Self-proclaimed experts target transgenders against all science and truth
In tune with the latest modernity trend, only emotions and narratives count
The first reason I find experts targeting transgender people so vile is not related to whether they are right but to the fact that they attack, without any empathy, a most vulnerable minority as if they were vermin.
This is compounded when done by powerful people with a following of millions. It doesn’t matter if it’s J.K. Rowling, Ben Shapiro, or D.J. Trump.
I left out total bigots. It’s no surprise when dictators and Nazis are anti-trans, but it stings when ‘self-declared democrats’ spread baseless hatred.
It’s up to the silent majority to understand that when we allow the singling out of one group, we each might be next. And bullying and victimizing innocent others mostly reflect poorly on the perpetrators and bystanders.
These popular politicians and commentators may be our heroes for the power they wield, the policies they try to effectuate, or their eloquence. Yet we don’t need to look away when they misstep. We need to call them out, not because we’re against them, but rather because we admire them.
Not Good Sports
Worse is that, on the heels of their work, some specialists will now claim that transgender male-to-female athletes or women taking testosterone compete unfairly. It’s a total lie. What should make us suspicious is that this ‘expert opinion’ only comes after decades without problems and right after Trump’s executive order, ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.’
And what’s next, banning tall women? Excluding butch women? And what about intersex women? This Pandora’s box should stay closed. The whole discussion often only deals with average numbers. It’s ridiculous to claim that a short and obese transgender woman athlete has an advantage.
Boxing now recognizes a total of 8-17 weight classes in which players compete. Not only does that make sex checking redundant. Why would gender play a role then, at all? This, besides my opinion that boxing is as much a sport as being a soldier and should be stopped and outlawed.
Some time ago, women couldn’t be IAF pilots because it lacked bathrooms for them. So ridiculous. In sports, there should be dressing rooms for those with male sex organs, with female sex organs, with both, and with neither. Whether they feel straight, gay, bi, cisgender, or transgender is immaterial.
Emotions Don’t Rule
Part of the anti-trans sentiment may stem from men being horrified at the idea of their castration. Some sexist men may fear that trans women would empower women, like in the fictional Tootsie and Mrs. Doubtfire. Some Trans Excluding Radical Feminists fear trans women overtaking cis women.
Some heterosexual men may resent that some ‘women turned into men’ as ‘worse’ than women coming out lesbian. How? Lesbians are uninterested in men as partners; transitioned men make straight men lose all interest.
I suspect homophobes often focus on trans people because the latter have fewer allies, but really, they suffer from general cis-hetero-supremacy.
There is no difference between calling Blacks apes, calling Jews morally inferior, calling homosexuals evil, and calling transgenders dangerous.
In a democracy, animosity is only allowed against evil and bigotry. Only. Equality means that we each are entitled to safety, dignity, and sympathy.
If you disagree, you put yourself outside democracy and should have no right to democratic liberties, such as the freedoms of speech and assembly.
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Since 1999, International Transgender Remembrance Day is observed on November 20th to honor the memory of transgender people who have been killed due to anti-transgender violence, and to raise awareness of the ongoing struggles the community faces. Be nice to the vulnerable.
About the Author
MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. *
As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. *
This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Of the 15 (!) books he has in mind, the next two are about homosexuality in Judaism and new rabbinics. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2600 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog that also may contain updates to Times of Israel posts, to which one may subscribe, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. *
He's getting ready to publicize books on: "Free Will, "Judaism and Homosexuality, "His parents in the Holocaust, "Judaism, "A New Torah Translation and "A New Hebrew Grammar, "Co-Counseling, "Vegan Facts, "Immortality, and more. *
Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He agrees that in a post-truth world, that's irrelevant, but then this is for the record. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. *
Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. *
Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. *
He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. *
He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. *
He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. *
His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. His posts are spell, grammar, and style polished by AI, but all written by himself. *
To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. *
His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1
