The Weekly Whims Of HatManJim: Transsexual Complains About Appalling Journalism
January 16, 2010 2 Comments
A weather-beaten eye cast over the media: HatManJim looks at a story in the headlines and as a feminist with a penis (Menimist? Femi-meni-mist? I just believe i n women’s rights, I’m not having gender-reassignment. OK?), attempts to map the sexism inherent in the press, without inadvertently saying anything lecherous about breasts.
Another year, another heartwarming tale of ignorance from the world’s press, in this case a story from the Sunday Life, the Sunday version of the Belfast Telegraph, that was published in November last year.
The article’s subject, a Ms Keira McCormack, complained about various parts of the paper’s story questioning her suitably to work in a rape crisis centre. It’s now hit the news because the UK media watchdog that monitors such things, the Press Complaints Commission (PCC), has just published its verdict on the case.
The Sunday Life’s contention with Ms McCormack working where she does is that she used to be a man; she is a male-to-female transsexual. A number of complaints made by Ms McCormack were not upheld by the commission, most notably she said that the newspaper had invaded her privacy by “outing” her. The Sunday Life and the PCC agreed that there was a reasonable excuse of public interest for the information to be published.
Where the PCC did object to the Sunday Life’s handling of the story was its description of her in its headline:
“Tranny worked in rape centre”
The phrase “tranny” was also used to refer to Ms McCormack in the main text of the article, as well as describing her as “strapping” and “burly”.
The paper’s response? No offence had been intended by use of the word “tranny” which “it considered to be widely used in articles about transsexuals and transvestites”.
Articles where exactly? Which newspaper have you ever seen that uses the term “tranny” in a serious news story, without expecting it to cause offence? Was the journalist who wrote this 12 years old? Do they understand what “offensive” means?
In any case, the PCC is largely toothless and its judgment has very little effect, other than publicizing the press world’s follies for public ridicule.
But, putting aside the poor quality of writing at the Sunday Life, what do people think of the first point? Do women using a rape crisis centre have a right to know that one of their female counsellors used to be a man? Does it make any difference?
You can read the PCC judgment here.
HatManJim’s column will appear every Saturday.
There was a legal case in Canada where it was determined that the rights of women to feel safe at rape crisis centres trumped the rights of transsexuals to be considered the sex that they were not born into.
The reasoning for this is that there are other ways male to female transsexuals can be involved in the violence against women movement but the women at the rape crisis centres don’t have many other options for places to go. The fact is, the judge reasoned, that most male to female transsexuals still retain many male characteristics.
As for my opinion, I agree that it shouldn’t matter if the counselor used to be a man, but it probably does matter if the victim can tell that she used to be a man and this makes her feel less safe. (Mick)
I have just come accross your peice, and thought I would fill you in on some details
I am the one the article was about.
I worked at that rape centre in Belfast for over 4 years without any problems, having previously being a volunteer in a rape centre in England for nearly 10 years.
All my cleints where told of my circumstances and where given the option of seeing me or not, the vast majority choice to see me. If they didnt they where allocated another counsellor. I waved my equal opertunities so the clients could be informed.
The place I worked for in Belfast was a charity that saw both male & female victims and also had a few male counsellors, this was never an issue with the paper.
Of all the counsellors in that organisation, I was the only one who had any formal training in rape & sexual abuse. While the other counsellors where very eperienced, they did not have that training
Females, males and transexuals can all be raped. I hope this clarifies matters a bit for you