After the Public Outcry against GLAAD Mislabeling Janet Mock’s Medical Condition, GLAAD Edits Their Inaccurate Term “Transgender” to “Transsexual”

May 21, 2011

Shortly following MAGNET’s outreach to GLAAD and MAGNET organizer Ashley Love’s open letter to Marie Claire magazine, GLAAD concedes and edits their inaccurate labeling of Janet Mock as “transgender” and replaces it with “transsexual”.


Janet Mock, an editor for People.com, opened up this week about her transsexul history
In a public comment made yesterday by Janet Mock on her fan page that she addressed to Ashley Love, Janet writes:

"Hi Ashley - I read your open letter and was so so intrigued. GLAAD graciously contacted me this morning to ask how I wanted to be identified and amended their headline to Transsexual."

This week Janet Mock, an editor for People.com, disclosed her transsexual medical condition in an op-ed in Marie Claire magazine. Both in her article and on her website, JanetMock.com, Janet only uses the term transsexual to refer to her condition. However, in a blatant disregard for Janet’s testimony, GLAAD mislabeled her as “transgender” in their coverage, which provoked numerous LGBT news sources to follow the inaccurate labeling as well. The appropriation of Janet’s transsexual condition by gay and transgender politics sparked a public outcry by many transsexual advocates and organizations, who demanded that GLAAD cease and desist from rewriting the transsexual narrative into a gender queer and cross dresser agenda. Transsexual advocates explained that trangenderism is about deconstructing gender, activities, behaviors, lifestyles, fetishes, drag queen stage acts and or/ dismantling the gender binary. Janet is absolutly none of these identities or lifestyles. She is a heterosexual woman who was simply born with a medical condition in which she had corrected and treated ten years ago. She is not a “3rd gender” or gay male drag queen. She is a woman. Period. We ask GLAAD, the gay establishment, transgender ideology and the far right to respect this.

On Thursday, May 19th MAGNET reached out to GLAAD asking them to retract their inaccurate labeling of Janet because the transgender term misgenders and objectifies women born transsexual, jeopardizes their medical legitimacy, impinges on their civil rights, confuses the public, gay appropriates them and invalidates their womanhood. GLAAD continued on with their misrepresentation.

On May 20th, with GLAAD still choosing to enforce transgender ideology onto Janet, MAGNET organizer Ashley Love wrote an open letter to Marie Claire thanking them for doing right by Janet and other Americans born with transsexualism, which she posted on Marie Claire’s website under Janet’s article and on Love’s blog Trans Forming Media.

Later that morning GLAAD contacted Janet to ask her the name of her condition, although she had already said in multiple media outlets that she was of transsexual experience. Janet again told them she was of transsexual experience, after which GLAAD edited their website to accurately refer to her as such.

Ashley Love responds to GLAAD’s edit,

“MAGNET applauds GLAAD for admitting their mistake by editing their coverage to respect the reality of Janet Mock’s medical condition transsexualism. We hope this development leads to GLAAD reforming their media guide to accurately represent Americans with transsexualism, for as it stands now, the guide co-opts, misgenders, de-medicalizes, offends and invalidates their reality. We acknowledge GLAAD’s small step forward, though much work needs to be done changing the problematic way the gay and transgender establishments depict transsexualism. We ask people to keep their sociopolitical agenda out of the doctor’s offices and narratives of human beings with transsexualism. “

MAGNET asks people with transsexualism to please contact GLAAD executive director Jarrett Barrios to thank GLAAD for finally making an effort to satisfy the thousands of Americans with transsexualism who protest being called transgender. Contact Jarrett Barrios: barrios@glaad.org

We are confident that this new development will lead to more discussions which will bring about the authentic and non-sociopolitical representation of the transsexual medical condition by the LGBT establishment.

Anti-defamation Group MAGNET Demands Apology from NBC/Comcast for Dehumanizing SNL "Trans-Face" Skit

Saturday Night Live Mocks & Dehumanizes the Medical Condition Transsexualism

On Saturday night, Saturday Night Live (SNL) aired the most horrifying and dehumanizing mocking of women who are born with a transsexual medical condition. The segment, called ‘Estro-Maxx’, ridiculed the medical transition that women with a transsexual/and or intersex birth challenge go through. NBC/Comcast has yet to reply to the human rights advocates who are outraged that they would allow the writers of SNL to create and air this hateful propaganda towards such an alienated minority group.

