Embarrassing. Absolutely embarrassing and disgusting. Bob, please know that a bunch of us are doing all we can to overturn this and bring some levity back to this damn state we live in. Proud of Bruce and hope more people have the courage to make a stand.
Doug Daniel
President, CEO
EastCoast Entertainment
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I grew up in a house with a single washroom 6 kids 2 parents and lots of friends, didn't give a shit who took a dump before me.
Bruce did good, anyone who doesn't think so should spend a week in Paris using their transit system.
Byron Suley
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Oh such irony Bob. The same people hating on Springsteen (or Neil Young) for taking a stand on something are the same crew who remind us how in the "old days" music spoke out against things versus the "crap" today . #HopeIDieBeforeIGetOld
Mark Irvine
_____________________________________
I really wish everyone would realize that trans people have been using the restrooms of their choice for years, it's that simple. Did anyone ever notice, of course not?
This hateful talk is the result of politicians winding their constituents up, for their own aggrandizement. It is pathetic.
Springsteen did the right thing. Period. And more entertainers and businesses need to follow him. Religious intolerance will be the death of this country. Never forget that the founders came here in the first place to avoid religious intolerance, hence their insistence on separation of church and state!
Love your letters Bob. May you continue to "Live long and prosper".
Regards
Peter Brentnall
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A hot one, no...? I live in North Carolina and have, as have so many progressives in this state (yes, we're still here), followed this cynical right-wing Republican maneuver since just before it was squeezed off, under cover of dark. The "bathroom issue," as the say in standardized testing, is a "distractor." Heinous and misconstrued as that provision is, and it is very, on both counts, the substance of HB2 is much more dark and insidious! And given the current national political climate, this may be just an early shot, to be followed by a volley. Your readers would be well served to see the more broad implications of what's coming to a legislature near them. Here's a read regarding HB2: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article68401147.html
Rob Slater
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Dear Bob,
Why not take all the bitching and moaning, the agreement, and support, Let's see if it can be used to move the fulcrum, under the plank, to something effective..
1) Perhaps all those responders, should become the management of Mr. Springsteen, rather than Barbara Carr (CAA 1 424 ___ ____) or Jon Landau, head of the nominating committee of the R and R Hall of Fame, and a major contributor to Mr. Springsteen's success.. I'm told.. You'll all get far more traction, as Bob calls it,/visibility, in that role.
2) Why not freeze ALL the refunds (from your local point of purchase), and assign those funds to mount a Class Action Suit... Against the State of NC. Look at the gross ticket sales, w/o the Promoters %, That otta get somethin' accomplished, in perhaps a number of areas..
3) Can we possibly move forward..? Then everybody is accomplishing something..!
4) The only problem is ... Can you agree on anything...?
Yours Truly
Chipmonck.
_____________________________________
As usual, these comments are from the men's club. Too bad. A couple of responses from women. Too bad. I've actually lived with the issue. For several years in the early 2000s, my office was across the hall from a psychologist who administered what appeared to be a social work/state funded agency that supported the needs of this group. Maybe the property managers put us together because I was empathetic as both of us catered to society's marginal clients. For five years when none of this was a hot political issue, I shared my bathroom with transsexuals, men who dressed in women's clothes, who had better hairdos and who wore more make up than I do. I quickly became friends with everybody, they invited me to their parties across the hall and had me often speak to the group about my work and my life. I think it's because I'm sensitive and at the time, I lived in the Boston neighborhood with the densest gay population, spending a lot of time in clubs with clients who played music in the
transgendered/transsexual bars, restaurants and clubs in that neighborhood. That's the backstory. I think that Dan Millen, my colleague, has nailed the issue- at first, I was a bit annoyed that this group was sharing what is typically a "female" space, but that's become relative, and I never felt threatened. I actually got used to them and our conversations in and out of the stalls, sharing girl information with them. They always asked me a lot of questions, including personal ones and I always responded.. It never really bothered me unless they were gossiping about me - which as women, we sometimes do in the ladies room,.although not generally within earshot of the other person. I had to remember that they were not born female, so getting to know their idiosyncrasies made me even more sympathetic. The individuals I met were great people, many of them with stories of former substance abuse and prostitution. My heart went out to them for their courage to survive, especially in the
skin they had been given in life. So - as a women, I'm OK with sharing my personal space with this community...even though there are a lot of particular biological issues that this population can't share with us, menstruation, menopause, etc. So what? It's not disgusting and it's no big deal to me. These individuals can't go to the men's room and they're not in our bathroom to hurt us. Maybe some women are uncomfortable..but this one isn't. The only alternative is to create a special bathroom for this particular population and I'm not sure that's not the best solution either. So, I say live and let live and embrace this community! They are no real threat to us as women. And the reality is, a man is going to get into the ladies room if he is intent on hurting a woman, whether he is dressed as a man or a woman.
