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Maclean's coverage of a Transwoman's restroom plight

Discussion in 'Current Events, World News, & LGBT News' started by Kenko, Sep 13, 2009.

  1. Kenko

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    I read it in the paper magazine, and borrowed the scanned copy from this site:

    http://feministphilosophers.wordpress.com/2009/09/08/transgender-pronouns/

    [​IMG]

    The coverage upsets me for a couple reasons. First it greatly oversimplifies the circumstances, and second they keep referring to her using male pronouns, which is against several journalistic style guides referred to on this site:

    http://gaylife.about.com/od/transgender/f/heorshe.htm

    For example the Associated Press guide states:
    So looking for full information on the issue, I came across this article, which seems to go out of its way to use as many male pronouns as possible:
    http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/...-sex-change-objects-to-genderless-toilet.html

    Worse still is the comments. Similar to those I referenced in this thread

    Along the lines of (paraphrasing) "this person is messed in the head", "Penis in men's room, vagina in women's END OF STORY", "Until done the surgery 'it' should use the men's". "XY chromosomes = male END OF STORY", " the author is right to refer to this person as 'he', because the person still has man parts. Regardless of how that person self identifies, an outside observer would call that a man. Post operation, it switches to 'she'", " Let me get this straight: all I need is a purse and to pretend that I consider myself a woman in order to gain admittance to the women's restroom where I can look at endless vagina and boobies and women making out? Awesome!"


    Here's another article I found on the topic (still loaded with misused pronouns):
    http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=86966&sid=25155551&con_type=1

    Addressing some of these comments:

    A) The "penis in men's, vagina in women's, wait till after surgery" argument. Who's going to be the vagina inspector to determine who qualifies? I believe one should be able to use the washroom that is consistent with the gender they identify with, and live publicly. I would certainly consider hormone treatment and dressing as the desired gender sufficient grounds. For various reasons, some transgendered people transition, but do not get surgery (reasons could include costs, risks of complications, etc). Some jurisdictions will legally recognize you as having changed genders without surgery.

    B) "Be happy with the gender neutral washroom". On one hand many transgendered people prefer and are more comfortable with gender-neutral washrooms, on the other hand insisting on their use by others prevents full acceptance and is akin to insisting on the use of a special, separate water fountain.

    C) "Where I can look at endless vagina and boobies and women making out? Awesome!" I've seen this sort of argument before. First it greatly simplifies the person's plight, and almost accuses them of lying. Second, those of us that are homosexual or bisexual, get to go to the same washroom as those we lust. Third, a large number of transfolks are straight, in so much as a transwomen being attracted to men, making it a moot point. Others may be gay or bi, bringing me back to my second point.
     

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  2. Just Adam

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    the article is very negative and not nice... the person who wrote that isnt transgender friendly and thats sad :frowning2:
     
  3. Mitchell

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    Very upsetting... I wish people were more tolerant and understanding.
     
  4. Emberstone

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    people dont want to be tolerent and understanding.

    They want to assume they are better than everyone, and will use that to justify not bothering to think how their actions and hatespeech does to other people.
     
  5. beckyg

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    Unfortunately, transgender people are subject to a huge amount of discrimination. I really love the transgender friends I've made. They are just people. It bothers me that they are looked upon as some sexual deviant. There is alot of work to be done in the area of transgender rights.
     
  6. Emberstone

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    it saddens me more that the people who call transgendered and gay individuals sexual deviants are usually the ones getting up to the very practices they condem.
    Haggert, foley, craig... the list goes one.

    I feel comfortable in my body and the gender of my birth. But I think it is disgusting how intolerent some people are to those who arent born into a body that fits who they are.

    It also really peeved me off to he core when conservatives were claiming publicly that the healthcare reform was going to make sex changes mandatory... they treat it, and gay issus, as a joke, and ignore the fact that they are playing around with people's lives with their rhetoric of hate, bigottry, intolence, and inequality.
     
  7. stymied

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    This does not surprise me at all coming from Macleans. I was at the doctor's office and I read a similar contemptous, let's-all-laugh-at-the-silly-queers piece, except it was in a full-fledged editorial where the author basically spent a full two pages with cheap little one liners against queers (and strangely enough, contraception activists. Homosexuals and birth control? I don't quite see the connection either.)

    Bottom line is that Macleans sucks, don't read it.
     
  8. Kenko

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    Some see them not just sexual deviants, but full fledged freak shows. When indeed as you put it "They are just people."

    Indeed, it's pretty bad. It shot downhill, orders of magnitude when the editorial staff recently changed, as documented in wikipedia (with citation needed):
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maclean's#Current

    Though I'd say it was only in the '05-'07 timeframe when they reformated it and it went really downhill.

    It's kind of like how Global National turned Global TV's news program into utter unwatchable trash, and a joke when Kevin Newman took over.
     
  9. Miles D

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    Ugh. this just makes me sick.
    do these people not understand that they are arguing who takes a piss where?!
    If I have to use the bathroom, let me use the one I feel like. After all, the porcelain bowl doesn't give a rip who's pissing in it.
     
  10. Just Adam

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    >.> nice miles.... i did laugh though XD and its true... when you got to go you got to go.... jsut tell them its either in there or on teh floor here upto you ...
     
  11. littledinosaurs

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    *shrug*
    I think the gender neutral bathroom should have been acceptable, but i guess it's her preference.
     
  12. Kenko

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    There is a letter to the Editor in September 28th's issue:

    [​IMG]
     

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  13. Emberstone

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    kudos to the person for writing the responce, and the paper for publishing it.