Riley Gaines Muted by Pro-Trans Activist After She Uses a Definition He Doesn't Like
In August, Elon Musk, owner of the social media platform he’s rebranded as “X” — a move that’s gone over about as well as the Edsel — announced that the former Twitter would be removing its “block” function sometime in the near future.
The change hasn’t been implemented yet, but the announcement caused all kinds of hand-wringing among the former blue checkmarks on the left, who apparently feared they would be subject to seeing the opinions of the general-issue rabblement they abhor.
But thankfully for Jonathan Perkins — an activist who describes himself in his X profile as a “woke … biracial Black man” and an “antiracist educator” — he can still mute women’s sports activist Riley Gaines, a woman who continually one-upped him in a social-media showdown.
Gaines was an NCAA swimmer for the University of Kentucky who competed against transgender University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas. Gaines has since become the face of the movement to keep men out of women’s sports because of men’s inherent biological advantages that no amount of hormone therapy or “sex change” surgery can erase.
The tête-à-tête between Perkins and Gaines began with this incredibly powerful post by the “antiracist educator”:
Trans women are women.
Trans women are women.
Trans women are women.
Trans women are women.
Trans women are women.
Trans women are women.
Trans women are women.
Trans women are women.
Trans women are women.
Trans women are women.
Trans women are women.
Trans women are women. https://t.co/n7g2Mahlpm— J. Perkins (@JohnathanPerk) September 15, 2023
Because if you repeat something enough times, it’s true. Or maybe not, as Gaines pointed out:
Hot dogs are dogs.
Hot dogs are dogs.
Hot dogs are dogs.
Hot dogs are dogs.
Hot dogs are dogs.
Hot dogs are dogs.
Hot dogs are dogs.
Hot dogs are dogs.
Hot dogs are dogs.
Hot dogs are dogs.
Hot dogs are dogs.
Hot dogs are dogs. https://t.co/jyC1tNZU0i— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) September 17, 2023
She also went on to note that “[a] confident, outlandish statement ≠ reality.” How dare she?
A confident, outlandish statement ≠ reality
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) September 17, 2023
“You’re clearly a very confident person, despite being an open transphobe. How about you speak to me directly, @Riley_Gaines_?” Perkins responded.
You’re clearly a very confident person, despite being an open transphobe. How about you speak to me directly, @Riley_Gaines_? https://t.co/4QH3KQmwTd
— J. Perkins (@JohnathanPerk) September 17, 2023
“Gladly. Trans [women] are, in fact, males. It’s not opinionated or hateful. It’s fact,” she responded. “You’re also clearly a very confident person, despite being openly racist. Glad to have a conversation there if you need anything else cleared up as well.”
Gladly. Trans woman are, in fact, males. It’s not opinionated or hateful. It’s fact.
You’re also clearly a very confident person, despite being openly racist. Glad to have a conversation there if you need anything else cleared up as well. https://t.co/4qPFGG34IG
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) September 17, 2023
But he says he’s antiracist! How can he be racist?
A significant percentage of white people genuinely believe “racism” is defined as mere mention of race in a way they notice.
To them, “racism” is obvious when “white” is uttered—despite the fact that racism against white people is a nonsense notion: racism requires social power.
— J. Perkins (@JohnathanPerk) September 18, 2023
Oh, like that.
Anyhow, Perkins wrote that, “we can put a pin in your transphobia for a moment. Please do explain how I’m racist? Lol.”
Sure, we can put a pin in your transphobia for a moment.
Please do explain how I’m racist? Lol. https://t.co/SijpYF8eyU
— J. Perkins (@JohnathanPerk) September 17, 2023
Gaines, meanwhile, turned to Wikipedia:
A two-second look at your profile is all anyone needs to see this definition applied https://t.co/GLyI2VS8mr pic.twitter.com/91Rq25BTjU
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) September 17, 2023
Perkins was unhappy being confronted with the obvious: “Imma mute you now because you clearly don’t even know definitions of the terms you’re throwing around,” he said. “Stay in school. Seriously.”
Imma mute you now because you clearly don’t even know definitions of the terms you’re throwing around.
Stay in school. Seriously. https://t.co/onnhvkW8l9
— J. Perkins (@JohnathanPerk) September 17, 2023
Somewhat hilariously, after he blocked Gaines and the quote-tweet battle was over, he posted this Deep Thought™:
Racists tend to be REALLY bad at all social media. ProTip.
— J. Perkins (@JohnathanPerk) September 18, 2023
Right.
This is a man who just published a post tweet that said “Trans women are women” something like 36 times, then requested a public argument with Riley Gaines after she pointed out the absurdity of that untruth, then blocked her because he didn’t like how the argument was going. She called him a racist and his only response was that that “[r]acists tend to be REALLY bad at all social media.”
I here call for summary judgment.
Gaines’ posts are a perfect example of how the right needs to respond to win the battle over gender ideology: Direct confrontation using the unflinching power of truth.
There is no route to victory through accommodation or winsomeness: The absurdity of the whole structure needs to be pointed out honestly. Because in a candid confrontation, it crumbles under the slightest scrutiny.
Here, a self-proclaimed “antiracist educator” couldn’t “educate” Riley Gaines aside from throwing around terms like “racist” and “transphobe.”
That’s nasty, but name-calling doesn’t erase reality.
Contrary to what contemporary transactivists like to pretend, and what they want the rest of the world to pretend to believe (or else), XX is XX and XY is XY.
And A is A.
Period.
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