Patti Jones
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How about going back to NC honor all the tickets and do a special show?
Inessab
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What amazes me is how there was zero uproar when The Academy denied the first transgender Oscar nominee, Anohni, a performance. And the supporters of such causes on the show said nothing.
J Kauchick.
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Just a publicity stunt for Bruce, who is over the hill and looking for publicity.
What ever happened to COMMON SENSE??
What ever happened to PRIVACY ??
Since when does 4% of the population get to make the rules......it's a sure road the social CHAOS....be careful what you wish for.
Matt Mavrolas
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Go Brucie ! I hope this is only the beginning, because; "Before this law, it was already legal in Mississippi -- and 27 other states -- for a business to refuse LGBT people services. That means gay men, lesbians and transgender people could be asked to leave a shopping mall or be refused services by a hairdresser. (That number is even higher for transgender people in 32 states)." - The Washington Post
Owen
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Canadian viewpoint:
the government we finally got rid of a few months ago was going to install a get ready for it "barbaric practices hotline." which is Canuckese for "see something unwhite and possibly wearing a veil call in and report. That was Stasi Steve Harper pulling out all the hate to win an election. So you're not alone down there good neighbors. Of course you still that Walker dude in Wisconsin who wants to build a wall along the Canuckian border but hey some other day.
Thomas Paine
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Bruce had a commitment and should have followed through for a multitude of reasons regardless of how the crap discriminatory legislation. Play the show, give your speech about your views on the issue on stage and you would get just as much publicity on it without leaving people in the lurch.
As far is this "issue" - until all the businesses and government buildings can be equipped with unisex bathrooms pee at home or at Trader Joe's or Starbucks or any other place where no one else is in there with you and no one cares. That goes for people on both sides. It's an overblown stupid first-world problem. I wonder what the women of India who have to go 14 hours with no place to go would say. The entire controversy is asinine. Both sides are wrong.
Christian Unruh
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Here's the thing. Anyone who calls someone from the south a Redneck over this issue is a hypocrite. If you believe your opinion is the only opinion then you might consider Saudi Arabia or North Korea. 2 places where there is only 1 opinion. What makes this county great is that we are ALL allowed our own opinion. Lately it seems like whatever political party is in power forces their particular world view on the underserved majority. It's all BS. Bruce is a stand up guy but it's so obvious he is trying to be "current." I'm A big fan but for the past 35 years Bruce has been singing about women that he wanted to save. But not with legislation but with "velvet rims." So I view this this as old mans sad attempt to be "relevant"
Glenn Lazzaro
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Hey Sean Mormelo-
Please jump off a cliff.
Love,
the World
(Kevin Lathrop)
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It does not matter which side of the isle you are on. The 2 things below are always true.
#1. Do not let your kid go to the bathroom by themselves.
#2. If a creep wants to go into a bathroom they figured out how to be a creep.
The fact that a law was made with taxpayer money about someone taking a leak is the issue.
The boss used his voice to launch a discussion. "Born in the USA"!
Donovan Welsh
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Wow. That Steve Zweig guy is a bigoted asshole who doesn't get it. It's a shame you published his opinion. I don't mind opposing viewpoints but at least use someone who understands the issues and isn't just hateful and tone deaf.
Christian Lane
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There is no god, and fuck North Carolina.
Frank Esposito
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I think the people responding who criticize Bruce for his cancellation are viewing him only as the artist we know and love. The disappointment and travel costs felt by his fans are happening because he just wanted us to read his letter. Isn't this protest really about business, just like many others across similar states (PayPal, etc.)? These shows (and Bruce Inc.) are big business.
