It's like deja vu. I know I've written about this stuff before. More than once. Remember this one?
Fox News has once again sparked an insane and hate driven debate about gender identity and sexuality. The crux of their inane argument: Pink nail polish on boys is part of insidious liberal campaign to normalize transgenderism. (Okay so here's the first thing. Being transgender doesn't need to be normalized. It's real -- not a made up issue designed to tick off conservatives.)
But let's get down to basics, shall we? Bear with me, because when I speak about Fox News I feel as if I have to speak as if I am talking to a child. So here it goes:
Dear Fox, Colors don't have genders. Colors are just colors. Liking certain colors don't mean you like girls or boys, or want to be either of them, now or in the future. And it kind of makes sense. If you're a boy who's used to only receiving toys and clothes in shades of blue, you'd like pink, too. Sincerely, Logan (sex educator, Ph.D., and mom).
So what's this really all about? A feature in a J. Crew catalog. One that I saw; it made me smile with delight. And I wasn't the only one. Melanie Klein wrote about the refreshing image in her Feminist Fatale piece last week.
In the photo, J. Crew president and creative director, Jenna Lyons, and her son, Beckett, are laughing while she paints his toes fluorescent pink. (Full disclosure: my 6-year-old son and my 2-year-old daughter are wearing fluorescent pink toe nail polish right now!) The caption next to the pair reads: "Lucky for me I ended up with a boy whose favorite color is pink. Toenail painting is way more fun in neon." (BTW, he's wearing a blue and white striped tee shirt, if you wanted to know that, too.)
But it's not just Fox News viewers that have been angered by this. Fox News expert, Dr. Keith Ablow, who in my humble and professional opinion, should be stripped of his license for perpetuating hatred and intolerance, has said in his article on the subject:
"Yeah, well, it may be fun and games now, Jenna, but at least put some money aside for psychotherapy for the kid -- and maybe a little for others who'll be affected by your "innocent" pleasure. This is a dramatic example of the way that our culture is being encouraged to abandon all trappings of gender identity -- homogenizing males and females when the outcome of such "psychological sterilization" [my word choice] is not known."
The idea that wearing pink -- or any -- nail polish can rewire your boys to become transgender is frighteningly ignorant. Aren't we done with this already? This is a new low. This has no scientific basis whatsoever. But it's not just silly. It's scary. It's an insidious campaign alright - but it ain't liberal.