On August 7th, the Sylvia Rivera Law Project launched a campaign to encourage reform of the policies of the New York State Department of Corrections, who currently holds transgender women in solitary confinement indefinitely as a means to protect them from prison rape. However, constant isolation for years amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.
The SRLP used Synthia China Blast as an example of such inhumane practices. She had been held in solitary confinement for over a decade.
Determined to advance the marginalization and erase the humanity of trans women, a group known as Women's Liberation Front (WoLF for short) has created a petition asking Netflix to fire Orange is the New Black's Laverne Cox. Their rationale is that Laverne "supports" Synthia China Blast. Laverne Cox has not said one thing excusing the crimes that Ms. Blast has been convicted of. But because TERFs profess a narrative that is counter to reality, they must rely on such hyperbole and connecting unrelated events to advance it.
For those not familiar with Women's Liberation Front, it is a new (decent people exclusionary) radical feminist group. One of their 4 main objectives is gender abolition. However, the praxis for gender abolition preferred by members and supporters of WoLF seems to be harassing trans women and partnering with anti-gay activists to attempt to drive a teenage trans girl to suicide. They organized Radfems Respond and appear to be among the more organized and overtly violent of the Brennanites.
The petition states, "I refuse to let any more of my money go into the pocket of someone who supports violent offenders simply because they now identify as women." Except there's no evidence given that Laverne Cox supports any violent offenders. Of course, WoLF's target audience will not require proof, as a trans woman of color is already guilty in the minds of White feminists.
Here are some other excerpts from the signers of the petition [TW for TERF-level transmisogyny and misgendering]:
"I can't stand this person defending a rapist just because he changed sex"
"My netflix subscription will be cancelled until Laverne Cox is fired, resigns, or otherwise is removed from Orange Is The New Black. Supporting members of the trans* community is admirable, brave and courageous. Supporting a disgusting, mentally unstable criminal who has committed most heinous crimes for any reason, is wrong, and furthermore leaves me questioning Laverne Cox's mental stability, and threat to children. I do not believe the killer deserves to be treated badly because they are transgender. I believe they do not deserve treating kindly because they have proven they are void of emotion, compassion, and ability to think sanely."
"I stand for real women"
"This man will ALWSYS be male, no matter what they do to his genitals or how many hormones they pour down his throat. He MUST not be allowed around women. Please use your heads on this one. He raped and slashed a 13 year old girl, broke her neck, stuffed her body in a box and tossed it out of his car. Then set it on fire."
"Men can not become women. Ever."
You start to see a pattern emerge here. It's as if their real problem with Laverne Cox is that she is a woman. They can't even hide their transmisogyny long enough to write to people who might not share their extreme hatred for trans women without expressing this hatred. Instead of trying to prove Laverne Cox condoned and excused the actions of a convicted child murderer, they seem more intent on trying to convince others that she isn't a "real woman." I suppose that's how they plan to abolish gender. Or maybe they plan to abolish gender by selling women into rape culture.