The point of all these boycotts is to motivate local people to protest and create change because the politicians are causing them economic pain, not just because they didn't get to see The Boss this time around. That's his power. I hope his fans are complaining to their state legislature, not Bruce. They are the ones at fault. I'm guessing it was a tough decision for Bruce on several levels, especially knowing he would alienate some hardcore fans.
Robert Bond
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"Rule #1. of showbiz
"The show must go on!"
Phin Daly
Marathon Music Mgmt. LLC"
Rule #2: if you would have had Bruce play the show anyway you probably shouldn't be managing acts.
-Rich Gilberto
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I'm glad Springsteen has done this, it shows that artists can make a serious impact.
The HB2 bill itself is an awful piece of legislation which does not just affect bathrooms, it also removes the right under state law to sue for many types of employment discrimination.
https://www.propublica.org/article/why-north-carolinas-new-anti-lgbt-law-is-a-trojan-horse
The lawmakers who are making these bills are doing this not to protect women or children, it is a cynical way of introducing far more draconian legislation though the back door. These legislators are no friend to women, with many states (and the GOP generally) resisting and restricting access to abortion and curtailing women's reproductive rights.
If only Springsteen and other artists would take a stand against this activity, which affects over one half of the population of the USA, this truly could make the US a better country.
Miranda Yardley
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"Limousine liberal"? "Couple 100 Mill in the bank"? These people are castigating Springsteen for being rich and famous, but it's that position that gives him power. Does he really need the publicity? Really? Suppose some little band touring on a shoestring cancelled their NC gig - who would notice? Who would care?
Stewart McGuire
London
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A simple question - how many transgender folk are there in North Carolina who want to use the opposite sex bathroom ?
Over here in London you have a hard enough time as a disabled person finding a suitable toilet - and there are over a million people classed as disabled in the UK so let's keep the numbers in context.
Micky Allen
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It's truly eye opening reading the wide variety of responses to Bruce's cancellation. It reflects how split we are as a country, from how tolerant and accepting some folks are and how nasty and mean-spirited others are and a bunch in the middle somewhere. I'll bet I can predict how almost all of them will vote, if they do vote, in November.
What I can say is that the road to equal rights in this country is a long and very bumpy one that will bend but never break. At some point all people will have the same rights even if there are many who resent it and get pushed to the side of the road along the way.
Jeff Capshew
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America is full of Springsteen fans who don't understand what he's been singing about for the last 40+ years. The ones who think "Born in the USA" is a patriotic party song. Apparently, listening is hard.
Rob Simpson
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Your followers that are Bruce fans give me hope. The former fans turning their backs on him now, never knew what he is about. I've been a fan since I was a kid in the 80's. I've always been fans of bands with something of value to say. Only a few people are saying anything of substance anymore. I hope Bruce keeps going and that someone from my generation picks up his legacy and runs with it. I fear for the world if no one does.
Joel Price
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And the same "bathroom privacy" bill is probably going to pass here in Tennessee, even after all this hoopla. It would be awfully interesting to know how many ticketholders to the Bruce show in NC had voted for the NC legislators and governor who supported this terrible legislation.
My late law partner used to say that people get the government they deserve. To which I would say, "But I don't deserve this!"
Ah, woe is we.
Douglas C. Weinstein
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Can't wait until the handful of people in this world that think they are cats trapped in human bodies finally get their rights. Yes, there's at least one girl in Europe that's convinced she was meant to be a cat. Until the moment comes when our medical establishment figures out how to do a "mammalian re-assignment" surgery, maybe we can mandate gender neutral litterboxes and pet-doors in all State and Federal Buildings.
