Leave it to Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh to weigh in on the “tranny” debate with the most surprising opinion.
Limbaugh was inadvertently thrust into debate over the allegedly offensive use of the word “tranny” this week after using the term in a ‘joking way’ on his radio show. He got into a surprisingly professional debate with a transgender caller named Tina, who took issue with his casual reference to transgender women as trannies. “I’ve been for trannies for a long time,” he said.
Limbaugh was chatting about Laverne Cox‘s current Time magazine cover, which highlights an article about transgender rights being the “next” social movement that will challenge America’s courts. Tina informed Limbaugh that referring to transgender women as “trannies” in reference to the Time article was “offensive” and viewed as a “derisive” insult.
Limbaugh, who says he believes conservatives should not oppose transgender rights, also says he thought “tranny” was acceptable and even “hip” because Alec Baldwin used it in his New York magazine apologia.
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The two calmly move on to discuss “passing,” anal sex, and an episode of Family Guy that Tina finds particularly offensive. Limbaugh signs off with a resounding “Oh, yeah, I could see how that would be insulting.”
http://youtu.be/IUJKfeXvYOQ
Teeth
There you go. If your perspective matches up with Rush, then you might be wrong.
Nowuvedoneit
@Teeth: He is a bastion of rational thought and our ally for many years now. * rolls eyes#YesSarcasm
Ben Dover
Wow………..
Well all I can think of is that if nothing else, Rush probably knows his audience – average age about 70 (!) says the research, and of course mostly male, and blue-collar/rural – so he thinks most of his audience already has some familiarity with the subject! Who knew?
boymike
He’s high.
hepaistion
I am not a fan of rush.but, people are too sensitive to gay comments. I am gay and I don’t care
1EqualityUSA
He smiles and scowls at the same time. Conflicted. Don’t trust the conflicted.
BJ McFrisky
Most surprising is that Queerty actually posted a story about a conservative that wasn’t full of snark and hate. Though I’m no fan of Limbaugh, I appreciate his candor, and I congratulate Mr. Tharrett on being fair and open-minded in his article.
@hepaistion: Amen to that, brother.
BitterOldQueen
OK 2 things. Thing 1: If Rush Limbaugh (he of the femi-nazis and slut-shaming) has decided to get all sensitive to the tender and easily-bruised feelings of the transgendered community, then he probably has an agenda, such as trying to insidiously make trans rights a major issue in the media with which the Dems could be saddled (a la Karl Rove and his innocent musings about Hillary’s mental health)…oh and before I get yelled at for suggesting that would be a bad thing, it would be as much a bad thing as Rove’s insertion of marriage equality into the 2004 campaign. Thing 2: What’s with the photo at the top of this story, in which Rush is not a bloated parade balloon, and the video, in which he is?
Oh and Thing 3, it would be nice if people could try not to be so easily thrown into pearl-clutching horror and dismay by the use of words regardless of the context or intent of the speaker. It’s getting tiresome.
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
Pat Robertson, and the Iranian theocractic regime are also relatively sympathetic to transgenderism. I guess it helps to iron out a inconvenient conceptual taxonomical problem for these folks. Sadly also true for a MINORITY of trans as well.
Lvng1tor
He’s taking advantage of the rift between many in LGBTQ community and twisting it for his own gain. It’s what he does. Politics aside he feeds of the controversy, discord and publicity he gains from it all. Rush is out for Rush and Rush only.
redcarpet
That family guy episode was really bad, and I usually am the first to defend Family Guy. It was basically The Crying Game, which was already terrible, just turned up to 11 and sprinkled with dude-bro frat guy cluelessness.
jayj150
The title is misleading; it makes it look as if he “sees how that would be insulting” in reference to the word ‘t#anny’. When you read, you realize he actually defends the use of the word; his quote in the title is a reference to an episode of Family Guy.
