Justice

Curt Schilling Shares Absurd Anti-Trans Meme

April 20th 2016

Curt Schilling, a high-profile ESPN baseball analyst, was fired by the network following controversy that erupted after he shared an offensive anti-transgender meme, the New York Times reports.

The most recent controversy around Schilling's social media commentary flared up when he shared a meme that argued transgender people should not be allowed to use public restrooms that correspond to their chosen gender identity.

Anti-trans meme Deadspin - deadspin.com

The now-deleted meme, shared by Schilling on Facebook, paints an inflammatory caricature of transgender people. Along with the offensive implication that transgender people who use bathrooms according to their gender identity pose a special threat to their stall mates, the meme advances a derogatory picture of what transgender people actually look like.

As the meme would have it, transgender people are tragically failing to publicly present as their chosen gender, and would obviously make anyone they shared a bathroom with uncomfortable.

According to a screengrab taken by Outsports, Schilling wrote in a comment on the post:

Shilling Outsports - outsports.com

In response to backlash over the meme, Schilling defended himself in a blog post:

"You frauds out there ranting and screaming about my ‘opinions’ (even if it isn’t) and comments are screaming for “tolerance” and “acceptance” while you refuse to do and be either.

YOU’RE the ones making it the issue. I don’t care, if you ask me about any of the topics it’s likely (much to the chagrin of many) I’ll answer with my opinion."

The meme highlights one side in a national debate surrounding transgender people's access to restrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their gender identity. Several states are considering bills that block protections for LGBT individuals, and North Carolina and Mississippi both recently passed legislation enshrining such bans on protections into state law.

This is not the first time Schilling has faced criticism for his social media posts. Last year, he was suspended after sharing a meme comparing Islamic extremists to Nazi-era Germans.

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