Our society grows sicker by the day. I love how nobody points out that Bruce Jenner, the poster "boy" for transgenders didn't just want to be a woman. Bruce wanted to be an attractive young woman. "Kaitlyn" looks like a bad version of Cindy Crawford. But nobody mentions this. It bears repeating - Bruce Jenner wasn't a 70 year old woman trapped in a man's body, he's a wanna-be female 40-something model "trapped" in a old man's body. Why wasn't he referred to a psycho-analyst? Amazing that we've gone this far as a society. We now have butt-implants, calf implants, augmentation of the lips, facelifts, hair transplants, liposuction et.al. And doctors will do whatever people want, cause it pays well. Whatever happened to just growing old? Why do 70 year old men and women feel compelled to look like people in the midst of their reproductive years? The narcissist fears growing old and death more than anything else - that's why.
We are sick. And instead of the medical community referring people to psychiatrists - because of course nobody is mentally ill anymore, they figure out ways to satiate people's craziest desires no matter how irrational. I hope this isn't just the tip of the iceberg, but I think it is. And yes, I am all for gay rights but there should be a line somewhere.
John Gaulke
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Bob, I've already written to you about what Springsteen did in reaction to this law. But having plowed through many (but not all) the responses you have printed I have to respond about how people think and, I feel, misunderstand this law.
The law is a Trojan Horse. The bathroom issue is the big, elegant wooden horse.
The ill-meaning army hiding inside is the part of the law that says the state nor any city within in may not pass a law against employers discriminating against employees or applicants for employment who are gay or whom the employer believes are gay. That is what the NC legislature went to the trouble to do. The cooked-up idea of non-transgender men in dresses being enabled to watch women undress and pee is just something to scare people and draw attention away from the aim of a law codifying protection for discrimination (like voter ID laws, the bathroom issue is a solution-in-search-of-a-problem). They meant to protect NC employers right to fire people out of bigotry. Argue about how the show must go on if you want, but let's understand this law.
Joe Lee Henderson
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Also on the subject of taking a stand for something meaningful, I'm guessing you heard of Bomani Jones on ESPN doing just that?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7jewkD3dbds
Geronimo Son
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Per Steve Zweig's comment: if we turn back the clock a bit, might we
hear this...?
1. Negros are less than 13% of the population. A very noisy minority.
2. Opposition does not necessarily equate to "hate".
3. What about the great majority of folks...girls and women who would
be very uncomfortable with Negros showing up in the ladies' rooms.
4. The problem would not be the Negro population. It would be with the
'bad actors' who would barge into the ladies' rooms and misbehave.
and you know they will show up -- denial is a river in Egypt.
5. Whatever happened to millenia-old common-sense, Bob??!?
6. I'm SOOO tired of this sh*t!!!
I'm tired too, Steve...
John Dlugosz
(& Todd Porter)
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More GOP politicians have been arrested for sexual misconduct in bathrooms than trans people.
Ken Alterwitz
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A few years back, I went to a new library on the campus of NC State that is among the most advanced in the US. While there, I saw a reference to several areas of NC without dentists. Hopefully, they have solved that problem and can now focus on toilets.
richard eichen
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I think Springsteen is doing what corporations are doing, it's just a PR move.
The working-class dude worked hard, paid for his ticket and is not gonna get the show because of politics.
So once again, the Man wins and Springsteen sided with him for the sake of a PR move on the level of tech companies who have to over-communicate about whatever social issue they can side on so people forget that at the end of the day they're in for the profit and nothing else.
I'd do a gig in North Korea, just so people would have a good time. I don't care about the dictator, I don't care about the Man.
Ben The French Toast
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To all those who think it's fine for a baker to refuse to bake a cake for a gay couple, would it also be all right for a restaurant to refuse service to a gay couple? Is that OK in your book?
If you're going to be that kind of person, I say go all the way. Require those businesses to post in their window "Homosexuals Will Not Be Served in This Establishment." See how quickly their business goes down the drain.
But they won't post that truth for the world to see, they'd rather have an unsuspecting customer walk in and be embarrassed and humiliated, then feel righteous and superior. Cowards.
Gary Stockdale
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About the Springsteen/ NC issue- His boycott was the exact right thing to do. It is true that the show's cancellation will have an impact on the small business owners and workers who would have benefited economically from a Bruce concert in town. Unfortunately those are the exact folks who need to feel this pain. They are the voters who elected these bigoted legislators. My bet is that most of those folks who will lose money as a result of the show's cancellation are critical of the law. But enough are not. And they must know that there is a consequence for empowering biased officials to enact such useless hate-based legislation.
