Cool Party You've Got There, Republicans

[Content Note: Sexism; violence.]

The Republican talking point about how OBVIOUSLY anyone would be for the title of the Violence Against Women Act is at least a year old now, a pathetic attempt to explain how they could be against the reauthorization of VAWA despite it's alluring title, in order to segue into their objections to certain provisions of the bill, e.g. extending protections to people other than white cis female citizens in different-sex relationships and allocating funds for sexual violence.

That's the GOP attempt to sound reasonable: Sure, we're ostensibly for protecting women of whom we approve, but come on, you can't expect us to fund the safety of any old person who's been victimized by violence SHEESH.

Anyway. Republican Representative from Tennessee John Duncan Jr. tried to thread this garbage needle in a statement reported by the Chattanooga Times Free Press, and, well, wow:

"Every bill is given a motherhood-and-apple-pie title," Duncan said outside the House chamber. "But if you voted [based] on the title, you'd vote for every bill up here. If we'd all done that, the country would have crashed a long time ago.

"So this is another bill with a motherhood-and-apple-pie title," he added.

Passed in 1994 and renewed twice without controversy, the Violence Against Women Act reauthorizes funding for pro bono legal assistance and training programs to help victims of violent sex crimes, stalking and other forms of dating and domestic abuse. Despite the bill's title, the benefits apply to female and male victims.

"Like most men, I'm more opposed to violence against women than even violence against men," Duncan said. "Because most men can handle it a little better than a lot of women can."

I am married to a man who is a survivor of childhood violence. I'm not sure I can fully convey the depth of my contempt for this Boys Don't Cry bullshit that serves as secondary trauma in the lives of so many male survivors of abuse.

I am also a survivor of violence. I'm not sure I can fully convey the depth of my contempt for this Women Are Weak bullshit that serves as secondary trauma in the lives of so many female survivors of abuse.

And that is all I am going to say about that.