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First Nazis, now transphobes
By adamg on Mon, 07/04/2022 - 2:48pm
Plane and banner over JP. Photo by Joanna Lubkin.
Somebody paid to have a plane pull a banner reading "KIDDOS, SAY NO TO PEDOS" in a circle over Jamaica Plain and Brookline this morning.
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Comments
I don't get the headline
Unless there is more known about this story than you are printing, specifically where in "kiddos say no to pedos" is there anything about trans at all?
I'm not Google
But if you've missed all the faux outrage about supposed armies of transgendered men in kindergartens and women's rooms grooming your children to have sex with them, you might want to spend some time with Google. It's this year's "migrant caravan heading for the border" story old MAGAts tell themselves to get to sleep.
i didnt get the nuance either
i'm not in that community so it was lost on me. perhaps adding some history in the article to help show balance.
So there's two of you
I'm honestly not berating you, but I'm honestly amazed that you didn't get the reference. Plenty of people "not in that community" did.
Actually….
There are Q-anon types who think the government is run by pedophiles. Epstein and Maxwell running worldwide sex trafficking operations for government leaders and all sorts of other nonsense that really doesn’t have much to do with trans/bathroom issues.
But I didn’t really look into it that hard but the Qanon nuts were the first bunch that came into my mind but I could be wrong.
ACKSHULLY
You are.
I'm probably not....
But you are always right of course and there is no point even responding to you ever. Not sure why I did. I wasn't even trying to antagonize you, only wanted to put out another viewpoint but you are so sensitive you had to respond like that.
If you actually know about these right wing groups and which splinters care about which issues you would find out that I'm actually probably right on this one. Not that you care about the actual truth, only if you look cool on the internet. Get some help, seriously. It's obvious the internet is having a negative effect on you and your well being.
Relax
QAnon is a recent phenomenon. Very recent, in the grand scheme of things. Even Pizzagate predates it. And weaponizing baseless accusations of pedophilia has been going on for decades. This has been going on for decades.
I doubt it, because it's not an "issue". It's a lie. It's a smear. It's a canard. It's an excuse. It's a dogwhistle. It's a weapon. It is not an "issue". For it to be an "issue" it would have to be something more than weaponized hot air, and it is not.
Nonetheless...
A journalist cannot simply print an assumption, however justified, as fact.
I'd give you more latitude on
I'd give you more latitude on this complaint if you and so many naysayers weren't Anons...
Oh, please.
Anon is being deliberately obtuse.
You know exactly who is communicating this and for what purpose. Does anyone have any doubt this knuckle dragger hiding behind anonymity would be shrilly howling “FaLsE FlAg!!!” If their friends weren’t also being cowards with this pathetic display. They care about as much about protecting children as Anti-Abortion folks care about women.
Try harder.
Preferred nomenclature
Fixed that for you, Adam.
Someone
Someone also owns that plane, and someone was flying that plane. I hope that more information/IDs will emerge.
If someone can give specifics
If someone can give specifics on exact times & locations, I'm happy to find the plane info.
Transphobes?
What do you think pedos have to do with transgender people?
See my answer above
It's been in all the papers, but especially on Fox News. There's also a Republican candidate for Secretary of State in Massachusetts who is pretending to be very concerned about this issue, which has so much to do with that office's oversight of elections and corporation registration.
Ah, Fox News
I don't watch Fox News, so I wouldn't have made that association. I would have imagined it was maybe about pervo priests or teachers, which we've had plenty here in Boston.
But you associate transgenderism with pedophilia. And blame who for that, Geoff Diehl?
I guess I'm glad he's not in my head.
You and me both
Like most people, I don't spend any real time thinking about Geoff Diehl. Here, have a link: that's what I was thinking about. And again, look up "transgender grooming" if you really want to get into it.
I mean, I suppose the sign could have been warning kiddos to stay away from former police-union presidents, but come on.
Jesus dude. Read a newspaper.
Willfully ignorant.
Adam isn't associating pedophilia with transgender people. There has been an uptick of Patriot Front and Proud Boy types showing up armed and harassing LBGTQ events all through pride month. Perhaps you heard about the mass arrest in Idaho that was covered by, oh, every news outlet in the country.
