We just hate it when we’re trying to write a feel good derogatory story about a transexual and the local media watchdog gets all up in our faces about word choice. “A Belfast newspaper has been found guilty of breaching the press code of practice for describing a transsexual as ‘a tranny.’ The Sunday Life was reported to the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) by a male-to-female transsexual who had worked as a rape counsellor in Belfast. The paper had raised concerns about her suitability for the role and described her as a ‘tranny.’ The PCC said the use of the word was pejorative and upheld the complaint. The newspaper had said that no offence had been intended in the use of the word which it considered to be ‘widely used’ in articles about transsexuals and transvestites. … The PCC ruled that while the newspaper was entitled to publish a story about people’s concerns over the suitability of Ms McCormack’s employment, her gender identity should not have been open to ridicule.” [BBC]
ChrisM
I’m very surprised by their decision, but happy to see it being taken seriously. If only the article hadn’t been written in the first place.
wmcarpenter
A lot of the transgender people I know call themselves trannies. Some do not. I think the word is somewhere along the dyke/fag continuum, y’dig?
IzzyLuna
Well, my latest movie is called TICKED-OFF TRANNIES WITH KNIVES and it has some people in the transgender community in quite a stir, but not all of them.
My cast (made up of many transgender women – in front of and behind the camera) think the word is fine and the title is fun and hip.
I think it’s just a personal issue. Just like the word Queer. Many gay men still don’t like it. It doesn’t mean we should erase it from vocabulary.
James
@wmcarpenter & IzzyLuna
There’s a BIG difference between those within the community using it, and those outside the community. And especially when it comes to the media. Some words are just for “us”, whether the “us” is trans people saying “tranny” or “gender-bender”, gay people saying “fag” or “homo”, or black people saying “nigger” or “negro”.
No we shouldn’t necessarily erase the word from our vocabularies altogether, but care needs to be taken with when/where/how some words are said. And when it comes to newspapers (or other media), they should leave the slang and “insider” jargon alone and only use words that are non-derogatory.
Say what you will about Glaad, but they have a really good media reference guide here (that more news sources should read and follow): http://www.glaad.org/referenceguide
hyhybt
I see nothing wrong with the word ‘tranny’ appearing in the newspaper. Provided, of course, it’s in the Car Talk column đ
IzzyLuna
James…
Agreed. I don’t think a newspaper should use a slang word like Tranny. It just sounds unprofessional…like if a newspaper editor used “guy”…instead of man.