SNL trans-face recap (WARNING: extremely offensive and dehumanizing): http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/estro-maxx/1279560/

Ashley Love, an organizer with Media Advocates Giving National Equality to Transsexual & Transgender People (MAGNET), explains, “For NBC/Comcast to allow SNL to ridicule human beings born with a transsexual and/or intersex medical condition in such a dehumanizing media assault is equivalent to how racist white men used to paint their skin black and perform “black face”, in which they stripped away the humanity and dignity of African Americans. Likewise, allowing the “trans face” skit to air is just as cruel spirited, appalling and will no doubt incite misunderstanding, fear, marginalization and violence (in that order) onto Americans with a transsexual and/or intersex condition. I’m shocked and disappointed that NBC/Comcast could be this socially irresponsible by allowing such bigotry on their platform. It’s 2011, not the medieval times; it’s unbelievable that such a tele-hate-vision crime would air on a public network.”

Instead of showing the female characters as women who were legitimately undergoing medical transition to have their mind in alignment with their body, they were blatantly mis-gendered and depicted as “men in dresses” and transvestites. Note: a transvestite is a man who wears women’s clothes for either a lifestyle or a sexual fetish (which is how the characters were shown to be), whereas a woman with a genuine transsexual (and/or intersex) medical condition is actually a woman who was born in the wrong body, and therefore takes medicine and has gender affirmation surgery to correct her birth defect.

MAGNET asks NBC/Comcast to apologize for their poor judgment in allowing such transsexual-phobic and dangerously stigmatizing content to air on their station, and to remove the segment from the future airings and Internet. Dozens of Americans with a transsexual and/or intersex birth challenge are murdered annually due to the fear and violence that messages like the ‘Estro-Maxx’ skit provokes. At this time the transsexual, transgender and intersex communities are desperately seeking human rights, acceptance, safety and understanding. Unfortunately, a highly visible media attack on their humanity like this skit is a major set-back, therefore we feel it’s not too much to ask for compassion and accountability. An apology and an edit would be simple to do, but would give hope to many. NBC/Comcast: It’s never too late to do the morally right thing.

For questions, media or to get involved in MAGNET's anti-defamation projects, please contact:
Ashley Love, MAGNET Organizer: magnet_right_now@yahoo.com

Join the Facebook group: "Demand NBC/Comcast to Apologize for SNL 'Estro-Maxx' Trans-Face Skit": http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1735278775162&set=a.1473220223862.2062968.1034352207#!/home.php?sk=group_150560178333091

Please Contact NBC and let them know your concerns, (but be more polite to them then their SNL skit has been to us, it’s always best to be the bigger person and be professional):

NBC Entertainment
Rebecca Marks: Executive Vice President, Publicity
818-777-3030 Rebecca.Marks@nbcuni.com

NBC Universal
Kathy Kelly-Brown
Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications & Media Relations
212-664-3457 Kathy.Kelly-Brown@nbcuni.com

“NYC Protest of Stonewall UK’s Bullying & Dehumanization of Trans Children & of the UK Dept. for Education's Decision to Promote Anti-trans Slur

Urgent Request to Stonewall UK & UK Department for Education to Edit Out Dehumanizing Trans Content from PSA.

What: “Protest of Stonewall UK’s Bullying & Dehumanization of Trans Children & of UK Department for Education's Decision to Promote Anti-trans Slurs in Public School Classrooms”. This rally is being organized by Media Advocates Giving National Equality to Transsexual & Transgender People (MAGNET) and International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE).

When: Thursday, November 4th, 2010 7pm-8:30pm (which will coincide with the Nov 4th Stonewall Awards in London). An AFTER PARTY will be at the actual NY Stonewall Inn.

Where: British Consulate- New York: 845 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022

Why: LGB group Stonewall UK has created an anti-bullying PSA DVD called “FIT” intended for school children, yet it uses the dehumanizing slur “tra**y”, which is used by bullies to taunt and degrade trans people. Transphobia has no place in an “educational film”. Stonewall UK (who repetitively offends the UK trans community, as well as excludes them) is trying to normalize the T-word (which is similar in offense to the N-word to the Black community). UK’s trans media advocacy group, Trans Media Watch, strongly opposes the anti-trans slur in the PSA. American anti-defamation groups MAGNET and GLAAD also oppose the slur. For a public school to be asked to promote an offensive pejorative that leading transsexual and LGBT social change groups says has a derogatory meaning is very dangerous because studies show that this type of name calling and taunts are what lead to violence. (This is a double standard because the schools would never show a video with a racial, national, sexist or homophobic pejorative, yet a transphobic pejorative is okay?—NO- it’s not okay!)

