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Media Transgender Etiquette
Commentry by Jillian Page on an article published by the Telegraph UK – 13th February 2009
I was discussing the “transsexual Mafia mobster arrest†story (see preceding post) with a respected journalist on Friday. Like other people, he was a little startled by the “transsexual†part of the news, but then after a brief pause, he looked at me and said, with a bit of a shrug: “Why not?â€
Indeed, why not? This story is further proof that transgenderism is touching all levels of society. And why shouldn’t it? Point finale.
One can only wonder, though, at the coverage of this story provided by the Telegraph, which seems to have abandoned transgender etiquette and journalistic ethics in favour of sensationalism.
The Telegraph story quotes police as saying the accused wants to be called “Kitty.†The police identify Kitty as a transsexual (a MtF person who identifies as female). And yet the Telegraph story throughout uses male pronouns for Kitty. And, to make matters worse, the Telegraph refers to her as “the crossdressing criminal.†The Telegraph doesn’t seem to understand the difference between a “crossdresser†and a “transsexual,†and that the word “crossdresser†is considered to be derogatory when applied to a transsexual.
Of course, trans-savvy people (like the regular readers of this blog) and responsible news organizations know that if a MtF person identifies as female, then they must be recognized as such in reporting (and it’s really not unusual for a female to wear women’s clothes, is it?). If you have any doubts or questions about transgender etiquette, click on the GLAAD Media Guide link in the Sites I Like blogroll at right.
Regardless of her alleged crimes or alleged Mafia position, Kitty must be accorded transgender etiquette in news stories. Point finale.
And I think it is important to remember that Kitty is innocent until proven guilty. The criminal accusations and allegations against her are just that: accusations and allegations.
In the meantime, there might be a fascinating story of how Kitty “came out†in the Italian Mafia, if that proves to be true. I would hazard a guess that it involved much more bravery than it takes to “come out†in an office full of liberal journalists in Quebec. I hope somebody does a fair story about Kitty. Perhaps she will blog about it all some day.
Original Telegraph story
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/4612516/Italian-police-arrest-first-known-transsexual-mafia-mobster.htmlIt never stops
Arohanui & Blessings
Christina -
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