From the “there goes the MTF end of things sucking all the air out of the room again” division: in fact there were two trans people appointed by the Obama administration in late November.
The difficulty arose because Simpson is a former NCTE Board member, & so they sent out a press release noting their former board member’s new job, which is what caused all the hullabaloo.
I just wanted to clarify, as I’ve been taken to task for laying the blame on Simpson herself, that I was NOT blaming her, or even NCTE, for “sucking all the air out of the room.”
The attention being paid Simpson is a result of people’s prurient bullshit – as demonstrated by that “joke” on Letterman – a la Julia Serano’s critiques of the way trans women are portrayed in media.
Much more to say, but for now, just wanted to be clear.
Thank you, Helen. I went back and forth on whether to make that point, and as I sit down to try to make it in a good way, you’re there ahead of me.
Grace