Stonewall UK is misusing their relationship with government officials by having the shamelessness to represent a community they don’t include in their mission statement (No taxation without representation!). Stonewall UK has promoted ideas that delay the human rights of transsexual people born with birth challenges and medical conditions.

The United Kingdom is very pioneering by having the Gender Recognition Act. The Department of Education is obligated to uphold this Act (verbal abuse is still abuse and sometimes hurts more than stones). Let’s show our solidarity with the many UK transsexual and transgender people who are disappointed that the London protest outside the Stonewall Awards on November 4th was cancelled.

This education and protest rally urgently requests compassion, understanding and accountability. We hope the decision makers involved in this crisis protect the well being of trans and gender non-forming youth by editing out the slur word so it will not spread transphobic sentiment into the minds of endangered youth. As adults, it’s our responsibility to protect all children, even ones who appear different or marginalized. Stonewall UK, Department for Education, Equality and Human Rights Commission and The Teacher's Union have a chance to fix a mistake.

We ask Stonewall UK to remember who initiated the Stonewall Riots of 1969: Trans people.

We ask the UK Department for Education to be: a department for education.

For info or media, contact MAGNET: magnet_right_now@yahoo.com

http://www.themagnetsource.blogspot.com/

www.ifge.org

CQA & MAGNET present "'Where's the "T" in Media?". Panel Discussion October 13th @ Columbia University

New York LGBT Community & Students Host Panel Discussion on Images of Trans People in the Media at Columbia University

What: “Where’s the “T” In Media: Exploring the Mis(representation) of transsexual, transgender and intersex People In the Media” is a panel discussion presented by Columbia Queer Alliance (CQA), Media Advocates Giving National Equality to Transsexual & Transgender People (MAGNET), Quam 2010 and GendeRevolution. After the panel discussion there will be a Q & A from the audience

Who: Panelists:

· Ashley Love - an organizer w/ MAGNET -Media Advocates Giving National Equality to Transsexual & Transgender People
· Noah Lewis - Staff Attorney at Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund
· Deb Sprague -Writer-Producer: Premiere Radio Network
· Kyle Lukoff - Barnard alum

When: Wednesday October 13, 2010 @ 7pm

Where: 304 Barnard Hall, Columbia University, NYC (see directions below)

Why: In honor of Gender Rights Week, this discussion will focus on the depictions of transsexual, transgender and intersex images in the media. With an abundance of trans images in the last 5 years, are these images affirming trans people, or dehumanizing them? Noted trans leaders and college students offer the facts, and their opinions.

refreshments will be served

RSVP is not mandatory, but is appreciated. RSVP to magnet_right_now@yahoo.com

For more info or press inquires: magnet_right_now@yahoo.com

MAGNET’s website: http://www.themagnetsource.blogspot.com/
Columbia Queer Alliance’s website: http://www.cqanyc.com/

DIRECTIONS:
(1) Take the 1 train to the 116th St stop.

(2) Cross to the west side of Broadway Avenue, opposite the entrance to Columbia University's main campus.

(3) Walk north, until you reach a set of open gates on your left. Barnard Hall will be inside the gates, immediately to your left

MAGNET Panel about Misrepresentation and Exploitation of Transsexual Women Inspires Healthy Community Discussion.

Post Event Release

MAGNET’s positive panel discussion ‘Women Demanding Change Now’ has successful outcome.

‘Women Demanding Change Now: The Dehumanization of Transsexual Women through the Gay Male Hollywood Lens’ was a controversial, yet healthy and much needed discussion concerning the stigmatizing portrayals of transsexual women in the media, particularly those produced by Gay Male Hollywood.

An extremely diverse group of LGBTQI and allies spoke on the panel such as teachers, activists, film/TV producers, journalists, writers and actors.

Though the topics were confrontational, we needed to be honest about the realities affecting the most vulnerable portion of the LGBT community.

The reality is that there are very few opportunities for trans roles in Hollywood, so when gay men get into positions of power to make those few times count, it is extremely disappointing, stigmatizing and hierarchy creating when they put images of “trans face” into the public eye, therefore dehumanizing and marginalizing transsexual women in mainstream society.