The anti "pedo"/"ok groomer" language is the trans/homophobic language employed by these far-right PizzaGate-adjacent violent thugs and Adam is not exactly breaking any new news here. And it was featured prominently at the recent MA GOP convention when Rayla talked about telling 9 year olds to "s*** each others ****".
It's nice that you have the privilege of not being in the sights (or having a vulnerable loved one), but playing dumb and dismissing this dangerous public hate speech is not the dunk you think it is.
Co-signed
This was immediately obvious to me, as someone who sees more than 100 trans kids per week. Rights for trans kids have been actively under attack for the past couple of years, and the perpetrators spout rhetoric about groomers and pedophiles recruiting children.
I’ve been the recipient of such vitriol myself, when a group of people apparently decided white supremacy was getting too boring for them, so they found the names of myself and a number of other clinicians and youth leaders who work with trans youth, the names of our own children, and mass-reported us to the authorities as pedophiles grooming our children and seeking out other people’s children for such grooming.
And yeah, it’s a privilege to not realize that trans kids’ rights are actively under attack and to be unfamiliar with their talking points. It’s all that’s on these kids’ minds right now.
(Before anyone decides there’s any “debate” to be had as to whether trans kids should have their identities affirmed, I will tell you that absolutely no one is performing surgeries on anyone under 14, typically the only thing minors can access is gender-affirming chest surgeries, and this is uncommon and reserved for kids who’ve lived as their affirmed gender for most of their childhoods. I know exactly two kids out of about 500 who’ve had surgery <18. 99% of trans kids are just looking to be called the right name and pronouns, which is seen as “grooming for pedophilic purposes” by some of our fellow humans. Some kids receive puberty blockers to stop them from going through the wrong puberty; perfectly safe medications that have been used for decades for precocious puberty. Trans kids die by suicide at high rates, and using their correct name and pronouns and allowing them to dress in affirming ways vastly cuts down on this. So yeah, I’m gonna ask that people please educate themselves that this is going on, and decide what you’re going to do to save trans kids’ lives.)
I'm so sorry that you were targeted
Such an awful experience. Hopefully sharing it here will raise awareness that real harassment is happening, not just in so-called Red States but here in the Hub. And please share with us any specific local actions we can take, if/when you are able/feel it necessary.
For those who were previously unaware of this situation, these hate groups are currently targeting drag queens (who are usually not trans, but the phobes don't seem to know or care) across the US with threats and physical harrasment. Adam's recent post about the local Drag story hours was a response to demonstrations/threats at libraries throughout the US.
JFC.
That’s horrific. Thank you for sharing that story and all the facts in the last paragraph.
Where is the transphobia on that banner?
"Transphobe" is now apparently the new all-purpose offense. If you are in a restaurant and you say "I don't like this salad dressing" you will immediately be accused of being a transphobe.
Oh, you're so right
And then the server, really a groomer, will dump a salad on your head and make you go into the unisex bathroom and do God knows what.
Amirite?
It's right there. Blatant dog whistle.
Right wingers have been labeling trans folk as pedophiles for a while now.
Photo on banner?
From pictures is looks like there’s a photo of a family on the banner. Does anyone know what that’s about?
Another dogwhistle
The existence of queer people is a threat to straight white families and their marriages and their children.
Will there ever be an end of
Will there ever be an end to the ever changing assumed definitions in order to keep expanding victimhood?
Good question
For "Christians" who assume they are forever being victimized.
you’re complaining about having to use different words
“expanding victimhood” is a great way to describe what you’re doing.
The plane's owner responds
So there wasn’t a hidden message?
Genuinely curious and I appreciate your openness!
Even for you...
Even for you, this is some weak-ass shit.
Dude, take a chill pill
I honestly don’t know anything about this topic. Maybe try to educate people instead of berating them? Jesus!
Dude, read a newspaper
Given the slant of your usual comments, I find it vanishingly unlikely that you're unaware of the right's current campaign to target LGBTQ people and their allies by accusing them of pedophilia.
Ok, bud
I’m well aware of the right and LGBTQ and find it repulsive. However, I’m clearly not in the know that the right are calling/labeling them pedophiles. You realize pedophiles are a thing so the connection/message isn’t obvious.
