1/ And in the #BecauseOfCourse moment of the day, the Bros are doing their best to prove @JoyAnnReid is trans-phobic by doing the same thing they always do, which is knowingly & willfully taking words/deeds completely out of context.
It's a charge without merit and they know it,
It's a charge without merit and they know it,
2/ As evidence for this claim they are passing around screenshots of tweets in which Reid repeatedly uses the name "Bradley Manning,"as evidence for her trans=phobia. Now, this would be problematic if it were not for the fact that Reid published those tweets in 2011...
3/ This, of course, was a full 2 years before Manning began privately telling people that she was trans.
What's most irritating & telling is the fact that those creating these screenshots KNOW this b/c the bottom portion of these tweets, which date them, is always cropped away,
What's most irritating & telling is the fact that those creating these screenshots KNOW this b/c the bottom portion of these tweets, which date them, is always cropped away,
4/ This is all pre-meditated. Someone (or ones) sat down and tried to think of ways of discrediting Joy Reid and chose this is an a way to do it, then took the time to create these. This is character assassination in the name of political expediency and it's noxious. 
5/ Worse, they are actually using a thread in which Reid was attempting to counter arguments that another commentator had made in support of Trump's trans- ban.
You read that right. They are passing around Reid's defense of trans- soldiers as evidence of her transphobia.
You read that right. They are passing around Reid's defense of trans- soldiers as evidence of her transphobia.
6/ Let's go to the offending transphobic thread & take this claim seriously shall we?
Some background: Reid had watched a guest on CNN claimsthat Chelsea Manning's psychological instability her actual treason were evidence enough to support a total trans-ban in the US military.
Some background: Reid had watched a guest on CNN claimsthat Chelsea Manning's psychological instability her actual treason were evidence enough to support a total trans-ban in the US military.
7/ She begins the thread by saying "Look, these people are going to try to Chelsea Manning as an example to try to discredit all transsexual soldier. Let's diffuse this." Remember, Trump was contemporaneously trying to ban transsexuals from serving in any branch of the military.
8' This is the tweet they all insist is the worst of the lot. First of all they all seem to want to misread her tone and ignore punctuation. Reid was asking a fair and serious question here, and not making some sort of condescending statement.
There is nothing but empathy here.
There is nothing but empathy here.
9/Reid establishes that she is no fan of Manning's treason (me neither), but then asks whether Manning's psychological state might not have been improved had she been given access to the hormones she needed to become Chelsea.
This is not only a fair question, it's insightful too.
This is not only a fair question, it's insightful too.
10/ Reid explains that in interviews w/ former colleagues she had learned that Manning had been isolated & lonely & had been prone to sometimes violent outbursts. Reid then goes on to say that Manning's life had been filled w/ difficulty, just as many non-trans soldiers are.
11/ Then in an obviously "trans-phobic" moment, Reid says "Look, there are a lot of possible reasons for why Chelsea Manning exhibited anti-social behavior, but it wasn't because she was a transsexual so stop trying to use her as the reason to ban all transpeople from serving.
12/ She ends the thread by saying to the extent that her transsexuality might of affected her performance or mental state that maybe some blame belongs to the institution that seemed to fail Manning in the several ways: the US military.
13/ This is all of their evidence.
And it's so easily debunked that it'd be funny if they were not using the bullshit to try to discredit one of the very few prominent black women working in the national news media. She's 1 of maybe 10, which seems to be 10 too many for them.
And it's so easily debunked that it'd be funny if they were not using the bullshit to try to discredit one of the very few prominent black women working in the national news media. She's 1 of maybe 10, which seems to be 10 too many for them.
14/ So be vigilant. What they hope is that you will not care enough to question these claims, or if you do that much, that you will be too lazy to research or verify them. And they certainly don't expect us to do what I did tonight, which was to know my facts.
15/ If we needed further evidence that these attacks on the media voices that best defend our principles and represent our values are pre-meditated then this episode should provide that. But we must also fully acknowledge that these attacks are targeted at a specific group.
16/ Neither @Lawrence nor @chrislhayes can claim to receive anything approaching the quantity, tone, or content of the criticisms that their female colleagues do...
It's the women, so this is misogyny at work.
Black women are particular targets, so it's racism too.
It's the women, so this is misogyny at work.
Black women are particular targets, so it's racism too.
17/ I am deeply disturbed & more than a little angry that @joyannreid is facing this sort of onslaught. Her comment threads are filled w/ far worse things than she ever wrote in that blog, now over a decade ago.
Stay strong Joy and let us fight this out for you. We got this.
Stay strong Joy and let us fight this out for you. We got this.
As a focussed group of Sanders' supporters fashion a new and completely meritless attack on @JoyAnnReid, the far left is proving once again their willingness to join forces with far right activists in an effort to bring down progressive women from every medium. Transphobia? No.
