More On Jennifer Graham, Again.

I wanted to post a follow-up to the disastrous editorial decision the P-G made to allow this onto its pages.

The story's made its way to mtv.com, albeit in a story about Iggy Azalea and the upcoming Pittsburgh Pride parade.  Kristina Marusic writes:

I’m a proud member of the LGBTQ community. I used to live in New York, then I lived in San Francisco, and now I live in Pittsburgh. In many ways, this city has pleasantly surprised me — I had no idea how beautiful it was before I moved here almost three years ago and I’ve been consistently impressed by the city’s art, food, and political evolution.

So I’m always disappointed when in other ways, Pittsburgh reveals itself to still be painfully stuck in the past. Like this past Thursday, when one of our major newspapers published an op-ed full of transphobic hate speech about Caitlyn Jenner.

For those who haven't followed the Iggy Azalea story, Marusic has some details:

The comparatively small LGBTQ community here doesn’t often make national headlines, but over the last few weeks, we have — in part due to some of the things that make Pittsburgh less-than-awesome, but mostly because of Iggy Azalea. Iggy is scheduled as the headliner at the Pittsburgh Pride celebration on June 13th, and as a result, many LGBT organizations are boycotting the celebrations.

In case you missed it, Iggy has faced a whole lot of backlash from the LGBTQ community over some old homophobic tweets — including one in which she said, “When guys whisper in each others ears I always think its kinda homo,” and another that said, “Wondered why my butt felt like it was about to grow legs, flip me off & walk away. then I remembered i played soccer yestrdy w 5 dyke bitches.”

Iggy has also been called racist because of lyrics like, “When the relay starts, I’m a runaway slave-master,” (for which she has apologized, sort of), and tweets like “Just saw 5 black men get arrested out the front of popeyes. #damn #stereotypes,” and “This Asian lady on the plane tried to act like she didn’t understand me I told her ass bitch u gone know English today cause that’s my seat!”

But the argument seems to be going deeper than just Ms Azalea.  As Thomas Waters explains:

Some of the rhetoric surrounding the recent controversy engulfing Pittsburgh Pride organizer, the Delta Foundation, might suggest that the scuffle is simply identity politics. Delta itself suggested that this effort was merely part of a larger national dialogue about race and privilege. Indeed, race and privilege are, a part of the issue. But, it would be fallacious to say that’s all there is to it.

As I went out to get my lunch today, I ran into an old friend who is recently retired. He fits well into the demographic of “gay white male” that some of the protesters claim Pride caters to. Boy, did I get an earful from him! His outrage at Delta illustrates that many who fall across a wide spectrum of gay, lesbian, bi, trans, queer, cis, white, black, brown… you name it– are fed up with Delta Foundation, and are demanding change. Opposition to Delta is not limited to TQPOC, to use an acronym that has become popular during this situation. Yes, certainly trans and queer persons of color (TQPOC) are out front, giving voice to their outrage, but with them stand many from all parts of the rainbow coalition that we call the LGBTQIA community.

Last evening over coffee a different friend, asked me why I felt some were so heatedly angry at Delta Foundation. ‘Is what they’ve done, really all that bad,’ he asked. His question is a valid one to consider. What has Delta done that is so bad?

My answer is that Delta has set itself up as the leading LGBT expert organization in Western PA. They have deemed themselves spokesperson for the LGBT community. (Delta doesn’t even recognize the “Q”) By naming themselves the leaders, they have commandeered the agenda and dialogue and by doing that, have silenced all other voices within the LGBTQIA community through their inability to adequately and respectfully represent everyone. This silencing of others has no place within a modern-day Equality-oriented organization.

Lotsa stuff to work out - sorry for the diversion.  Let's get back to Jennifer Graham.  Or more specifically the rightwing nutjob defense her offense has spawned.

For example this from instapundit. In responding to this letter to the P-G, they respond with (among some other insults) with:

The poor little flower apparently cannot handle anyone disagreeing with him/her (he/she signed his/her name “Christopher Kelly,” but who am I to assign a gender–that would be so aggressive of me). Such disagreements are likely not tolerated in the progressive/liberal “safe space” of Ithaca College, where this larval stage human has been brainwashed instructed.

Do I need to mention that they include a "Hitler Youth" reference?  And yet, according to this letter to the P-G this morning, criticizing intolerance makes you "the least tolerant among us."

This is the right wing nut job community that Jennifer Graham now finds herself in.  And all it took was one column to put her there.

It's my understanding that folks at the P-G are not at all happy with this column.  They're "getting pounded" over there because of this "stupendously bad unforced error."

There could have been a thousand other ways for Jennifer Graham to go "ew!" but she tool the path of the most insulting.  And we're watching the result in real time.

Welcome to Pittsburgh, Jenny!