At first, I wasn’t going to write about this unfortunate situation, because the circumstances surrounding it are just so tawdry and despicable, but it makes me so angry that I am going to say a “few” words.
Apparently, there are photographs circulating that are allegedly of Eric Brewer, the mayor of East Cleveland, in a female persona. Although he has not, to my knowledge, denied that the photos are legitimate, he has claimed that they are being distributed by the police department in an effort to discredit him just before the mayoral election. (Update: Brewer just lost the election.)
Although the police department denied this, a statement released by the police union and published in the Cleveland Leader criticized Brewer and referred to the mayor as “he” in quotation marks. Brewer’s opponent, Gary Norton, who was supported by the police union, also denied a hand in distributing these photos.
I don’t know anything about Mayor Brewer or his politics. I don’t live in East Cleveland, and I have no idea if he is a good mayor or not. I’m sure some think he is and some think he isn’t — that’s usually how politics goes. But my feeling is that if you don’t like the man, don’t vote for him. Campaign diligently for the other candidate. But digging (very deeply) into his personal life and trying to discredit him with these photos, whoever is distributing them, is really unconscionable.
It’s not that there’s anything wrong with a person born male dressing in female clothing, either privately or publicly, and even if that person is a public figure. Many have done so. My complaints are these:
> These photos, and Mayor Brewer’s private life, have nothing to do with his ability to govern. They should not be used in an effort to discredit him. If he’s not a good mayor, that’s another issue, and in that case, there will be truly important things that can be put forth to demonstrate that.
> The idea that dressing in women’s clothing somehow makes a man unsuitable for office is just plain wrong — it’s a non-issue. And the fact that this type of campaign is still being used against people is really offensive to me. It’s based on the idea that crossdressers, transgender people, and transsexual people are not fit for public office or other prominent positions, and this is simply not the case. Examples that prove otherwise abound.
> The distribution of these photos is intended to shame Mayor Brewer, reinforcing the idea that crossdressing or demonstrating non-traditional gender behavior is shameful, bad, and wrong. The fact that a group of people, whoever they are, intend to damage someone’s reputation with such photos demonstrates that we have not gotten past the point where such a thing is considered shameful. That proves that there’s a lot more work to do.
I can’t speculate on whether or not these photos are of Mayor Brewer. I don’t care and I don’t think it matters. If he’s a good mayor, vote him back into office. If he’s not, vote him out. That’s why we have a voting system. This photo campaign is just slimy politics at its worst.
(Note: if this mayor has been actively transphobic and has pushed policies that hurt trans or gender-diverse people, I take it all back. Otherwise, leave it be.)
But just as a side note, be careful of who you let take your photo. In some cases, not even your friends can be trusted.
(Photo: Mayor Eric Brewer)
It’s true. Politicians and other public figures do relinquish their privacy, and they make a conscious decision to do that. And they’re constantly screwing it up.
I probably should have said, “Being trans or crossdressing has nothing to do with his ability to govern.”
But as a public figure, there are consequences to your actions, and there are always people out there who want to use your private life to hurt you.
(With Clinton, I just wanted to say, “It’s only 8 years. Couldn’t you have just waited until you were out of office?” But no president has listened to me yet.)
I agree with 99% of what you say here,except, “These photos, and Mayor Brewer’s private life, have nothing to do with his ability to govern.” Politicians do relinquish their privacy when they get elected. I’m thinking more about John Edwards and Bill Clinton than Mayor Brewer. In Clinton’s case, his private actions not only affected his ability to govern, but also imperiled the country. No Monica Lewinsky. No George Bush. No Iraq war.