Saturday 13 February 2010

Headlines and Pregnancy's

In tabloid speak I would probably be described as follows "Gender-bender SEX-SWAP tranny Lucy (31)...".

Yet it could be even more offensive a quick search through Google News shows that terms like "lady-boy", "she-male" and others, have appeared in mainstream newspaper websites in the UK and around the world. Even within serious publications obsessed with attention grabbing headlines and search engine optimisation rather than accuracy and sensitivity. A recent ruling by the Press Complaints Commission has ruled that the Belfast Telegraph was wrong to the use the tranny in a headline to refer to a transsexual. The article was about a transsexual who worked in a rape crisis centre. One could argue that her being there should be open to debate, I don't think there is consensus among the general public or among rape victims (though many forget or ignore the many transgendered and trans historied men and women who are themselves victims). In the end a partial slap on the wrists to a regional publication regarding the headline but not the tone of the story, may give slight difficulties to headline writers, but it wont stop future pernicious stories.

Example two follows pregnancy the of Scott Moore. One of a handful of trans men to go public with the fact that they have a bun in the oven and not as some reports state the second occurrence to have happened in the world. Shortly followed by a third and we're back to how can they be men if they have babies it shouldn't be allowed wont someone think of the children etc etc. The arguments have been better put elsewhere and I suspect most readers of this are already familiar with them. It is also a dangerous path to start going down if we were to decide to prevent certain individuals or groups from getting pregnant.

It would be a dangerous path if we were constantly to shout down our critics and probably counter productive that's not to be apathetic just to know there is more than one way to skin a cat. (Who ever come up with that phrase, why skin a cat?)

I also challenge commenter's to describe themselves or me (the latter being something I may regret) in a tabloid style.

7 comments:

  1. I thought age wasn't the statistic they were interested in with respect to women.

    "Giant sized Jenny (44-37-45)..."

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  2. Since I am overweight and a part-time goth I suppose I would be:

    ...morbidly obese, Dracula obsessed "Pandora" (35)...

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think you may have started a new meme. Everyone watch Facebook now! :D

    ... writes gender deviant (and parent), Lynn Jones (37) ...

    ReplyDelete
  4. You make some good observations there writes Middle aged cat lovin' goth Caroline. Tranny wasn't the right word to use in the context of a debate that had good reason to be reported as painful as the issues are both for genetic females and also for Transexuals who themselves may of been on the receiving end of abuse.

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  5. Tabloids... "I think its just dumming down", said Deluded "girl" wannabe "Jessica" , "part of appealing to the lowest denominator and selling stories".

    (the inverted commas are important in this context for added contempt)

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  6. "I wish someone would consider the children being raised to hate by those with nothing but contempt for anyone's humanity other than their own."

    "That my grandchildren should grow up in a world where you have to fear being yourself was not where the world was supposed to be by now! That I've "been" with men and "been" with women only makes me more human, not less..." said the old overweight foreigner!

    alan

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  7. Pre op sex swap chop op gender bending tranny Lucy (94) thanks you all for the comments.

    ReplyDelete

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