Came to Listen, Sickened by Mob Violence and Hypocrisy
Monday, August 15. I hadn’t initially planned to go to City Hall at all that evening — I had obligations at home and mixed feelings about both sides in this conflict — but the issue was looming large in the community, and I wanted to witness the further unfolding of the Y pool incident for myself, rather than rely on the oft-biased narratives of others.
Port Townsend had drawn attention from across the political spectrum; I’d heard that the Proud Boys were going to be there. They weren’t, but as it turned out, we didn’t need right-wing extremists in order to have violence. Had I not witnessed firsthand what transpired, I would never have believed it possible. The behavior of the trans-rights activists — in the name of “love” and “tolerance” — astounded and sickened me.
Upon arrival, I positioned myself on the perimeter of the rally supporting Julie so that I could attempt to hear what the speakers were saying. I carried no sign nor indicated any allegiance, yet when I took out my phone to film both sides, a burly tattooed man invaded my space, shouting and covering my phone with his hat.
Next came folks on bicycles, weaving through the small crowd, making as much noise as possible and bumping into people (I suppose we are fortunate in this regard the violence came from the left; the Proud Boys would have been driving cars). Behind me, the burly man pushed right up against a couple of women, screaming, “You fucking cunt!” Meanwhile, another man scolded me: “You should be ashamed of yourself!”
“For what?” I asked. “For listening?”
While city councilors were inside City Hall congratulating themselves on their proclamation that “urges all residents and visitors to be respectful, welcoming, and kind to everyone” …outside the mob was anything but. As I continued to watch in disbelief, it became increasingly threatening and unruly.
One woman on a bicycle chanted “No TERFs on our turf!” and bore a sign reinforcing the sentiment. I couldn’t help wondering on what basis she was claiming this as her turf, but not Julie’s. It’s an admittedly catchy slogan, but one that does not stand up to scrutiny, as it promotes the very thing (exclusion) it purports to oppose.
How could the people denigrating Julie as a bully and her supporters as cunts not recognize their own hypocrisy? They were comparing Julie’s supporters with Nazis and the KKK. It is an insult to the memory of the millions actually exterminated by Nazis, and the Black people actually lynched by the KKK to equate those hate groups to peaceful protestors raising concerns about Washington State’s laws on dressing room facilities.
Whatever you may feel about the issue, debating the legislation on single-sex spaces is not genocide nor a prelude to genocide. Reductio ad Hitlerum is just a lazy method of derailment and distraction, in lieu of the difficult work of substantiating a case.
Justifications I have heard for the assault on demonstrators include: council members have received death threats, trans people and people even perceived as trans have been doxxed, harassed and maligned. These actions are contemptible and indefensible, and, I suspect, largely carried out by non-locals who have latched on to this event and are co-opting it to further their own agenda (which likely includes exacerbating in-fighting among progressives).
What I witnessed on Monday evening shook me to the core. The videos I’ve watched do not adequately convey the feeling of being there. As I stood before the mob, images of the January 6th demonstration came to mind, each sporting its own trappings, but driven by the same motivation: my team and everything it does is right, and your team isn’t just wrong; it’s evil.
There is no space between opposing sides for any discussion, question, or disagreement. The lines are drawn — fall into formation. Utter any reservations and you will be castigated, canceled and exiled. This is not democratic behavior, where all participants are citizens with rights; groupthink and mob violence are more commonly associated with fascism.
As I was leaving, I stopped to thank one woman for her courage to be there. Because no matter how you feel about the issue, it took courage to stand there in the face of the hateful, angry mob that outnumbered them tenfold. When I got several blocks away, I stopped and let the tears flow.
Photo above submitted by author.
Top photo: screen shot of the “burly tattooed man” who assaulted numerous people, from video taken by Robert Zerfing.
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Additional Free Press articles on the Julie Jaman/YMCA/City of PT story:
8/2/22 – Mountain View Pool Punishes Woman For Her Gender Expression and Identity
8/4/22 – Censored: Men’s Eyes in Women’s Shower Room
8/10/22 – Mountain View Pool No Longer Safe for Many Women and Girls
8/16/22 – Women Seeking Civil Rights Stand Up to Mob Hatred and Intimidation in Port Townsend
8/18/22 – Reporting from the Frontlines of the Woke Battlefield