News Blog

There is an update at the end of this blog. 

It's about corporate responsibility. It's about the safety and well-being of young people who are frightened, and confused about their gender identity; that society says it's not OK to ridicule them, ostracize them, or pound their brains into the pavement. 

Good God, people. Have you no shame? No sense of decency? 

The Rochester radio show "The Breakfast Buzz" with Kimberly and Beck — while never an oasis of intelligent discourse — has hit bottom and then dug a basement. In the Marianas Trench. The radio hosts apparently decided that the City of Rochester's recent decision to extend health care benefits to transgender individuals and their families could not pass without their enlightened contribution to the subject. How fortunate for the rest of us. 

You can listen to the clip yourself, but here's an excerpt of the dialogue, which I'm sure rivals only the Lincoln-Douglas debates in thoughtfulness, sincerity, and responsibility to a greater idea of humanity: 

"Transgender or gender nonconforming. What the hell does that mean? Like you're not a woman or a man??

"The dude can look like a lady and the city is going to pay for it!" (cue "Dude Looks Like a Lady" music)

"Does that mean then they'll also, if women want a boob job, they'll pay for a boob job because I think that's only right."

"The services that will be paid for under the new coverage - gender reassignment surgery, PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING, because you're probably a NUTJOB to begin with!" 

Aren't we tired of this? Yeah, I know, they're shock jocks or whatever; this is their job. Well, who is paying them to do this terrible job? (98.9 The Buzz is owned by Entercom.) And why? (That last bit is rhetorical. I know why: money and ratings. Well, OK, then.) Living in a country that allows you to shoot your mouth off doesn't free you from the consequences of what you say. And I want there to be consequences for this. 

Who decides who is welcome in our society and who is not? These two? Lord help. Today, it's trans people. Tomorrow, it's heavyset blonde women and their poindexter sidekicks. Well, them's the breaks. 

And, of course, serial offender Bob Lonsberry had to have his say on the city's policy, too. And it's everything you could hope for. 

UPDATE, Thursday, May 22, 10:10 a.m..: The Buzz announced late yesterday that Kimberly and Beck had been placed on indefinite suspension. This morning, we learned that they have been fired. Applaud if you like, but the fact remains that Kimberly and Beck had been spewing hateful speech on Rochester's airwaves for a long time, with the apparent blessing of Buzz owner Entercom. Why? Because they were making the station money. Now that things have gotten a little too hot — with advertising dollars at stake — Entercom cut them loose. Who will hold Entercom responsible?