OK. Let’s talk about Joy Reid. As many know, an amateur sleuth on Twitter who has previously unearthed some anti-gay remarks about Florida politician Charlie Crist has supposedly unearthed old blog posts right-leaning websites like Mediaite are publishing. The posts are supposedly screenshots of Reid’s old blog, in which she supposedly wrote anti-gay remarks, and which she says she shut down in 2011.
Reid also says that the newly unearthed anti-gay posts are not hers, that she did not write them. She also says she was hacked, and hired a cyber security expert who issued a report that states her blog was breached.
NBC News reportedly is not taking Reid off the air, and is allowing the law enforcement process to take place – Reid says she notified law enforcement last year when she found the fraudulent blog posts.
There are also some tweets that some are calling anti-gay, anti-trans, anti-LGBT, homophobic, transphobic, etc.
On the right, some are demanding NBC/MSNBC fire Reid, some are asking about an advertiser boycott, some are insisting she be punished – mostly because the left has been so effective at holding actual wrong doers accountable. The countless corrupt politicians/political operatives/fundraisers, etc. associated with the RNC and the Trump team have come under scrutiny from the left because of the wrongdoing, immoral, and possibly illegal acts that we see unfold literally every day.
The right sees this as payback.
But let’s do a few things. First, as far as the blog posts are concerned, Reid says she did not write them. A security expert says her site was breached. And she’s contacted law enforcement. Also, former Salon editor-in-chief Joan Walsh, who previously published Reid’s work from her old blog, says “none of us ever saw the kinds of homophobic posts she’s now accused of.”
“Also, to my knowledge, the offensive posts had no comments on them, while the posts she acknowledges had some lively comments debates,” Walsh adds.
Others have spoken out in support of her and her work:
We also should look at who’s pushing the “Joy Reid is a homophobe” lie:
I have no idea if Joy Reid wrote the blog posts Mediaite supposedly claims she did, and I’m not going to focus on them, as many others have.
But, the credibility of those who are “unearthing” these likely fraudulent blog posts should be questioned at this point, not Reid. She says they’re not hers, she was hacked, she has an expert supporting that statement, she contacted law enforcement when she found them, and a well-respected editor familiar with her work says she never saw homophobic posts. At this point the onus is on her accusers to prove their allegations.
Because the ones who are pushing this story is the anti-gay right. Fox News. Breitbart. The “alt-right” media outlets and “reporters.”
Now, there’s a lot that’s been written about the posts, not a lot that’s been written about her tweets.
So let’s look at some of the tweets some have characterizing as appalling.
And yes, a few are offensive. But many people on the right are pointing to are not.
Remember, these are from 2010 and 2010.
Yes, this is offensive:
This is not:
(For those who don’t know, George Rekers built an entire career out of attacking LGBT people. He made a fortune testifying in court on the “dangers” of gay people. Until he was caught returning from a European vacation with a gay male prostitute.)
Is this homophobic? No. Accurate? I have no idea nor reason to think Rush Limbaugh is gay, but apparently Reid did. Was she disparaging gay people in this tweet? Doubtful.
Last year in December Reid apologized for calling Charlie Crist “Miss Charlie.” He accepted her apology. Here’s a portion of what she wrote:
“In the years since I went from blogger to opinion journalist, I have also learned, through brilliant friends and allies in the LGBT activist community, how to better frame my critiques of those who challenge people’s right to love who they want, marry them, and walk in the world as fully free people.”
“Re-reading those old blog posts, I am disappointed in myself. I apologize to those who also are disappointed in me. Life can be humbling. It often is. But I hope that you know where my heart is, and that I will always strive to use my words for good. I know better and I will do better.”
If anyone has evidence of recent attacks on LGBT people Reid has made, let’s take a look at those.
The point is, if Reid were making anti-LGBT remarks today, absolutely we should hold her accountable. But there’s no evidence of that, and there’s plenty of evidence of her work supporting the LGBT community.
She has more than proven herself to be an LGBT ally today, and in the years since she made her questionable comments.
Does the LGBT community want the anti-LGBT right to decide who and what is anti-LGBT and homophobic?
Does the LGBT community want to take down our allies? That would leave us in a very lonely place.