The Four Color Media Monitor

This is just so ridiculous:

Following outcry from comics professionals and fans on Twitter, Dark Horse Comics has announced that it will backtrack on its health insurance policy that excluded transgender employees from certain types of coverage. The company announced that on October 1st, its healthcare plan would be expanded to “include hormone therapy and other surgical transition services,” which under the previous plans had not been offered.

Why must they be offered? Isn't the health coverage they provide supposed to apply to just about anything and everything medical related? It makes little sense to me, and I won't be shocked if the Verge is just putting words in their mouth; somehow I doubt they ever actually excluded transgender employees from any particular insurance in the past decade, no matter what one of their employees says in the following:

The issue came to light earlier this month when Dark Horse announced a Pride Month sale featuring inclusive comics such as Black Hammer, ElfQuest, Husbands, and others. The announcement prompted a protest from trans comic critic, podcast host, and former Dark Horse editor Jay Edidin, who pointed out that Dark Horse’s healthcare insurance specifically excluded coverage for “anything related to gender dysphoria & transition,” and that the comics publisher was able to skirt state laws by acting as a self-insured company and providing its own insurance. Edidin’s tweet prompted vocal backlash against the company.

IMO, that sounds like an attack on a private outfit's business, and Edidin's always sounded like such a jerk to me. They should never employ him again for causing them problems. The article continues with the following propaganda:

It’s a business calculation that sends a terrible message: medical coverage options for trans employees are a lower priority than those of other employees. Even if the coverage wasn’t offered because there weren’t any trans employees to take advantage of it, it’s a terrible signal to prospective employees who might otherwise seek a job there. The statement also drew criticism because it handwaved away the issue by saying that the company would “continue to explore” the options available transgender employees. As Edidin pointed out, the response lacked any specific language, timeline, or a real commitment to said options.

So transgender employees must have some kind of priority offered that other employees don't expect? Point: if Jews, Blacks and Latinos aren't expecting these "options", then LGBT employees shouldn't either, so what's their dumb point? Apparently, the following:

Vocal outrage works. Dark Horse was facing a wave of angry fans over a discriminatory policy that never should have been implemented in the first place. Backtracking and offering the coverage to employees helps the publisher save face, but more importantly, it helps provides essential medical coverage that might otherwise be well out of reach for any current or potential Dark Horse employees who might require it.

Correction: fauxtrage works, as does antagonism, whining and kvetching over illogical ideologies and even medical concepts that could actually be harmful to people. It's not going to satisfy these SJWs anyway, they'll continue to double-down, and some audience members could grow discouraged from buying their products. One commenter said in response to one about shaming as though it were a good thing:

This comment troubles me because it suggests that ends justify the means of getting there. You’re right, this is very much shaming. Shaming a company that has advocated for those who are screaming for its Crucifixion. There isn’t any grace here; people aren’t considering Dark Horse an ally who has been working on representing this minority. Because of this, DH went immediately from ally to foe.

What sort of community turns its back on a friend like that? Are all of your friends perfect? (this is the general "you," not you specifically, Woof LikeABear) Do they have issues that trouble you? Are you yourself troubled? Do you demand everyone around you meet your need of perfection? I certainly hope not because that leads to a very lonely life.

I’m seeing no grace for people and organizations who themselves are transitioning their worldview by putting behaviors and policies in place to satisfy those their new worldview. It seems to be an all or nothing endeavor; you’re perfect or your not.

This isn’t sustainable.

No, it's not, and again, it won't appease the vocal minority either. Besides, while it's a poor example, if anybody really, truly must use medical insurance money for such abnormal notions as that, they can take what's provided and do just that, but expecting to specifically pay for one particular concept in surgery along with what's already offered is going way too far, taking advantage of a company's generosity for the sake of bizarre agendas. DH is not doing themselves a favor by kowtowing to such SJWs who you can be sure aren't grateful to them regardless.

Labels: bad editors, indie publishers, msm propaganda, politics