More transphobia in the media
Jun. 3rd, 2011 01:12 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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transI know that transphobic journalists are nothing new and many here are probably sick of dealing with it. I know it has been brought up in the past, so I was hoping to get some positive stories about people writing into the news media and actually getting an apology.
Here is some local (to me) Detroit crap journalism that I just had to respond to:
http://www.freep.com/article/20110529/COL01/105290429/Mitch-Albom-We-good-news-s-brand-new-baby-something-
Dear Mitch Albom,
I take issue with your article “We have good news! It’s a brand new baby…something?” I feel as if you are misinformed on a few of your points but I also believe you said a few things which are completely inappropriate and you are fully conscious of that fact.
Let’s start where we can possibly agree. I think you are talking about the sex of baby Storm. Gender is something different completely. Sex has to do with chromosomes, presenting genitalia and other physical characteristics. Gender has to do with how we talk, interact with each other, dress, walk and how we feel. So really, Storm’s parents are not keeping their gender a “secret” because there is no gender identity. They simply are not sharing the sex characteristics of their child with anyone.
So when you say that Storm’s parents have made gender and issue by ignoring it, you are wrong. You have made gender the issue. You - the misinformed media that is using your voice to discuss sex instead of gender and combining the two. You are ignoring gender Mitch. This is more dangerous than what Storm’s parents are doing and I want to help you understand that you are being irresponsible. We’ll get to that soon enough.
You reference Adam and Eve as the basis of “gender” (when you really are talking about sex). Well, as was mentioned online in the comment section of your article someone correctly reminded you that there are people that are intersex. This means they have ambiguous genitalia. So biologically there are many sexes just like there are many genders. Not only do people have many choices of gender presentation, nature has many choices of sex. Sure most people are male or female sexed but there are enough intersexed people in the world for the Intersex Society of North America and Organisation Intersex International to exist. Your argument for a “boy and girl only” world is as much fantasy as Adam and Eve are.
So, Mitch give it up. You aren’t going to find out Storm’s genital make up and I would argue that it isn’t a secret being kept or your business at all. You commented that “the question can be answered with one peek down the diaper.” Why is peeking down a diaper any of your business? If you want to know my sex or gender do you forcefully look down my pants? I would say that is inappropriate. I would also say it is inappropriate for a full grown man such as yourself to be wanting to look at children’s genitalia. The word for that is pedophilia.
Now on to the other issue I have with your article Mitch. You don’t just address Storm’s parents. You make sweeping statements about grown ups that are transgender. Let me start by telling you that I’m transgender. That means many different things to many different people. To me, it means I was called a “boy” at birth but that doesn’t always feel correct to me. Sometimes I wear make-up, paint my nails, and interact with the world in a feminine way. Other times I walk around in guy mode. It changes for me everyday. My gender identity isn’t, as you say, a “choice made by nature and was evident in the first pee-pee.” Nature made no such choice for me. When I wear a dress, or when I wear eyeliner it is a choice I make based off how I feel inside.
Now I’m not an infant and I hope you recognize that I have the right to express myself in such ways. I hope you also understand that when I’m in a dress or in boy mode, you do not have the right to look up my skirt to see what is between my legs. Let me repeat that – you have no right to know what is between my legs Mitch. I repeat it because you seem to be obsessed about it. In your article you go on to say about a child later in life (an adult) makes certain decisions to “ask a doctor to mangle its private parts in an effort to be something else, it will still be unable to deny it was born one way.” Why are you so obsessed with other people’s genitals Mitch?
Let’s step back from your genital obsession for a moment and dissect the above quote. The use of the term “mangle” puts it out there that you do not believe that people should get any sort of sex change surgery, of which there are many (there is no one “sex change” procedure, but rather many that people can choose to get or not). Your quote suggests that you believe that anyone who undergoes such a procedure is doing harm to their body. You seem to not know about the transsexual people out there that don’t get surgery and take the option of suicide or real self mutilation to deal with their condition. Cutting your body to create scars or killing yourself seems more like “mangling” your body than getting a common surgical procedure. Transgender people do this because they are often rejected and discriminated against by people such as yourself. Often their family will cut ties with them completely. Getting a job and securing a job isn’t too easy either.