But more importantly, is anyone really surprised?. Some of the most virulently homophobic countries in the world like Iran and India, where boys as young as 13 years old are publicly hanged for being gay, are also very Trans-friendly. Iran actually PAYS for the reassignment treatments. Although rarely discussed by sites like Queerty, Glaad or Advocate, many gay men in Iran have been forced to go through sex reassignment to avoid death penalties.
It is not a coincidence that raging homophobes like Limbaugh, Robertson and the governments of India and Iran are so transfriendly: it’s a very convenient way to force gender conformity. Of course someone like Limbaugh is more comfortable with someone perfectly assimilated into the standard normative “womanhood” such as Mock, than a gender non-conforming gay man like Rupaul. He prefers a world full of “feminine women” than effeminate gay men. And his view is shared by Hassan Rouhani in Iran, and many others even within the trans community.
It baffles me whenever I see a gay man defending the inclusion of our ‘trans brothers and sisters’ in our movement because ‘we have common goals and common enemies’. What has ANY American trans activist(‘fringe’ or not) ever had to say about the forced transition of gay men in Iran; why do have we never hear them condemning it?. Forcing genital mutilation is a hell of a lot more harmful than the hurt feelings of a stripper like Carrera over a stupid word.
LGB people and Trans people’s struggles are not only NOT the same: they are diametrically opposed, our enemies are not same and nor should be our goals.
Mezaien
It`s is not Insulting! I just hate your fucking white ass and wish all white Christian republican exterminated in concentration camps.
tdx3fan
@BJ McFrisky: You appreciate his candor? Really? Do you appreciate his candor when he talks about making “homosexuality” illegal too? Seriously, dude, you are not doing yourself any favors by holding up Rush as a token of conservatism.
DawnTrans
Edited to remove the new offensive word on queerty
@jayj150: Jay you might as well throw out the B and leave it at just the LG community because Bisexuals dont care about marriage equality or most of your gay agenda. The have always been able to marry. Always have had medical rights. Bi’s are more likely to marry opposite sex and lead hetero normative lives leaving their bi-ness to late night rendezvous at rest areas.
Really gays should just stick it out on their own because they are such a large percentage of the population 4.2% Oh wait that estimate includes Bi and Trans.
But take it further and exclude Lesbians in your new improved Gay agenda. They have no similarities to gay males. So why are you including them?
Divide and Conquer is so much easier when the target group is doing it to themselves.
And for the record I do not find tr**** anymore offensive then CD (crossdresser) Its a word that was used back when we had to hide who we were. (I bet you wish we stayed hidden dont you?)
Its not a drag term it slang for transvestite. Transsexual (Mock-Cox-Carrera)woman have always had a snub your nose attitude about those not transitioning such as crossdressers. Its as if they were demeaning their womanhood.
What these woman forget is that we all start our gender journey at the same place, we just happen to take different paths to our happiness.
Mezaien
PS, Rush Limbaugh, lost some weight! he took a shit.
jayj150
@DawnTrans: I am bisexual myself genius. And yes, bi people have always been able to get married…as long as they marry the opposite sex. You sound like those right wing bigots when they claim sarcastically that ‘gay folks are more than welcome to get married, just marry someone of the opposite sex’. LGB people have similar struggles, enemies and goals: acceptance to love/marry people of the same sex. It’s not just that trans’s fights are not the same: THEY ARE OPPOSED. Transsexuals want to force gender conformity while we actively fight it. What does a “straight woman” like Mock, whose biggest problem in life apparently is people using the right pronouns, have to do or contribute to young gay men in Iran having to choose between being hanged or having their genitals mutilated. But prove me wrong. Show me instances of trans activist condemning and fighting extreme homophobia in Iran or India the same way many gay ans lesbians actively condemn and fight transphobia. Oh, and great job at showing your biphobic nature.
DawnTrans
@jayj150: Are you really as dense as a dodo? Did you not read my sarcasm correctly?
Lets give jay a clue….Stonewall occured while nancy boys like you were hiding under tables. It took the trans portion of the community to fight back against the police and ignite the gay rights movement.