I will try harder to be as smart and all knowing as you are though. Must be something in the water out in Western MA.
This was a teaching moment and you rose to the challenge with grace and understanding.
You're gonna need more Solo cups
You're gonna need more Solo cups for your pity party, "bud".
p.s. there's an easy way to be as "smart and all knowing" as you think I am. It's called "following the news". Here's a good starter for you.
Honestly, I try to not read the news as much as possible
So depressing and everyone has an agenda. Uhub is really my sole source of news.
Why do you suppose
this guy thinks that suddenly children need to be warned about pedophiles, and why flying a plane with a banner is the best way to do so? Do you think it might have anything to do with the huge surge of rhetoric from the GOP, both nationally and locally, trying to connect LGBTQ rights with pedophilia?
It's a pretty stupid warning, if so
What are kids supposed to say "no" to? "Hey kids, want to do some pedophilia with me?"
Ok anyone questioning Adam on
Ok anyone questioning Adam on this, please read:
If you are pro LGBTQ rights and confusingly think Adam is linking anyone in the community to being a pedophile, that is not what's happening. This banner is a dog whistle. On right wing programs, in their memes and yes direct ads they are using this terminology. They go on pages and will leave comments. This banner is a beacon to all those people that this is a "safe place" for them. It also opens the door for others who are not currently with them to start the association word games. If you do not pick up on this despite being an ally it's because you are in a bubble where this is somehow lost on you. I'm not judging BUT that's what's going on... It might also mean you need to check your social media settings because lots of LGBTQ people have been s teaming about this for months if not longer.
If you are not an Ally and are just saying people are too sensitive... Well I don't have time for you. A message like this wouldn't be cool at any point.
Although I would say it's not just aimed at Transgender people, they have started using that messaging to talk about gay people and pro choice people and our advocates. This banner reinforces their brand of hate and they thought by wrapping it up the way they did that people couldn't complain because then you'd be against what the banner outright said or you'd be questioned for why you made the connection because they "oh so didn't mean it that way". The sad part is so many people fell for it and a few of y'all support it.
Well said, Matt
And for the folks who didn’t know this before today. Fine. Everybody can’t keep track of everything.
But now you know. And you don’t need to double down and pretend this isn’t targeted transphobia and homophobia. The PizzaGate shooting was six years ago and this tactic is not new.
The violent far right groups are counting on you to dismiss these concerns and say things like “it’s just message about protecting against sexual abuse.” Don’t carry their water.
Not "started"
Not "started". Pedophilia was a dogwhistle back in the 70s (google "Anita Bryant" if you don't believe me). It has never gone away. It is used with great success to attack all LGBTQ people and even our allies. In 2018, "pedophilia" was used to create a homophobic smear campaign against a gay man running for Congress in Massachusetts. The perpetrators of that smear campaign and those who willingly joined in to amplify it and to harass the candidate and campaign volunteers have not received the least sanction or punishment for their actions.
That should surprise exactly no one. Screaming "pedophile!" today is like screaming "commie!" at the height of McCarthyism, only worse: you can level the accusation at anyone y you wish, you will reliably do damage to them, and you know that you will never face any consequences for doing so.
I meant during this current
I meant during this current "situation"
Im regards to that campaign in Western MA that was a clear warning to those of us in public life and who are gay that even those on the left are willing to use that against us. Granted the ball got it's start with right wingers, that entire episode was powered by liberals who had something to gain from it or were not willing to ask questions.
Hard to say what's "current"
It's really hard to say what's "current". I was involved in that campaign, and my sense is that it was neither the opening shot nor even the first round of what we are seeing now.
Dude friendly fire here...
Dude friendly fire here... Why are you bogging this down in semantics.
I'm very familiar with the history. As someone who sits on both historical boards and LGBTQ boards I actually really really get into the history.
Not semantics
It's not semantics. It's history and it's relevant. There's no "fire", friendly or not.
This has flown under the radar of a lot of straight folks, and all too many lgbtq folks. I'm glad you're not one of them, but what is happening now is exactly why we need to clarify and amplify this stuff.
