Well I never!
It's completely freaky to discover Bill O' Reilly defending a transwoman. On the other hand, maybe he views her the same as he does his loufah. Or was that a falafel?
What right does the Miss Universe pageant have to violate this lady’s right to be a woman? They are basically saying because you weren’t born a woman you don’t have a right to be a woman..[I]t doesn’t sound right to me.
O'Reilly was speaking about the case of Jenna Talackova, who was selected as a finalist for Miss Universe Canada, but then disqualified because she wasn't a "natural born woman".
One of the things that makes this remarkable is that just a couple of years ago, O'Reilly compared transpeople to ewoks.
And his
screed against transgender kids using gender-appropriate restrooms is legendary.
So this is all probably a temporary aberration. He's probably got the hots for Jenna.
For something positive about the Jenna Talackova situation, I invite you to read an essay by Janet Mock.
The requirements being that Jenna was not a “naturally born female,” a rule which is not stated on their website or in any materials. It’s an unspoken rule, one that wasn’t made up by the pageant organization, but by our society. This unspoken rule has pervaded our communities for decades, whispering in subtle and not-so-subtle ways to girls like us that:
We’ll never be a real woman.
I have no idea how to respond to the commenters here, there and everywhere who believe that transwomen should not be allowed in beauty pageants because we somehow have an unnatural physical advantage.