And to those who fear their daughters will encounter a transvestite in a restroom, I suggest they have more to fear from a straight male stalker who will watch to see if she enters a restroom alone.
The law is the definition of bigotry. NC, get rid of the law and the legislators who supported it.
Paul Vincent Nunes
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One could say that the Boss turned down an opportunity to be persuasive with 15,000 people who want to hear what he has to say.
R. Lowenstein
_____________________________________
I emailed the North Carolina Tourism Bureau and asked them,
in light of the recent legislation, if i needed to bring my birth
certificate with me the next time I visited NC.
I have yet to receive a response.
Michael Wright
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And here we see a totally different perspective play out (no pun intended)... Buffett decides to perform since the fans sold the show out long before the lawmakers signed the 'stupid bill in to Law. But....going forward Buffett said it will be up to the fans in NC on how they choose to vote for or against the lawmakers who were responsible in signing this Bill in to Law. Guess it will be a 'wait and see' in shows being scheduled going forward. Interesting mindset.... he's not 'punishing the fans' this go around but is still making a statement about how he feels. And then passes the Margarita Mix to his fans for the future partaking or.....not.
http://abc11.com/entertainment/jimmy-buffet-says-hell-play-in-nc-despite-stupid-law/1286141/
Lara Ellis
_____________________________________
I think the problem is that it's acceptable in this country to be a bigoted, hate-filled piece of shit. A lot of people certainly choose to go that way.
Sure, decent people have had enough of it, but not quite enough to be the first on their block to do the right thing and ostracize their mechanic or preacher or fishing buddy. The next thing you know, we have, well, what he have here.
We need leaders - cultural, social leaders, artists - to go first and stand up and say it's not cool anymore to let this stuff slide and it IS OK to make people accountable for their behavior.
So, Bruce, thank you!
Rock on.
-Carl Seibert
_____________________________________
Some sad bigotry among your fan base. Reminds me of the old saw: When your entire culture is cis hetero-patriarchal & white supremacist to its foundation, even tiny adjustments to equality -- allowing everyone equal access to public bathrooms, prosecuting cops who murder unarmed black children -- feels like discrimination to some straight hetero white people.
Those who say trans people are a tiny proportion of the population, as if that makes discrimination and bigotry against them okay...SMH.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9JhGNysgrk
Peace, Jonathan
_____________________________________
Subject: Springsteen's ripple effect FW: Billy Ray Cyrus Joins List of Artists Standing Up Against Anti-LGBT Bills
https://twitter.com/billyraycyrus/statuses/719636161681973248
Be nice if Billy Ray still had a high-profile career, but he's hopped on the bandwagon. Now let's see if any superstar country act follows suit.
Best,
george varga
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Keep on writing...Steve Zweig
1. "LGBT are less than 5% of the population. A very noisy minority."
Yeah, see - US citizens get a little "noisy" when they're being denied the exact same rights as you and everyone else, SOLELY based on who they sleep with. Whereas heterosexuals are afforded every single one of those rights, solely based on who THEY sleep with. Of course, you've never been denied anything over your heterosexuality, so why show any empathy? I mean, it's only millions of gay people, not billions...
2. "Opposition does not necessarily equate to 'hate'."
So these laws are based on, what - love? You can have any opinion you want, and believe in any God or religion you choose. Which, unlike sexuality, IS a choice. But you DON'T get to oppose the equality or quality of life for someone else using your religion as an excuse. It's as simple as that!
3. "What about the great majority of folks...girls and women who would be very uncomfortable with men showing up in the ladies' rooms."
You have ZERO understanding of what being transgender even means.
4. "The problem would not be the LBGT population. It would be with the 'bad actors' who would barge into the ladies' rooms and misbehave. And you know they will show up -- denial is a river in Egypt."
So let me get this "straight" - you think heterosexual men are just waiting around, plotting to dress like women to enter a ladies' bathroom to molest or rape a woman? Nice try with this one, by the way. You know damn well these laws are not targeting heterosexuals whatsoever. Unless some of those cross dressing molesters are friends of yours?
5. "Whatever happened to millenia-old common-sense, Bob??!?"