If you still have no empathy for transgender or transsexual people, I suggest you do some research on places such as the Ruth Ellis Center or Affirmations which deal with transgender youth on a regular basis that are living this experience right here in Detroit. That is the real story you can be reporting Mitch. Instead, you choose to kick them while they are still down. As a journalist shouldn’t you help and defend your community?
When you mentioned the grown child mangling “its” genitals you broke a journalistic rule. I could be wrong, but most journalists look to the AP style guidelines for their writing. There have been style guides written on how to address transgender individuals. In both the AP style rules and in common decency it is known that you should never call someone an “it.” Do you really believe that is okay Mitch?
Mitch, I’ve been called an “it” before. As I walked passed a group of men one night they asked whether they should have sex with “it” or beat “it” up. And that is the nice way to put what they said about me. I was a block from home and I didn’t know if I would make it home alive. Luckily I did, but being called “it” doesn’t feel good Mitch. Being called an “it” makes it easier to commit violence against me and not consider me a full human being. By using this language you are being completely inappropriate. You are being inappropriate as a human being and as a member of the media. As a member of the media you have the ability to influence so many people with your words. You are using your words as if you don’t understand that or you want to increase my harassment. This is irresponsible journalism Mitch, even more so than when you completely invented a story that never happened at an MSU basketball game.
So Mitch, I’m in for a little “imposition” as well. Like you said – “Don’t treat others that way. Don’t say rude things.” When you are angry or confused because someone won’t tell you what their children’s genitals look like, or when an adult looks a certain way and also won’t reveal their genitals to you it isn’t okay to belittle them. When you call us “it” you aren’t being wise, hip, progressive or nonjudgmental, you’re being a fool.
Stop being a fool. This weekend is Motor City Pride. There will be transsexuals, cross dressers, drag kings, drag queens and other transgender people downtown. Why don’t you come on downtown and apologize to us. Better yet, come downtown and learn why we don’t deserve to be treated this way by you. At least we can see if you have the courage to call us “it” to our faces.
- Jason
It just really got my blood boiling. This weekend is Pride and I wish I had more time to edit and revise what I wrote, but I really wanted to get the line in about inviting him to Pride. Also, I remember in the past there was some discussion on here about the AP style guidelines when writing about individuals that are transgender so I made sure to add that.
Sorry for the sad news, but it is pride month! I hope you all are celebrating.
Here is some local (to me) Detroit crap journalism that I just had to respond to:
http://www.freep.com/article/20110529/COL01/105290429/Mitch-Albom-We-good-news-s-brand-new-baby-something-
Dear Mitch Albom,
I take issue with your article “We have good news! It’s a brand new baby…something?” I feel as if you are misinformed on a few of your points but I also believe you said a few things which are completely inappropriate and you are fully conscious of that fact.
Let’s start where we can possibly agree. I think you are talking about the sex of baby Storm. Gender is something different completely. Sex has to do with chromosomes, presenting genitalia and other physical characteristics. Gender has to do with how we talk, interact with each other, dress, walk and how we feel. So really, Storm’s parents are not keeping their gender a “secret” because there is no gender identity. They simply are not sharing the sex characteristics of their child with anyone.
So when you say that Storm’s parents have made gender and issue by ignoring it, you are wrong. You have made gender the issue. You - the misinformed media that is using your voice to discuss sex instead of gender and combining the two. You are ignoring gender Mitch. This is more dangerous than what Storm’s parents are doing and I want to help you understand that you are being irresponsible. We’ll get to that soon enough.
You reference Adam and Eve as the basis of “gender” (when you really are talking about sex). Well, as was mentioned online in the comment section of your article someone correctly reminded you that there are people that are intersex. This means they have ambiguous genitalia. So biologically there are many sexes just like there are many genders. Not only do people have many choices of gender presentation, nature has many choices of sex. Sure most people are male or female sexed but there are enough intersexed people in the world for the Intersex Society of North America and Organisation Intersex International to exist. Your argument for a “boy and girl only” world is as much fantasy as Adam and Eve are.
So, Mitch give it up. You aren’t going to find out Storm’s genital make up and I would argue that it isn’t a secret being kept or your business at all. You commented that “the question can be answered with one peek down the diaper.” Why is peeking down a diaper any of your business? If you want to know my sex or gender do you forcefully look down my pants? I would say that is inappropriate. I would also say it is inappropriate for a full grown man such as yourself to be wanting to look at children’s genitalia. The word for that is pedophilia.
