point where some, perhaps many, lingered and died while waiting for treatment in a rigged system. At the same time we know the Pentagon is knocking itself out to render special treatment for a homosexual/transexual private convicted under the Espionage Act — a traitor, not a whistleblower. Let's review. Private Bradley Manning, now known as Chelsea Elizabeth Manning, is serving a 30-year sentence at Fort Leavenworth for making public more than 700,000 classified documents. He did this while serving as a low-level intelligence officer in Iraq. He also latched on to an Apache helicopter mission that resulted in civilian casualties. Manning passed on this mountain of explosive secrets to Wikileaks traitor Julian Assange and another fellow computer hacker who ultimately turned him into the feds. Considering time already spent in the brig Private Manning, who is diagnosed as suffering from gender dysphoria, will be eligible for parole in seven years. In the meantime he's demanding transfer to a civilian prison so he can avail himself of hormone therapy, something the Army does not do. In fact, Army policy prohibits transgenders from serving. Figure that one out. The feckless Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, is bent on banishing this restriction and allowing transgenders in he Army so the public would be forced to pay for expensive transgender medical treatment, including sex-change operations. You might call this idea just one more iteration of Obamacare. Private Manning says he wants to live life as a woman from now on and the ever-willing left, along with their cohorts in the media, now refer to Private Manning as "her" and "she." His legal name change is seen as enough reason to change his gender. He even posed for a picture wearing a blonde wig and lipstick. Policy makers for our military forces especially in the Army have created a public square to experiment with social change. Inevitably they have had to face the consequences of caving in to the latest fashion forced on them by liberal agendas. Private Manning's story is that of a mentally disturbed young man with a history of trouble in and out of the Army whose ego led him to betray his country. Why must taxpayers indulge him?
–Liz Trotta, America's News Headquarters Commentary, FNC, May 17, 2014

[HoneyStrums]

Its is definatelly opinionated, I doubt she has ever met a trans person, and doesnt know anything about trans people save it be through other media coverage.

This is just an opinion and not stated as a fact.

[Jessica Merriman]

Just another hater who will burn up some day reentering the atmosphere. Don't let them get you down as we are the bigger person.

[Amy1988]

I searched around on foxnews.com as well as YouTube, but I couldn't find a video. I did find a quote that sounds like it may be a transcript of the remarks you're referring to by doing a regular Google search, and you're right, it's definitely transphobic.

Yeah thats part of her commentary I saw.  Normally I agree with most of her opinions but this the first time Ive seen her demean a group of people whom have done nothing to her.  I guess its still socially acceptable treat us as second class citizens hence the reason we here that kind of garbage. 

[suzifrommd]

At the risk of getting myself in trouble, I'll point out that there seems to be an opinion in some American conservative circles that obtaining book knowledge on a subject dooms one to be a member of some sort of intellectual elite, and there is some sort of virtue in not allowing one's principles to be diluted with facts.

It's not universal, and it's understandable. There are commentators (on both sides of the political spectrum, but I see this more among conservatives) who want to appeal to folk with little formal education, and to convince such folk they are one of "them". To such people, understanding the difference between "homosexual", "transgender", and "transsexual" would smack of the worst type of intellectualism.

Personally, I'm deeply troubled at this turn that conservatism seems to have taken, since it means groups like us are more likely to be targeted, but for now it's the American political reality, and to be conservative in 21st century America seems to mean understanding and accepting this.

[JamesG]

@ Suzi-
If you think you already know all there is important to know ("this is right that is wrong") about a subject, why would you spend the time continuing to research it?

Don't confuse criticism of intellectual myopia with a lack of interest in knowledge or "intellectualism".

As Western culture continues to liberalize, and established institutions change and even are destroyed, it is completely predictable that there is reactionary resistance to it. It is what always happens.

Yeah thats part of her commentary I saw.  Normally I agree with most of her opinions but this the first time Ive seen her demean a group of people whom have done nothing to her.  I guess its still socially acceptable treat us as second class citizens hence the reason we here that kind of garbage.

Before she declared herself transgendered Manning described/classified himself as "gay".  If what is gay or straight relative to preferred gender is a matter of debate/confusion among transgendered people just imagine the  to straight-laced cis people?

BTW- Manning didn't do the transgendered world any favors by coming out.  Also paying attention to by talking about and linking to views and opinions you don't like or are 'wrong' gives them more power than if they are simply ignored and allowed to wither away.

[ErinWDK]

My political position is being redefined fairly quickly at this point in life.  Based on that I have dropped Fox News as a news source, and the comments noted here confirm that decision.  I have seen Liz Trotta spewing her stuff a few times and I really didn't care much for it - but this is worse.

It is becoming really hard to define "conservative."  Down at my core I consider myself to be conservative, but as time goes on I find I have less and less in common with pundits and politicians who trumpet that they are conservative.  At this point I seem to be looking for some sort of middle road between the two fixed, polar opposite, factions in Washington.  Oh My!  And I need to go vote in a Primary Election tomorrow...

Such is life.


Erin

[JamesG]

Fox News can be amusing, in small doses.  Sadly, it seems almost all broadcast journalism and news channels have fallen victim to this "hysterical hyperbole". They are just at different points of the political compass...

[Tysilio]

The Army is too liberal?? Just... wow. What passes for "conservatism" in the media, including the internet, these days is just bonkers. If I were an actual conservative (which I'm not remotely), I would be furious at being identified with most of those jerks.

[alabamagirl]

I've long since stopped identifying with any particular political ideology. I want my opinions to be viewed on their own merits without being run through this weird liberal/conservative dichotomy that everything seems to be viewed through the prism of in America. Almost no issues are black or white. There are almost always more than two ways to look at things, and I rarely find the way I see things in line with either major party.

[JamesG]

Yup. Its actually going to get dangerous as the economic/political pie gets smaller and more centralized and the real claws of political power come out instead of it being simple and largely hypothetical social policy debates.

[cmh91]

I consider Chelsea Manning and people like her heroes.

As for the comment, what do you expect from the right wing media?

[Eris]

I consider Chelsea Manning and people like her heroes.

I completely agree, revealing the truth about the actions of our governments should never be regarded as a crime.

She's a criminal who betrayed her country

Perhaps before branding someone a traitor you should consider whether there's a teency weency little chance that a government which is trying so hard to prevent the truth about what they're doing from becoming public knowledge might have good reason to be ashamed of it's actions?

In the UK we have an abhorrent law known as the official secrets act.
If someone who has signed the official secrets act comes forth with knowledge of a crime committed by any member of the government then they face a mandatory prison sentence of two years.
A jury is not allowed to find that the person is not guilty.
That's right, revealing that the government has committed a crime is a crime itself and we've thrown out the notion that people are innocent until proven guilty.