Award-Winning Reporter Who Exposed Anti-Semitism at LGBT Event Loses Her Job at Liberal Publication
Gretchen Rachel Hammond
We see, time and time again, that the “tolerant” left is filled with anti-Semitism and support for the enemies of the Jewish people.
About three weeks ago, I tweeted about a disturbing story out of Chicago, where organizers of an LGBT pride event barred Jewish Stars of David, going so far as asking violators of this appalling policy to leave. Their rationale leaned on the leftist theory of “intersectionality,” wherein real or perceived discrimination (“such as racism, sexism and classism”) against historically-marginalized classes of people overlap, binding all of the victim groups’ fates together.
But to some, the Jews apparently don’t count, so their presence was deemed to be an ‘oppressive’ and ‘threatening’ endorsement of Zionism (never mind that Israel’s laws are unique in the region in barring various forms of discrimination against core elements of the [so-called] ‘intersectionality’ coalition, like women and gays [as well as cave to the left, cave to the U.N., throw Jews out of their own homes, and kiss the tuchus of the mass-murdering PLO]). This garbage was roundly denounced as barely-disguised anti-Semitism:
Newsweek: Jewish stars of David banned, Jews booted, from a Chicago gay pride march, because ‘anti-Zionists’ felt “unsafe.” pic.twitter.com/06S9iarvCJ
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) June 25, 2017
The resulting firestorm reflected quite poorly on the event, and therefore on the hard Left.
Days later, the reporter who broke the story for the city’s LGBT newspaper was mysteriously and abruptly barred from continuing her editorial role at the publication:
The journalist who first reported the ejection of three Jewish women from the Chicago Dyke March has been relieved of her reporting duties. Gretchen Rachel Hammond, an award-winning reporter for the Windy City Times, a Chicago LGBT newspaper, has been moved full-time to the paper’s sales desk as of Monday. Hammond was the first to report that three women were kicked out of the Chicago Dyke March, an LGBT parade on June 24, for carrying rainbow flags emblazoned with Jewish stars. Organizers of the march say the women were ejected because they were carrying flags reminiscent of the Israeli flag at an anti-Zionist event. Jewish groups criticized the decision as anti-Semitic. Hammond confirmed that she is no longer reporting for the paper, but declined to say whether she was moved because of her coverage of the Dyke March. She said the shift is not temporary, and that she is looking for editorial work elsewhere. “Right now I’m in the sales department,” she told JTA Monday. “I’m still a part of the company, and it’s my only source of income. To keep what job I have, I can’t comment on it…” The paper’s publisher, Tracy Baim, confirmed that Hammond had been moved, but would not elaborate.
To many, this looked very much like a retaliatory strike against a reporter for simply doing her job, which happened to draw attention to bigotry and ignorance on the far Left. If true, that would demonstrate that the Windy City Times is more interested in protecting a radical social movement than upholding the tenets of journalism — or even protecting the values of tolerance and inclusion that liberals profess to hold dear. Via John Sexton, it now appears as though the fired reporter has confirmed that the decision was exactly what it appeared to be. Responding to a tweet from the ‘Dyke March’ (charmingly reveling in “Zionist/white tears” and basically taking credit for the dismissal), Hammond blasted the “destructive and pointless hatred” that “robbed me of a job:”
You attacked, humiliated and robbed me of a job. No tears. I forgive you. Just hope you learn how destructive and pointless hatred is.
— Gretchen R. Hammond (@GretchRHammond) July 17, 2017
The hardcore Left has constructed a hierarchy of victimhood, firmly rooted in destructive identity politics. Step out of line, and even a liberal in good standing can bear the brunt of the intolerant, unforgiving whirlwind.