I legit thought it was a QAnon thing and was confused
despite having heard it used as a transphobic version before. My misapprehension was cleared up by the first few comments, but I do think it would have been wise for Adam to connect the dots in the post. Not everyone is as plugged-in to the latest political word-games as everyone else.
The noise from those circling banner planes
is obnoxious. This is just adding insult to injury.
Gas is still too cheap if
Gas is still too cheap if morons are doing crap like this
I don't get it
I don't understand what they are trying to accomplish. Obviously it's some signal to fellow cult followers but why wouldn't they put some actionable item in there? (As in, a URL or hashtag.)
Seems pretty obvious
Seems pretty obvious. Hate and harass anyone that the cult calls a "pedophile".
As I said in another comment, it's like the McCarthy-era label "commie", only much much worse. It works in the same exact way.
Same company
Different plane, same owner.
He's flying around Marblehead now.
https://twitter.com/SkyCirclesBOS/status/1544097986136772608
With the same banner?
With the same banner?
Not sure
Someone on Twitter said it had a banner but couldn't read it.
I'm just assuming he went home, swapped planes and headed back out. Total assumption.
I'm going to add to the "unclear message" chorus
I know, I'm late reading this, and I've read the reaction, but for those of you who think that the message is very, very clear, no, it's as clear as mud. I'll give you several different interpretations-
And yes, it has come out that it was aimed at the transgendered community, but if only those people who are targeted by the banner and those who designed the banner seem to have gotten the message right away, the banner was a fail.
Intimidation
It’s hate speech. If the people that this was targeted toward feel intimidated or threatened, then it absolutely did what it was designed to do. And you dismissing it as such just carries the messengers water.
Popular hermeneutics
It's not important what you think, or what the pilot thought. What's important is that all the groups potentially offended by disparaging use of the term "pedo" fight it out to prove it refers to them, not the other groups. That is how meaning is determined.
Eeka seems to be clawing her way to the front of the "pedos means me" competition right now, with that special 'but who transes the trans?' combination, but that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with what whoever flew the banner meant by it, or what anybody else understood by it, nor does that matter.
Doing all the homophobic heavy lifting, I see.
Nice job trivializing and dismissing the homophobic attack directed at someone in this community. What a classless, trash comment. Eels can fight her own battles, but she does not deserve this dirision.
I wonder why defending homophobic and transphobic attacks are so important to you?
Homophobic?
So you're saying it was a homophobic attack? Does that put your chosen group forward in the competition?
Or do you just not know the difference between homosexuals and transgender people?
I'm still voting on team Catholic Priest. Because, actual pedos, y'know.
“ I'm still voting on team Catholic Priest”
Well, then, you are an idiot.
Or acting in bad faith and carrying water for the right wing bigot squad.
Not a good look either way.
Seriously you think that is
right
because when you think about it, all words are really just made up. to attempt to glean any meaning from arbitrary characters is folly from the start
fahd a salad;fa fsajklfas
so, nearly 200 words
to say you agree with the rest of us in finding that the banner was meant to spread an unfounded, bigoted message?
I think there was no doubt to that
The issue is that a fair amount of people (judging from comments here) didn't know what the hateful message was. All of my possible ideas were also hateful, but transgendered people wouldn't have been on the top of my mind with a banner like that, and compared to the commenters here, I would on the "transphobe" side of things.
Long story short, when a bunch of people cannot figure out what the message was, the message was as clear as mud.
yeah, i’m not buying it
sorry, but it’s 2022. if there’s a single regular commenter on here who isn’t at least vaguely familiar with the politics of marjorie taylor greene or lauren boebert, i’ll eat my hat.
A vote for Team Republican Senator?
Because MTG called her Republican senatorial colleagues "pro-pedophile" for voting for Ketanji Brown-Jackson.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/05/new-red-scare-right-l...
Or is that a vote for Democratic Supreme Court Justices?
red vs. blue
is extremely reductive here. once you look at the issue outside of that framework, you'll see that you've proven my point.
So, you're saying
The banner was about Q-anon conspiracies involving the Clintons and the Bidens and not transgendered people at all. Because if you are saying those two are involved with this banner, I'd put money that it was about how some pizza place in DC is the epicenter of a child sex trafficking operation over it being about transgendered people.
