Yeah, maybe this should just be retitled “The Hate Thread”. Case in point:
Let’s remember that one definition of “prejudice” is "a preconceived judgment or opinion, or an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge and also, per Merriam-Webster, “an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics”.
Let’s look at one instance of an individual that Miller wouldn’t piss on if he was on fire: Chris Freeman, Ph.D. in English and gender studies and professor of both at USC. I have no personal knowledge of Freeman but his faculty profile and CV shows him to have been a long-time staunch supporter of the LGBT community – editing books, presenting at conferences, and moderating talks and film presentations on LGBT history, challenges, and issues. One can hardly imagine a more dedicated ally for those seeking LGBT rights, and with a background in English and gender studies, he seems particularly well qualified to be an impartial and sympathetic observer of the pertinent language of the community. And this is what he says:
“For me, ‘cis’ reifies something that is mostly a fiction,” University of Southern California gender studies professor Chris Freeman, Ph.D. (pictured, left) tells The Advocate. “It creates — or re-creates — a gender binary, which is exactly what many scholars and activists have been fighting against for decades.”
“To me, ‘cisgender’ is a clunky, unhelpful, and maybe even regressive term,” Freeman concludes. “It does not move the gender conversation forward in a constructive way. Or in a productive way.”
But according to Miller’s criterion, Freeman must be an “unmitigated asshole” unfit to be pissed on, and apparently so am I, according to Miller. “Prejudice” and “bigotry” seem like the perfect descriptors for spewing that kind of hate based on superficial misconceptions and falsely attributed imaginary motivations.
No, Miller, there isn’t. So why do you do it?