Yesterday was the Transgender Day of Remembrance, when individuals, organizations and media outlets memorialize the victims of transphobic violence.
Do you think Fox News took a moment to honor transgender victims of violence? Of course they did! And “by of course they did,” we mean they did the exact opposite.
Yesterday’s edition of Fox & Friends started with a news bulletin about Michelle Kosilek, a transgender woman incarcerated in Massachusetts who recently requested electrolysis. Unsuprisingly, the anchor can’t even bring himself to refer to Kosilek as a woman, stumbling over his words as holds back a gag.
The item served no other aim than to disturb—even outrage—its viewer.There was no mention of the medical and mental-health issues involved—or that, y’know, this is a human-fucking-being.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
There was also no follow-up item revealing that Kosilek’s request was denied the same afternoon.
Look, we’re not big fans of Michelle Kosilek—as Robert Kosilek, he was convicting of murdering his wife a decade ago. But the quality of prison healthcare shouldn’t depend on how bad the inmate’s crime was.
Kosilek was in the news earlier this year for winning the right to have the state pay for her gender-reassignment surgery.
Source: Media Matters
2eo
I honour the christian right by reading the wikipedia of Anders Brievik, the templar and the new news that the same group was caught building a 400lb bomb with the express intention of murdering thousands of people.
http://news.sky.com/story/1014078/poland-foils-bomb-plot-on-president-and-pm
Shame it won’t receive any coverage, because christian terrorism is a massive problem in the western hemisphere, a much larger threat than islamic terrorists.
samathome1010
This is a murderer and I have to think why should we care.
brent
@2eo: You have to be kidding? Islamic terror is far greater. You obviously do not read newspapers, if you hold such a view. You should take note that gays in muslim countries will seek asylum in the west, how many gays do you know of in the west, who seek asylum in muslim countries? I have never heard of one.
Ronbo
“What you do unto the least of my brethren, you do unto me”
Queerty followers, you are considered the “least of my brethren” my 48% of the population.
You
should
care.
BJ McFrisky
Give me a fucking break. This man murdered someone, and has been put away for life, but now we should finance his personal desires? What’s next, plastic surgery for ugly rapists? And this hardly falls under the category of “quality health care”—it’s elective cosmetic surgery.
Would you feel the same way if Matthew Sheppard’s killers were asking for pec implants to help their self-esteem while they rot in prison? Yeah, that’s what I thought.
2eo
@BJ McFrisky: Aww, I like it when you use an extreme example, it reminds me you’re a child molester.
brent
@2eo: What?
Cam
The issue here that our two conservative friends are desperately trying to deflect is this.
FOX, rather than mentioning Transgender Rememberence Day, instead ran a story that is obviously intended to inflame viewers, that of a criminal having surgery financed by the state.
They could have run any story on any Trans person or couple etc… but deliberatly ran a story that would get their audience upset at the Transgendered community.
Remember, they were all ready to start a HUGE long story on “The War On Marriage” after Obama came out in support of marriage, their website was all set for it, then Shep Smith, one of their highest rated anchors blocked them from doing that by saying that President Obama was on the right side of history so they had to scramble to back off that somewhat.
They obviously have the same plan for the Transgender community.
brent
@Cam: I do know that if i watch Fox i get different positions on the issues. If i watch MSNBC i get one position only.
Thedrdonna
@BJ McFrisky: actually, doctors and psychiatrists have pretty much come to the agreement that gender-confirming therapy, whether hormonal, surgical, or otherwise, is the only effective method of addressing the condition of transsexuality. Basically, that means transitioning, and the procedures that compose it, are medically necessary, while the other ones you described are elective and aesthetic. The difference is quite important, and by ignoring it you are either showing your own ignorance of the subject, or intentionally promoting a bigoted view.
BJ McFrisky
@Thedrdonna: I appreciate your education on the issue, but it doesn’t change the fact that convicted criminals have precious few rights—especially when it comes to lifestyle. The man killed someone. If that someone were a loved one of yours, I doubt you’d be heralding his cause so nobly. But then again, I don’t know you, and you may actively cheer the release of all murderers in jails across the globe.
2eo
@Thedrdonna: It’s intentional. He’s part of a group that troll LGBT blogs and forums.
Thedrdonna
@BJ McFrisky: I don’t condone what she did, but the Eighth Amendment specifically has been shown in court to cover all necessary medical expenses. Now, if we’re getting to the point where you’re saying that a murderer should be denied chemo, or that someone who committed treason doesn’t deserve antibiotics for their infection, that’s really another debate. But singling out trans folk as somehow less than deserving of what their doctors have prescribed is discriminatory and wrong.
BJ McFrisky
@2eo: God forbid someone should disagree with your ideology—it must mean that they’re working for “the enemy.” Your sanity may be slightly questionable, and your IQ may be in debate, but your paranoia is downright palpable, not to mention more than a little bit humorous. Now THAT’S entertainment!
BJ McFrisky
@Thedrdonna: Ah but the key word is “necessary.” If this guy can put up a panel of doctors who claim that surgery is necessary, he’s golden. But it’s not necessary—it’s elective, so I suspect he’ll be stuck with a dick and a wig for the rest of his miserable, imprisoned life, as well he should be.
I am stunned that you people are actually sympathizing with a murderer simply because he thinks he’s a woman trapped in a man’s body. It’s insanity.