Again, I'm certainly not going to be defending the banner, but the message was as clear as mud.
the beauty of this pedophilia scare
and obviously any conspiracy theory, is its shapelessness—you don’t need to know who Seth Rich is to play along. you just need to know that “they” are out there waiting for the right moment to do bad things to your kids.
like, if during the height of election season, i flew a banner that read He Has Small Hands i think you’d be able to take a stab at guessing my politics? there’s really no need to be obtuse about it.
Wait
Are we in agreement on this?
mostly, it seems.
there’s just this weird phenomenon that occurs among a certain set of people when talking about right-wing virtue signaling. people become dense and pretend that it’s an injustice to read words on a page.
No one has yelled at me yet
even though I basically said the same thing as you, so I'll just go on the record as saying that what you say here is reasonable.
I think people here are mostly in violent agreement that 1) the person who commissioned the banner is bad, and that 2) it was most likely intended as a slur against LGBT folks in one way or another... and are just arguing about who should have known what, when, and what minimum level of political currency is required on various topics -- which honestly doesn't seem like a good use of time or energy.
I don't think people need to follow political news 24/7 to be decent people and allies.
I think he takes it a step further
Waquiot calls it a fail because some people couldn’t decipher the message. That dismisses and discounts that the people who it did intend to slur got the message, as evidenced by multiple members of the LGBTQ community here who have stated as such. Again, it’s a privilege to not be a target of this kind of hate speech and to not have anyone in your family friend group woul would be hurt by this.
Furthermore, the banner is a bat signal to other extremist bigots. It emboldens them to be more public with their hateful rhetoric.
There’s no reason to dismiss this when two credible, long-standing UHub commentors are telling us all exactly what it is and the community, especially those younger and are perhaps more vulnerable, are recieving this banner’s message loud and clear.
This shit is going to turn violent again, sooner rather than later. And it should never get the pass many here are giving. Please re-read Matt and Eeka’s comments if you disagree.
Ah, sorry, I missed that part!
And yeah, I agree with you that that's definitely not a "mission failure".
In case you still don't understand the projection
This showed up over a Dallas area highway today.
There's not some new budding concern about people on the sex offender registry. Pretty soon (already?) anyone who is in an out group will be a "pedo".
"Republicans use false 'pedophilia' claims to attack Democrats"
For all of you too obstinately dumb to use Google, as Adam suggested in the second comment yesterday, and for those who credulously lapped up the skepticism of right-wing water carriers, I did your homework for you.
I did a simple Google search for LGBTQ + pedo, and guess what? There are plenty of mainstream headlines that support what Matt and Eeka reported here. Maybe just believe the people who live the reality instead of trying to comport the facts to support some bullshit about the Catholic Church (or feigned obtuse-ness)?
Below are the headlines. And yes, the articles all touch on the topic of slandering LGBTQ people through the pedo/groomer slurs even if the headline does not make it obvious.
https://www.google.com/search?q=lgbtq+pedo&rlz=1C1EJFC_enUS842US842&oq=l...
Thanks for this
I could not have produced a better proof that the term "pedos" on the plane's banner does not necessarily refer to transgender people than you have here, tblade. Your demonstration that the blog poster spoke incorrectly by assuming that "pedos" refers to transgender people is very comprehensive.
Your fourth explanatory source:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/republicans-false-pedophilia-claims-attack-dem...
It's just any old Democrat, isn't it? You've convinced me that the banner probably has nothing to do with the actual pedophiles we've had problems with locally. Team Democrat FTW!
Welp.
You are a dishonest piece of shit.
Your true colors?
Thanks for showing your true colors. Any group you claim to be an "ally" of should refuse your application, because if this is an example of what they can expect as "help," then all you could possibly do is to make them look bad.
Clearly your mother did a very poor job raising you. But it's not too late. Get some therapy, and try to find out why you're so hateful.
Lol.
Even your righteous indignation is lame, dude. Clown.
Thank you... I still maintain
Thank you... I still maintain that it's ok if people didn't know before being educated about it but if they made it down this far and then past your well researched post and still think it was all just a random thing, well at that point they are a lost cause.