In the wake of the horrific Tucson massacre, a few themes have emerged in the public discourse. Some of these seem interesting, most all predictable, but at the same time, a number of themes don’t really make sense, and point out how the conservative movement, wants to have it both ways. This isn’t unusual. One of the things that often drives progressives crazy, is the incongruity and dissonance of various conservative positions and talking points.

One of the themes that has risen and many individuals who identify themselves as conservatives, seem to claim to hold as their mantra, is that of personal responsibility. Sarah Palin even tried to use that as an excuse as to why her cross hairs target graphic wasn’t connected to the killing spree. The gunman was to blame, not her rhetoric and actions designed to incite violence. But everyday folks, like my brother, buy into this idea. In terms of the Tucson massacre, it goes like this:

Guns don’t kill people, the person shooting the gun does, so there is no reason to try and increase gun control. The solution is to lock up the bad guys.

That may be worth discussing further, but I’ll leave that to another post. Bottom line: conservative idea is to hold individuals accountable, not create laws which are designed to protect people from potential, unseen problems. Get government out of our daily lives.

How interesting it is then, when conservatives use the exact opposite approach when it comes to LGBT issues! The linked post is about movement in Canada for transgender rights, and the very same arguments are used against Trans rights here in the US. In this case, the notion of individual responsibility is no where to be found.

Other right-wing opponents have deemed it “The Bathroom Bill,” suggesting that it would facilitate sexual assault in public washrooms. This attitude demonstrates the current lack of popular education surrounding gender, as well as the portrayal of trans- people as deceptive and suspicious.

Gender Identity and Expression are protected classes in a number of states, cities, and municipalities, as well as covered by many company non-discrimination protections. Yet not a single meaningful case has ever occurred where Trans protections have led to the harm of others.