This post has been radically altered now on the morning of Tuesday June 9th.
I wanted to change it to reflect the sense of victory and joy that I feel this morning after seeing the note written in response on the station’s website, krxq.net. In quotes are some of the original writings, but I have left citing only the companies who first left the station out of good faith and out of consideration for the health and safety of all our families. Those companies should be contacted and applauded. I will create a post with contact information of those companies so that we can tell them we appreciate their support.

“KRXQ in Sacramento, by their not immediately firing Rob and Arnie has proven itself to be a station that condones hate speech against transgendered youth. Being flippant about child abuse and calling any young person a ‘freak’ doesn’t make for a very good image for any business to be associated with, right?

So far, (as of 10:41 pm PST Friday the 5th) McDonald’s, Snapple, Chipotle, Wells Fargo, BOA, Nissan, Carl’s Jr., Verizon, and Sonic have done the right thing and pulled their advertising monies from KRXQ!! (Yay!) Let’s support those businesses that support our families!

(P.S.: Companies are siding with our families by the minute! Thank you to those companies! We love your support-and we’ll support you!)”

Mindflowers was getting a lot of looks at this post and I imagine it was people, who just like us at Mindflowers have a love for all families, including those families in LGBTQ and allied communities.
I personally am excited this morning. Some have been more wary with their enthusiasm, saying “people that only ask for pardon after their advertising monies are withdrawn are hypocrites and not sincere.” And I totally can feel that sentiment.
However, I would say that this is bigger than just the individuals at the station. This is about the sphere of public debate. This is about the milieu that our Trans young people grow up in. This is about setting a future standard of Trans folk being a group that cannot be so easily derided and slurred in pop media.
And that being the case, I see victories here.
We can look back to just about two years ago when Don Imus thought he’d get away with slurring Black women. He didn’t. He couldn’t. Maybe he would have just ten years earlier, but not in 2007. Things are changing in America, albeit slowly, for the better.
Now here it is in 2009 and those with Gender Dysphoria and Trans folk are shown to be a political force of consideration. That would likely not have been the case just ten years ago.
Like Jesse Jackson said at the time of Don Imus’ firing: it was a decision for public decency.
We are America, where supposedly everyone has a part to play in the future of the world. Everyone has an equal say. Now, we know this is not the reality of the situation. We are a deeply racist, sexist, and classist culture yet. But, the promise for a better future is there-in what our country was founded upon, in what our flag symbolizes.

Here’s to hoping that each day, the good people of conscience from all faiths or no faith will continue on towards more justice for all people. Continue on in each little step and savor every little victory.

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