Thedrdonna
@BJ McFrisky: Ahh, well trolled, sir. A few things:
1. She has gotten the procedures prescribed by a doctor. Are you in favor of it now? I doubt it.
2. You insist on misgendering her. Is there any reason for that other than you being a bigot who thinks they know better than the medical professionals?
3. You’ve obviously written that whole screed in a way designed to be offensive, and yet you act affronted when someone calls you a troll. Why do you not see that contradiction?
4. I’m not sympathizing with what she did, as I made clear. She deserves to spend the rest of her life in prison, at least, for the crimes she committed. However, her punishment has even determined by the state as incarceration, not gender dysphoria. Thus, the eighth amendment states that she should not be subjected to that “cruel and unusual punishment.”
2eo
@Thedrdonna: He refers to transgendered individuals as such all the time, he often post on some transgender blogs as well.
Forgive him, he’s upset that one of his toadying friends died recently in an event I know nothing about of course, only that it was deserved, possibly. *ahem*
BJ McFrisky
@Thedrdonna: Sorry if my use of pronouns offends—I’ll try to be more respectful. And it’s not that I believe she doesn’t deserve the surgery, I just think that it shouldn’t be funded by me, but by people like you who sympathize with her situation. Also, the matter currently before the judge is whether or not the state should continue to pay for facial electrolysis, which is an elective cosmetic surgery, not something an M.D. prescribed. Imagine if all the women in prison began demanding facial electrolysis as well. Like I say, as long as you’re willing to foot the bill, I have no objection. Just don’t ask me to pay for every wish and whim a criminal has.
@2eo: Again, stop flirting with me. I understand that bad attention is better than no attention at all, but come on, now you have me associated with shady groups that troll websites? If you want my love so badly, you’ll have to be more creative than that.
Thedrdonna
@BJ McFrisky: Ahh, for a world in which we could all determine which things we want our tax money to go to, and exclude the rest. I would reject any money towards our bloated defense budget, the tax credits for people who make too much, etc, etc. Unfortunately, we don’t get to pick and choose where our tax dollars go, we can only affect change in a broad way, by voting for people and laws that we approve of.
dregstudios
The talking heads guarding the inhabitants of Bullsh*t Mountain from rejoining the world of the sane just won’t budge an inch will they? Fox News is a propaganda machine which dumbs down America by the day through disinformation and their slanted agendas. See their anchors spewing forth feces from their mouths in my visual homage to the network on my artist’s blog at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-fox-news-scylla-guardian-of-bullsht.html
BJ McFrisky
@Thedrdonna: Amen to that.
brent
@dregstudios: MSNBC is not a propaganda machine with a slanted agenda?
Thedrdonna
@brent: MSNBC is left leaning, yes, but being left-of-center does not make them a “far left” organization. Fox News, on the other hand, usually falls more towards a far right position. It’s not possible to define the center as halfway between the loudmouths, even though that may be tempting. Fox has intentionally set themselves up at the far right as a way to claim that the center is further right than it actually is.
2eo
@Thedrdonna: Indeed, they paint everyone on the left as Nikolas Caecescu and everyone on the far right as “moderates” it is a deliberate attempt to remove centrism from the spectrum completely.
Fox News is 100% responsible for this in the media.
brent
@2eo: Do you even watch fox? If you did you would notice they have more diverse guests than msnbc.
2eo
I care not for news services, especially right wing Murdoch run bigotry. I am only interested in proper information.
Hence why I’m considerably better informed than you, BJ and Avenger, though that isn’t saying much evidently.
Thedrdonna
@brent: I’d be curious how you define “diverse”. I’ve notices they have a tendency to bring on a guest to offer a weak half-assed attempt at balance, which seems designed more as a straw man than an actual attempt at parity.
2eo
@Thedrdonna: They bring on a lot of “toadying” types, like when they have religious discussions and they have an atheist, who isn’t really an atheist and they are outnumbered so they can bully them.
Maybe they should try discussing their beliefs with me, I enjoy cutting down haughty religious types, I consider it a hobby.
brent
@Thedrdonna: So if we get rid of fox news, we will have msnbc where liberals interview liberals in a thoughtful manner. That i guess whould be an improvement, just one opinion. As far as being far right, they antigay people come on, then so does Cnn. But what you dont mention is that they have alot of younger gay conservatives who are prop-gay. Greg Gutfeld is one, he has two shows on Fox. Also my favorite conservative on fox is Charles krauthhammer. He is a former physchiatrist.
brent
@2eo: So you hate Fox news without seeing it, isn’t that like hating a gay person without knowing one. I doubt you are better informed than me, i have read a daily newspaper since i was sixteen, have you? I also know alot of triva, for example i can name every failing presidential and vice-presidential candidate in history. I can also name every year in which a house of congress switched parties. Do you know which party took control of congress in 1954?
Thedrdonna
@brent: I don’t believe I ever said we should get rid of Fox, jut know it for what it is. Msnbc interviews everyone, not just liberals, although their talking heads do tend to frame things in already liberal light. Are you implying CNN also has a liberal slant? I guess if you view fox as centrist then that would make sense, but I doubt you’d find someone who wasn’t at Fox-or-further-right who agreed.
Regarding anti-gay statements, Fox does seem to be slowly coming around, but that’s beside the point. They aired a segment designed to foster anti-trans sentiment, on a day specifically marked as one to remember the overwhelmingly terrible treatment trans folk face regularly from society. That’s a crappy thing to do, regardless of your personal creed. I doubt MSNBC would do anything so crass as to air a segment on Christian terrorism on Easter, regardless of their politics.