What opinion writers around the world have to say about key issues.
Lisa Jaffe Hubbell, families of transgender people
Now Kris Jenner and her children have joined the club: those who have lost husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers in a way that can only compare to death but isn’t. All we can do is manage the pain, ignore the wide-eyed stares and inconsiderate comments, and hope for grace and serenity. We are forced to applaud with so many others what it takes to come out as trans, to live an authentic life. But only we know the courage it takes to redraw what gets erased.
The Los Angeles Times, July 14, on the experience of a spouse coming out as transgender.
Hadley Freeman, Serena Williams
Williams is not just a remarkable athlete but an incredible woman, one in possession of more physical and mental strength than any of us can even fathom. But if anyone ever needed human proof of the maxim that black people need to be 10 times as good to earn the respect their white peers take for granted, she is it. Incidentally, about that French Open last month, where she wasn’t displaying “commitment”: she won that too. With the flu. As Williams might well say, hahaha haters.
The Guardian, July 15, on media reactions to Serena Williams.
Ed Rogers, presidential management skills
I think Obama believes that governance is about theatrics, symbolism and gestures — not about executive management. Every administration and the government as a whole eventually reflects many of the characteristics of the incumbent president. People take their lead from the person at the top and a work culture emerges. Suffice it to say, I don’t think there will be any business schools named for Obama.
WashingtonPost.com, July 14, on the Obama administration’s track record.
Bill Maher, Costco’s treatment of hens
Make no mistake about it: Battery cages torment animals. Physically, the animals’ muscles and bones waste away from lack of use, just as yours would if you were unable to move around for two years . . . . A company that takes pride in its other socially conscious positions can do better than this. Costco, please, free the hens already.