Politics
Chasten Buttigieg Slams Homophobe's Sexist Dr Jill Biden Take in 'WSJ'
Buttigieg has raised over $58,000 to repudiate the missive.
December 13 2020 4:58 PM EST
December 14 2020 4:41 AM EST
MikelleStreet
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Buttigieg has raised over $58,000 to repudiate the missive.
On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed that has been lambasted as sexist and misogynist. Written by writer and essayist Joseph Epstein, the piece calls First Lady-elect Dr. Jill Biden "kiddo" and argued that she should stop using the "Dr." title in front of her name.
Dr. Jill Biden is a highly educated educator, and as is standard for someone who has received a doctoral degree -- hers is from the University of Delaware -- uses her earned prefix of Dr.
"'Dr. Jill Biden' sounds and feel fraudulent, not to say a touch comic," Epstein wrote. "A wise man once said that no one should call himself 'Dr.' unless he has delivered a child. Think about it, Dr. Jill, and forthwith drop the doc." Epstein argued Biden should "stow" the prefix "at least for now." Epstein is not known to have earned a doctoral degree.
\u201c\u201cJill Biden should think about dropping the honorific, which feels fraudulent, even comic.\u201d Really, is there no end to men affronted by women\u2019s authority? Is it worse with women who\u2019re successful (and so, often, legitimized) by standards optimized for male success? SO TIRESOME.\u201d— Soraya Chemaly (@Soraya Chemaly) 1607792186
\u201cThe word 'doctor' comes from the Latin word for "teacher." https://t.co/wUihrn6Hyq\u201d— Merriam-Webster (@Merriam-Webster) 1607801223
Many have criticized Epstein for writing the piece and WSJ editors for publishing it. The Merriam-Webster went so far as to surface a story about the history of the term doctor, revealing that it "comes from the Latin word for 'teacher'" -- which Dr. Biden certainly is. But as people began to dig into who Epstein was, they discovered that he is not only a misogynist but also a homophobe.
"Homosexuals are different, moreover, in a way that cuts dipper than other kinds of human differences -- religious, class, racial -- in a way that is, somehow, more fundamental," he wrote in an excerpt that has been shared widely on social media. "Cursed without clear cause, afflicted without apparent cure, they are an affront to our rationality, living evidence of our despair of ever finding a sensible, an explainable, design to the world. One can tolerate homosexuality, a small enough price to be asked to pay for someone else's pain, but accepting it, really accepting it, is another thing."
None— Emily Nussbaum (@Emily Nussbaum) 1607814565
Chasten Buttigieg came out decisively against Epstein and wanted to build something that would prove a sign of dissent for those who were with them. As a result, he made a t-shirt.
"Want to say no to sexists and raising funds for the community college foundation where [Dr. Biden] teaches?" he tweeted. "Well, you're in luck." The shirt itself simply says Doctor First Lady Jill Biden with proceeds benefiting North Virginia Community College Educational Foundation. Since the launch, over 2,500 shirts have been sold exceeding the goal of 500. The numbers mean that there's over $29,000 being donated to the fund so far.
\u201cThe author could\u2019ve used fewer words to just say \u201cya know in my day we didn\u2019t have to respect women.\u201d https://t.co/jr9hICPzV4\u201d— Chasten Buttigieg (@Chasten Buttigieg) 1607785830
\u201cWant to say no to sexists and yes to raising funds for the community college foundation where @DrBiden teaches? Well, you\u2019re in luck: https://t.co/Bknb8edqat\u201d— Chasten Buttigieg (@Chasten Buttigieg) 1607807022
\u201cThe website was glitching for @Chasten when he was making this great design, so I set it up on my end. All his idea and the proceeds go to the @NOVACommCollege Educational Fund, where Dr. Jill Biden teaches. Buy here for just $20: https://t.co/X2E4wi5Fcs\u201d— Charlotte Clymer \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Charlotte Clymer \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1607810863
In the process of making the shirt, the website glitched for Buttigieg prompting Charlotte Clymer to step in.
"The website was glitching for Chasten when he was making this great design, so I set it up on my end," she tweeted. "All his idea and the proceeds go to North Virginia Community College Educational Fund, where Dr. Jill Biden teaches." The second shirt says "That's 'Dr. Biden' to you, sir." It has sold over 1,600 designs, making for over $18,000 in donations. Combined, the two designs have raised over $47,000 and are on track for $50,000 by the end of the night. (Editor's note: By Monday morning, the efforts had raised over $58,000.)
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Mikelle is the former editorial director of digital for PrideMedia, guiding digital editorial and social across Out, The Advocate, Pride.com, Out Traveler, and Plus. After starting as a freelancer for Out in 2013, he joined the staff as Senior Editor working across print and digital in 2018. In early 2021 he became Out's digital director, marking a pivot to content that centered queer and trans stories and figures, exclusively. In September 2021, he was promoted to editorial director of PrideMedia. He has written cover stories on Ricky Martin, Miss Fame, Nyle DiMarco, Jeremy O. Harris, Law Roach, and Symone.
Mikelle is the former editorial director of digital for PrideMedia, guiding digital editorial and social across Out, The Advocate, Pride.com, Out Traveler, and Plus. After starting as a freelancer for Out in 2013, he joined the staff as Senior Editor working across print and digital in 2018. In early 2021 he became Out's digital director, marking a pivot to content that centered queer and trans stories and figures, exclusively. In September 2021, he was promoted to editorial director of PrideMedia. He has written cover stories on Ricky Martin, Miss Fame, Nyle DiMarco, Jeremy O. Harris, Law Roach, and Symone.