This is why some comments to my blog end up in the trash.

When my blog was part of the Times Union’s collection of community weblogs, there used to be a rule among approval of comments. All comments had to be approved, no matter whether they disagreed with you or not. It was only under unique circumstances – i.e., clearance with the Times Union blog leader – that a blog comment could be removed, or a person could be blocked.

I’ve blogged about dealing with sockpuppets and trolls before.

The first rule of sock-puppetry. Remember who’s the sock puppet.

Today, since my blog is wholly owned and operated by the entity known as Chuck Miller, Chuck Miller has the right to remove blog comments that he deems necessary. Now I haven’t used that power willy-nilly; I still allow plenty of dissenting opinions on my blog, within reasonable boundaries.

However, if someone does continually pole-vault over those boundaries … they get blocked. Their email gets blocked. Their IP address gets blocked. The four other ways they can use to skirt around those two blocks gets them blocked as well. Their posts usually end up in my blog’s trash file.

The other day, I went through my spam file and trash file, which I do on occasion to clean out all the junk spam and bot spam and whatnot.

And there was a blog comment in the trash folder. I went to check it out.

Ugh. I’m sorry I did.

“You know where the left comes up with all their conspiracy theories. You bash Republicans but the democrats are dumb enough to think you can change your sex. Trans men are not real men and trans women are not real women. Follow that science. Or use it for the next democrat supported groomer meeting.”

Idiot.

Again … I don’t have time with people who live for transphobia. I don’t need it, nobody needs it. The fact that I’m not publishing this meathead’s name should tell you that I don’t feel he deserves any scintilla of recognition for his vile comment.

Trust me. Trans rights are HUMAN rights. And believe me, people with trans hatred are the ones who kvetch about Lia Thomas winning a swimming event, even though they never gave a shit about collegiate swimming before. They just hated that a trans woman did well enough to win an event. Or that Anhauser-Busch gave some Bud Light to an online TikTok influencer who just HAPPENED to also be trans. Oh my god, they gave some of our cheap beer to one of those! The sky is falling!! The sky is falling!!!

Which begets the next statement. People don’t transition just because they want to win a sporting event. It’s not like Rory McIlroy can put on a dress and suddenly he can play in the LPGA. There are a hundred different factors and a hundred different reasons why someone would choose to transition. Those reasons are their own, and they have the right to share or not share them with you. The only thing you have to understand is that these people are just as human as you and me. And they deserve your respect and they deserve your compassion.

Trans people don’t need your hatred and they don’t need your bigotry and they don’t need your knuckle-dragging, navel-gazing idiocy.

This blog stands with trans men and with trans women. And if you have a problem with that … then the door’s right over there.

You want to complain about my blog? Go send a letter to the Times Union.

Just don’t expect your comments to get reposted on THIS platform.

No. Not here.