50 yrs ago as well as today to the hetero’s who oppose equality do not separate gay from trans from bi from lesbian they hate all equally.
So continue on with your divisive prattle until my sarcasm above becomes your reality.
jayj150
@DawnTrans: It was Drag Queens who firestarted Stonewall sir. Yes, good ole effeminate gay men in drag, the same ones people like you despise so much because it reminds you of what you really are, except they have the balls to accept themselves. Funny you talk about ‘hiding’, a gay man’s definition of being out is to be OK with people knowing he likes other men. A transwoman’s ideal ‘transition’ is for people NOT BEING ABLE to identify her as ‘trans’; LGB folks want acceptance for being different. All you people want is “to pass”.
DawnTrans
Jay learn to read before replying please.
“tr***y not a drag term it slang for transvestite. Transsexual (Mock-Cox-Carrera)woman have always had a snub your nose attitude about those not transitioning such as crossdressers. Its as if they were demeaning their womanhood.”
Lesson 2 Jay…..transgender is the term used to describe the whole trans community ie; anyone who does not adhere to societies gender roles.
Yes that includes gay men who dress up and go on stage Drag Queens and kings…
Transvestites men who dress like woman for sexual satisfaction
Crossdressers who say they are heterosexual and do it for non sexual reasons.
And those who were at the stonewall were not drag queens they were transvestites and transexuals. Learn your History dont try and make it up or rewrite it.
Lvng1tor
@jayj150: @DawnTrans:
Know your history both of you!
Stop insulting each other like children. From Trans, to Cross Dressers, Drag Queens, Dykes, Fem Men, Butch and every other term we can fight over sacrificed and fought so you both could sit there and argue over something so trivial on a f’ng website, who did more for our rights. THEY ALL DID! You are both trying to rewrite history. They were all there at Stonewall…there are pics ya know!
BTW Stop relying on Stonewall there were a lot of battles. Each one important each one a sacrifice, each one hard won and it’s not over yet. Get out of your own a&&’s and start appreciating the entire LGBTQ community that came before you and each other.
toberlin
In my opinion Tina has doing the right Thing.She transports the T-Discussion ouside of the LGBT community to the STRAIGHT people.In my opinion WE are the BIG Problem of the people who are LGBT.Tina has COMMUNICATED Limbaugh her Problem with the T-Word.She HAD TO EXPLAIN to Limbaugh,a conservative straight white male, why the T-Word is offensive and an Insult TO HER.They both talked about that topic like Adults.And even if he thought the T-Word is a “hip”Thing to use because he read it a the Time article SHE HAS FINALLY GOT THROUGH TO HIM with a “Family Guy”-Story.From personal experience I can say it is really helpful for the BETTER UNDERSTANDING between people who are LGBT and people who are straight to get a bit more CREATIVE…
toberlin
:)I hope it was the right Thing to use “she/Tina”.Tina can be a “he” too…?Tina ,you have to tell me that.
BROOKECERDA
SORRY TO BREAK YOUR HEARTS GAYS,BUT BIANCA DEL RIO DOESN’T EXIST.ITS A CHARACTER JUST LIKE BOZO OR RUPAUL, BUT CARMEN, JANET , LAVERNE & MYSELF ARE WOMEN.
AND IF ANY OF YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A MAN, YOU WOULD KNOW HOW TO TREAT A WOMAN .
THERE ARE NO DEGREES OF WOMANHOOD.
WOMEN ARE WOMEN, TRANSGENDER OR CISGENDER.
YOU BEING GAY DOES NOT GIVE YOU A PASS BE VULGAR WITH US.
I DONT CARE HOW FEM YOU LOOK.
BODIES ARE NOT GENDER.
RESPECT ALL WOMEN !!
STOP MAKING AN ASS OF YOUR TRANSPHOBIC SELVES .
toberlin
:)I agree.I would very much appreciate it if men who are gay would clear their problems with men who are straight instead pick on WOMEN.Follow Tina’s example…