Dan Savage was glittered by transgender activists for the third time in recent months, Canada's XTRA reports:
A group of six activists, who named themselves The Homomilitia for the event, said they confronted Savage as he entered the theatre through a back-alley entrance.
In an interview with Xtra after the confrontation, activist Fister Limp Wrist accused Savage of "ableist, racist, transphobic, fat-phobic, sero-phobic and rape-apologist attitudes and views." Activists handed audience members bright pink pamphlets outlining their accusations as they entered the theatre.
One of the attacks on Savage included a potentially injurious glass jar which was thrown at (and missed) his face. Savage says the attacks against him spring from a time when he "didn't have a firm understanding of the nuances of trans issues" according to XTRA, and he is now more reluctant to discuss them because of the attacks. In November, he defended himself against the attacks.
It's clear from the transcript—and it's clear from the way that my remarks are being actively and maliciously misrepresented—that the people pushing this "Dan Savage is transphobic!" meme are not honest actors. False accusations of engaging hate speech are themselves a form hate speech—particularly in the hothouse environment of LGBT activism. Any honest reader of my column, like any honest person who attended my Q&A at UCI, knows that not only I am not transphobic, I'm pretty rabidly pro-trans.
Or: If I'm the enemy of trans people everywhere, trans people everywhere could use more enemies like me.
In the latest attack on Savage, the activists appear to be focusing on the fact that he supports marriage equality:
Queer activists have historically used glitter-bombing as a tactic against conservative politicians and high-profile anti-gay bigots, Vancouver protester Lavender Menace notes. Asked if she lumps Savage in with such people, she says people have different ways of contributing to oppressive systems.
"Savage is taking on being a speaker and leader in this movement. We have to take that into account," she adds. "He's part of a broader [group] of gay, white, cis-gendered, able-bodied gay men focused on gay-marriage priorities. We want to say those priorities are messed up."
Savage's audience took his side, the paper reports, offering him a long ovation, when he suggested, "If you have a disagreement with your allies, you discuss it. You don't attack them."