Common sense should mean live and let live, without any kind of "Except for _______" caveat. You also might want to refer to your "millennia-old common-sense" about the separation of church and state, of which the USA was founded on.
6. "I'm SOOO tired of this sh*t!!!
Yeah, again - until it happens to you it's easy to be "tired" of hearing how ALL your fellow American citizens wanted to be treated with respect and afforded all the same, basic human rights that YOU have. No more - but no LESS! And, again, the majority does not get to create equality caveats for any minority.
THE EVOLUTION OF GAY RIGHTS
1995: We want Tolerance - The same tolerance that you're afforded, no questions asked
2005: We want equality - The same equality that you're afforded, no questions asked
2015: Bake the f****** cake, bigot! - Bye, Felicia...
Paul V.
_____________________________________
I was in the weeds on this. I have a Gay son. The way I was raised and the church I was raised in said he was making a choice and if he didn't repent he would go to hell. Not Baptist or Pentecostal, just a good old fashion Lutheran from Missouri. So I left my church of 50 years and moved on. My son is another great gift of God to my life with my other son and daughter. I don't understand trans gender. It gives me the shivers. I pray frequently that God will open my mind and my heart so that is not the case. All I know for sure is that NOTHING COULD BE MORE MEANINGLESS in the long run than the people who hate and are afraid of transgender sickos going into the bathroom with their daughters (why are they not worried about their sons by the way?) the trans people I have met have a struggling life in every aspect and I have never meant one that showed any signs of being a predator. That kind of fear sickens me. The reason the hate will be meaningless is because our kids have already
decided this issue. They don't give a fuck. I am proud of them. I am proud to be an American and I think we will always have hate and fear and racism and bigotry but... shine a light on it and discuss it but... our kids have it figured out. We will be dead soon.
Peace!
Good to show both sides but people who decry their fear as common sense... really? Especially Christians. What does Jesus always tell us? Be afraid? I don't think so.
Michael A. Becker
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IMHO, the argument that allowing transpeople to use the loo of the gender they identify with presents the opportunity for a few "bad actors" to invade the women's room and assault women or children is very much like the same hateful "reasoning" that was used in the unenlightened past against homosexuals being allowed to teach children or be scout leaders. It was said that because they were "queers" that they could not keep their hands off the children....in effect saying that ALL homosexuals were pedophiles.
I avidly follow the crime news and have NEVER heard of even ONE case of a transwoman in the ladies loo assaulting a fellow woman. I am pretty sure if this was a common occurrence, those who oppose rights for transpeople would be broadcasting them all over social media and the news. Silence tells all.
As a heterosexual woman, and now a frail little old lady, I have on many occasions shared the loo with transwomen. I have never felt frightened, or threatened in any way. I can say the interaction , if any, was at most a compliment on my hair, nails or clothing. Hardly something to make me flee screaming in fear of my life. To use this ill-informed, illogical argument to torment and belittle a group of people dealing with what is in effect a genetic defect not of their choosing is beyond closed minded, bighearted, hateful and repugnant!
The transpeople I have had the honour of knowing have been some of the most kind and helpful people I have known. They deal with a heartbreaking condition they did not ask for and one that often threatens their very lives. They live each and every with hardships and heartache that those of us who were born with the genetic blessing that allows our bodies and minds to agree on our gender can't begin to comprehend. Adding to their suffering just to use a public loo is beyond petty and stupid.
Gabrielle Gibbons
_____________________________________
Back in 1985 My wife and I were shopping in a Macy's-like department store in Torino, Italy.
I asked the sales woman where the restrooms where and she pointed to a door in the corner of the store.
I walked in expecting urinals, but there were none. So I had to use a stall.
As I was doing my business (with the door closed) when I heard the distinct sound of heels walking on the tile floor. Panicked, I locked the stall I was in. I could overhear two women talking. Eventually they left and I hurriedly did the same.
As I was walking out, a young girl was walking in. She held the door for me and didn't even give me a second glance.
I was relieved to discover the restrooms were all unisex and I wasn't a suspect in some Italian morals crime.
Only in America are the uptight conservative assholes more concerned over whether there's a man in the ladies room than a gun in the classroom.
