Another Pointless Outing of a Transperson

[Carolyn Marie]

The death of anyone in a traffic accident is a tragedy. But why, oh why, does the media continue to out transfolk in situations like this, when it is completely irrelevant to the story? Would they have done the same if the person was lesbian, or left handed, or short or tall? Can you imagine this headline: "Woman With Cleft Palate and Freckles Killed in Crosswalk?"

Arrrgggghhh!

http://www.11alive.com/news/article/223143/3/SANDY-SPRINGS--Transgender-woman-hit-by-car-killed

Carolyn Marie

[Guest LittleKaitlyn]

While I hate that they do it, I don't feel it should stop. For once, the media aren't giving us a bad rep, and I think they're trying to condition people and making it become a normal thing. It gives people more and more expose to us and people are less and less likely to commit hate crimes. It raises awareness, though I don't think they should do it in the way that they do.

Just my two cents.

Kaitie x

[Carolyn Marie]

Kaitlyn, my issue with it, particularly when it involves a death, is that the victim didn't give their permission to be outed. What if they were not out to everyone in their family or all their friends? What if their co-workers didn't know? To me, it is disrespectful of their privacy, and something the media wouldn't do in regard to other people's private affairs. If someone had a medical condition, diabetes for example, would it be OK to state that in an article if it had no bearing on their cause of death? Why should our medical conditions be treated any different?

HUGS

Carolyn Marie

[JJ]

I agree with Carolyn here.

I also think any descriptor like that is used to separate not include or condition people. There was a time when descriptors were also used when a gay or lesbian was involved in a story whether it was relevant or not. Awareness has led to less and less of that since they are now see as more "us" and less "them" by the rest of society.

We just want to be normal people with normal lives and the same rights to respect and privacy about our medical conditions as any other person.

Johnny

[Guest Karen K]

I agree with both Carolyn and JJ, no offense meant Kattie. The fact that she was trans was not germain to the story, I believe it was added for sensationalistic reasons. We do need recognition but in a positive, instructional way.

Laura Jane

BTW: Johnny, love your profile pic. Youare every bit the attractive outdoors man.

[Guest SaleneAlexis]

I agree with all 3 of them. It is a private matter, and in my humble opinion, is on a need to know basis only. Family, friends, co-workers (if you work), any dating prospects... you get the idea. A average John or Jane Doe doesn't need to know who is trans, unless it will affect them personally.

Stephanie

[Guest Mia J]

The nice thing is that most of the comments to the station were putting down the station for saying anything about her gender status when it did not have anything to do with the story. Maybe they will get a clue.

Mia

[Guest Svenna]

Ugh...

Prurient minds with little else to be amused by...

Journalistic integrity, my aching donkey!

Just the facts, M'am, please!!!! Where is Sgt. Joe Friday when ya need him? lol..

Svenna

[Guest UnicornGiggles]

She was a friend of a friend on another forum. Funeral is tomorrow (obviously won't say when or where).

Such a shame.

[Guest kelise]

Sigh. Makes one wonder. Would I get a headline like this if I were accidentally killed tomorrow? I've often thought about what the papers would say about me (if anything) were I to be bashed or killed in a hate crime, but I never thought about it like this.

Add yet another thing we get to think about that the cis-gendered world would never, never, EVER think to consider.

[Guest Mia J]

We did have one instance that I know about where the press was great! I am not sure if I have ever posted about it here.

Around 15 to 20 years ago we had a MTF woman in the community who saved the life of a woman who's husband was trying to kill her. She got the woman into her car and took off. I won't go into details so that I don't give her away but she ended up getting shot in her efforts and paralyzed for life. She was hailed as a hero by the authorities and the press for quite awhile. The press was leaked the issue that she was transsexual but they never said a thing. They always referred to her as the heroic woman she was.

Mia

[Guest ChloëC]

Mia, that was probably back in a time when the news media still hadn't caved to the tabloid journalism that now passes for news and the media jumps on any story where this is a hint of any salacious undertones. The tabloids think that's what sells, not pure news. They complain that the market is getting smaller, but methinks they are destroying the market all by themselves as they try to sell to a smaller and smaller demographic.

Just a little soapbox here - to me, part of this has been the rise of the MBA - where colleges pump out young people who are trained to only look for return on investment. If you can make it cheaper, quicker, less quality, but sell it at the same price or just a little lower to a few less people, that's totally acceptable. Ruin quality and any long term allegiance for a quick $$$ today. And then complain that the marketplace is fickle so you have no choice but to get a bigger and bigger return by cheapening the product even more. Notice, that it's the investors that are being catered to, not the customer. And investors don't give a whit about any product or service as long as they get the best return they can. See, colleges don't bother to teach ethics or loyalty or any of that. As it is, they are just words today. I'm off now. Sorry. You can return to your regular programming.

Hugz

Chloë

[Guest Donna Jean]

my issue with it, particularly when it involves a death, is that the victim didn't give their permission to be outed.

HUGS

Carolyn Marie

We say this a hundred times here....NO ONE has the right to out you except yourself.......

I can see what they would say about me......

"62 Year old Trans Woman hit by bus....pre-op with a hangnail and bad breath"......

Who has the right???????

Dee Jay

[Carolyn Marie]

Oh my GAWD, DJ!

I didn't know you had bad breath.

Ewwwwww.

Carolyn Marie

[Guest Mia J]

Mia, that was probably back in a time when the news media still hadn't caved to the tabloid journalism that now passes for news and the media jumps on any story where this is a hint of any salacious undertones.

Hugz

Chloë

I worked as an engineer and director at a TV and radio station in the late 60s and early 70s. It was the same back then. If it bled it lead. Stations charge the advertiser the highest rate during news broadcasts. The one and only purpose of any TV or radio station is to sell and run commercials. Everything else has only two purposes. The first is to fill the space between commercials. The second is to attract viewers so the station can charge the advertiser more.

Mia