Now on to the other issue I have with your article Mitch. You don’t just address Storm’s parents. You make sweeping statements about grown ups that are transgender. Let me start by telling you that I’m transgender. That means many different things to many different people. To me, it means I was called a “boy” at birth but that doesn’t always feel correct to me. Sometimes I wear make-up, paint my nails, and interact with the world in a feminine way. Other times I walk around in guy mode. It changes for me everyday. My gender identity isn’t, as you say, a “choice made by nature and was evident in the first pee-pee.” Nature made no such choice for me. When I wear a dress, or when I wear eyeliner it is a choice I make based off how I feel inside.
Now I’m not an infant and I hope you recognize that I have the right to express myself in such ways. I hope you also understand that when I’m in a dress or in boy mode, you do not have the right to look up my skirt to see what is between my legs. Let me repeat that – you have no right to know what is between my legs Mitch. I repeat it because you seem to be obsessed about it. In your article you go on to say about a child later in life (an adult) makes certain decisions to “ask a doctor to mangle its private parts in an effort to be something else, it will still be unable to deny it was born one way.” Why are you so obsessed with other people’s genitals Mitch?
Let’s step back from your genital obsession for a moment and dissect the above quote. The use of the term “mangle” puts it out there that you do not believe that people should get any sort of sex change surgery, of which there are many (there is no one “sex change” procedure, but rather many that people can choose to get or not). Your quote suggests that you believe that anyone who undergoes such a procedure is doing harm to their body. You seem to not know about the transsexual people out there that don’t get surgery and take the option of suicide or real self mutilation to deal with their condition. Cutting your body to create scars or killing yourself seems more like “mangling” your body than getting a common surgical procedure. Transgender people do this because they are often rejected and discriminated against by people such as yourself. Often their family will cut ties with them completely. Getting a job and securing a job isn’t too easy either.
If you still have no empathy for transgender or transsexual people, I suggest you do some research on places such as the Ruth Ellis Center or Affirmations which deal with transgender youth on a regular basis that are living this experience right here in Detroit. That is the real story you can be reporting Mitch. Instead, you choose to kick them while they are still down. As a journalist shouldn’t you help and defend your community?
When you mentioned the grown child mangling “its” genitals you broke a journalistic rule. I could be wrong, but most journalists look to the AP style guidelines for their writing. There have been style guides written on how to address transgender individuals. In both the AP style rules and in common decency it is known that you should never call someone an “it.” Do you really believe that is okay Mitch?
Mitch, I’ve been called an “it” before. As I walked passed a group of men one night they asked whether they should have sex with “it” or beat “it” up. And that is the nice way to put what they said about me. I was a block from home and I didn’t know if I would make it home alive. Luckily I did, but being called “it” doesn’t feel good Mitch. Being called an “it” makes it easier to commit violence against me and not consider me a full human being. By using this language you are being completely inappropriate. You are being inappropriate as a human being and as a member of the media. As a member of the media you have the ability to influence so many people with your words. You are using your words as if you don’t understand that or you want to increase my harassment. This is irresponsible journalism Mitch, even more so than when you completely invented a story that never happened at an MSU basketball game.
So Mitch, I’m in for a little “imposition” as well. Like you said – “Don’t treat others that way. Don’t say rude things.” When you are angry or confused because someone won’t tell you what their children’s genitals look like, or when an adult looks a certain way and also won’t reveal their genitals to you it isn’t okay to belittle them. When you call us “it” you aren’t being wise, hip, progressive or nonjudgmental, you’re being a fool.
Stop being a fool. This weekend is Motor City Pride. There will be transsexuals, cross dressers, drag kings, drag queens and other transgender people downtown. Why don’t you come on downtown and apologize to us. Better yet, come downtown and learn why we don’t deserve to be treated this way by you. At least we can see if you have the courage to call us “it” to our faces.
- Jason
It just really got my blood boiling. This weekend is Pride and I wish I had more time to edit and revise what I wrote, but I really wanted to get the line in about inviting him to Pride. Also, I remember in the past there was some discussion on here about the AP style guidelines when writing about individuals that are transgender so I made sure to add that.
Sorry for the sad news, but it is pride month! I hope you all are celebrating.