Tom Cartwright
_____________________________________
Clearly this country needs a lot of education about what it means to be transgender. I can't say I completely understand what the term encompasses either. But one thing I do know is there are still people in this country that think all gay men are pedophiles, even though it makes no sense. There are hopefully a lot less of those people than there used to be, due to the courage of those who came out and showed their families, friends and communities that they knew and loved gay people and that they were just regular people, not to be feared. It's going to take a lot of brave transgender people doing the same, I suppose.
Another thing that is clear to me, that I never understood why others (who seem to think being LGBT is a choice) couldn't get is, why would anyone "choose" to be LGBT, given the abuse they will surely suffer? A person must really feel that is who they are to the core of their being to summon the courage to go out in the world and show everyone they are the "other" just trying to live their life (and hopefully with liberty and the pursuit of happiness). They must do that because they can do nothing else. Why must others be afraid and seek to punish them for that? They must feel threatened in some way. I really fail to understand.... Maybe it's somehow connected to a certain type of religious background. That might explain why I don't get it. I guess it's like a lot of things in this country-- in practice, "rights" are still for the privileged (all types of privilege: white, male, Christian, wealthy, etc.). Minorities have to fight for their rights, sometimes with their lives, still
to this day.
I applaud Springsteen for really taking a stand for what is right, even though it cost him in many ways. People can be cynical about it, but I'm not. There were plenty of easier ways for him to make a statement and move on, if he were less committed. Instead of judging how Bruce chose to take action, maybe we should get out there and do something too. It's not as easy as it looks to invite the scrutiny and judgement of the public in order to strongly support a cause you believe in. I'm not saying I put myself out there like that either, but I appreciate those that do.
Amy Primeaux
Houston, TX (yes, born and raised a Texas liberal--we do exist!)
_____________________________________
"ThankGod for North Carolina & Springsteen is Disgusting
More Signs of Jesus Coming. He will NOT be in HEAVEN
Sidelle"
You believe in a book that is a fairy tale. I think it is time to stop to put a lot of weight on any god. Open your eyes and embrace all people.
This land of freedom is not freedom anymore. 'Lights out tonight / Trouble in the heartland'.
Your country really got some issues of sexuality and socialism. Be thankful that Springsteen is still a hero who not only put his best on the live shows but also stand up for human rights.
The USA is really became the badlands
'For the ones who had a notion
A notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
I want to find one face that ain't looking through me
I want to find one place
I want to spit in the face of these badlands'
Kris Keijser
Amsterdam/ The Netherlands
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Since you decided to publish MY Reply this is for ALAN & Everyone!
Should Christians Judge? Next Time You are Confronted ~ Tell Them This Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? I think the nonbeliever's favorite verse is Matthew 7:1: "Judge not, that you be not judged." Nonbelievers love to quote that to Christians who dare to confront them. But we need to understand what judge means in this verse. Jesus spoke these words in the Sermon on the Mount, and the word He used for judge means "condemn." Jesus was saying, "Condemn not, that you be not condemned." I am in no position to condemn someone. It is not for me to say who is going to hell. That is for God to decide. But I should apply discernment, wisdom, and even judgment with fellow believers. Judgment is an evaluation. It's saying to another believer, "Hey, I don't think you are doing as well as you
could be doing" or "I want to encourage you." That is encouraged in the Scriptures (see 1 Corinthians 6:2–3). So in a way, we should apply judgment—but not condemnation. We want to lovingly tell the truth from God's Word with humility, wanting to help that person reach his or her full potential as a follower of Jesus.
Now take me off this Mailing list as I'm THROWING OUT THE GARBAGE
Sidelle
P.S. Let me also Add that Springsteen is a LIBERAL IDIOT~ Why?
When he booked the concert in Greenboro, the laws in North Carolina were just as they are today: In public facilities, people had to use the bathrooms and locker rooms that corresponded to their biological sex. Why, then, did he agree to come in the first place? Why cancel the concert when things today are just what they were six months ago?
Again, I appreciate his sincerity, or whatever you care to call it, but I question His judgment. In his zeal to do what is right, He actually did what is wrong."
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