"Trying to have a conversation with you would be like arguing with a dining room table."

I sometimes feel the same way with some of the vile commenters who frequent this blog. Way to go Barney!

Gee, I agree with you (but almost certainly not about who is a vile commenter)

And as it turns out, Barney was dead on accurate about his objections to gender expression in ENDA

Because I am local, I watched this last night on the news and I just keep lovin' it.

I have always been a fan of the Barney, and I suspect that time will increase his appraisal. When he is no longer among us, we will realize how much we need him and wonder why, when he was with us, we trashed him so often.

Some people have short memory spans.

Barney Franks is almost as fierce a defender of GLBT equality as Obama. Almost.

He gutted ENDA in 2007 to the delight of bigoted employers, christian rightists and homohaters everywhere. On behalf of bigoted employers Barney Frank accepted every amendment offered by right wing christer Democrats and Republicans. He even embraced a Republican amendment stipulating that ENDA could not be used to undercut Bill Clinton's DOMA. ENDA will have a though fight because Frank gutted the original one and because Congress is largely composed of right centrist Democrats and Republicans who pander to christian rightists.

Barney Frank defended the vile bigotry of Obama's DoJ when they filed legal briefs in support of Bill Clinton's DOMA.

He opposed granting same sex marriages in San Francisco.

Clintoncare, Obamacare and McCaincare are all flawed in exactly the same way and for exactly the same reasons. They're sellout measures meant to enrich the owners and managers of HMOs, insurance companies like AIG and Big Pharma. Why should activists for LGBT rights give a damn who wins this sham debate or who loses it?

Frank engages in a bit political theatre with another right winger defending Obama's sellout. It’s no big deal and it’s certainly not our not our fight. These town hall debacles are just the Republicans dogging a politician from a competing gang of hustlers, the Democrats. Both support the war, pander to bigots and oppose socialized medicine. The Democrats will respond in kind next time they lose, and if Obama keeps it up that could be in 2012.

If it's not socialized medicine it's not going to work. Obama began his campaign caving to the right on GLBT rights, the war, health care, and Obama Robin Hood in Reverse program of welfare for the rich and austerity for working people. This is more of the same - a giveaway to the owners and obscenely overpaid managers of insurance companies like AIG, HMOs and Big Pharma. He’s rewarding the profit gougers and cheating us of real heath care reform.

With Democrats like Frank and Obama (and Pelosi, Reid and the rest) who needs Republicans?

Support the March on Washington! (Mainly because it’ll be an anti-Obama, anti-bigot rally and that scares the hell out of Democrats.)

Find one yourself. Find a real transsexual woman who says "I think it's fine to expose my male part to women in public facilities". Find a real transsexual woman who "keeps the penis" because they love it so much. Basic definitions seem to escape certain transgender types, don't they?

The transgender definition of transsexual seems to be "anyone who puts on women's clothes". In fact, I would love to hear what the transgender think is the difference between "transgender" and "transsexual". Anyone care to explain that? By the way, your continued insistence on dragging this issue into the genital area is obsessive and insulting.

Interesting how certain people always try to turn the question around. Remember, as an activist who wants to change society, the burden of proof is always on YOU. YOU must convince society why they are wrong and you are right. Unless you plan on imposing your will on other people by fiat, you have to sell your agenda to them. Or is that the plan with GENDA, to ram it down people's throats whether they like it or not? Mother nature can think outside of binaries, but people don't. Good luck trying to change that with ideas about "social gender", especially with the combative tone you take with people.

You can't make an omelet without . . . well, we all know how that goes.

"Ramming speed!"

"Torpedoes away!"

"Unleash hell."

Viva la Combat!

Has anyone seen my goalie mask and chainsaw?

I was once told by Jamison Green, "If you become an activist in the transgender community and you don't have people hate you, then you aren't accomplishing anything." Based on all the "love" I get each time I comment or have an article on Bilerico, I must be making a MAJOR IMPACT on the world's perception of trans people. I should be thanking all of you for your backhanded validation. You will all be in my prayers.

I'm not a big fan of Barney Frank, what with ENDA debacle, among other things, however in this instance I say, Way to Go Barney!