Some of the footage from the event will be in Ashley Love’s upcoming documentary concerning media reform for transsexual women.

A outline of what was discussed at the event will be available next week.

The reason MAGNET elected to specifically target the negative images created by gay men is since transsexual women are listed under the LGBT umbrella, then it is even more damaging when the most privileged part of the LGBT community (affluent gay men) gives mainstream society ‘permission’ to oppress us. Transsexual women are not ‘property’ of the privileged white gay (or straight) men who continue to makes millions off exploiting them in the media. They do not have the right to make a minstrel show out of of transsexual women's lives. Gay Male Hollywood's "trans face" images are causing harm at a time when trans women are trying to gain acceptance and civil rights.

Thank you to all supported the trans community’s protest against defamation, misrepresentation and exploitation

Women Demanding Change Now panel discussion- July 15th in Los Angeles

Date:	Thursday, July 15, 2010
Time:	7:00pm - 9:30pm
Location:	Plummer Park Community Center- Room # 6, West Hollywood, California

Women Demanding Change Now:

The Dehumanizing Misrepresentation of Transsexual Women through the Gay Male Hollywood Lens.

Hosted by MAGNET- Media Advocates Giving National Equality to Transsexual & Transgender People (MAGNET)

MAGNET is an anti-defamation organization dedicated to educating the media about transsexual and transgender issues, as well as pushing for more authentic and positive portrayals of trans people in the media.

Event will be filmed, so attendees must be okay with this

Some topics which be discussed:

• Finding solutions to build authentic unity and trust within LGBT community

• Spiritual/mental/physical violence incited by messages in film and TV

• Gay males producing stigmatizing, over the top & unkind images of transsexual women

• Gay Inc. and some transgender activists co-opting the medical condition transsexualism

• Inaccurately depicting transsexual women as “drag queens”, “caricatures of femininity”

• Dangerous propaganda that miseducates public and assaults transsexual women

There will be an opportunity for the audience to ask the panelists questions.



- Kiana Moore (transsexual woman, Hollywood producer- VH1,MTV, Bravo, Oxygen, Logo)--
- Arianna Davis (transsexual woman & intersex- Founder of Gender ID Empowerment Coalition)
- Cary Harrison (gay male, radio personality, award winning journalist.)
- Mannee McMurray (LGBT activist, writer, MAGNET volunteer)
- Hannah Howard (trans activist, Gender Justice LA board member)

- Also with Talia Bettcher, PHD - Matt Palazzolo - Libby Freeman

Moderated by Ashley Love- (trans rights advocate, writer and an organizer with MAGNET)

Please let us know your thoughts on this epidemic so we can include them in the planning and discussion.

FOR INFO, contact MAGNET organizer: Ashley Love @ MAGNET @ magnet_right_now@yahoo.com.


Media Advocates Giving National Equality to Transsexual & Transgender People (MAGNET)

www.TheMAGNETSource.blogspot.com
Ashley Love's blog: www.TransFormingMedia.blogspot.com

MAGNET is an anti-defamation organization dedicated to educating the media about transsexual and transgender issues, as well as pushing for more authentic and positive portrayals of trans people in the media.

MAGNET Changes Name of Panel Discussion to Acknowledge Allies of Trans People in LGB Community

Media Advocates Giving National Equality to Transsexual & Transgender People

July 7, 2010

MAGNET Changes Name of Panel Discussion to Acknowledge Allies of Transsexual People in the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Community.

On July 15th Media Advocates Giving National Equality to Transsexual & Transgender People (MAGNET) is hosting a panel discussion concerning the trend of gay male producers creating negative and transphobic media images that harm transsexual women called “Women Demanding Change Now”. The prior subtitle was “The Dehumanizing Misrepresentation of Transsexual Women through a Gay Male Media Mafia Lens”. Due to MAGNET wanting to rebuild trust between the trans and LGB community, and because of community feedback pertaining to our confrontational title, we are now exchanging the part “Gay Male Media Mafia” to “Gay Male Hollywood”.

MAGNET has received input from community leaders concerned with many in the LGBT activist community’s language and terms, such as “Gay Inc.” and “Gay Male Media Mafia”.
We acknowledge these terms are confrontational, but are they even a small fraction as confrontational as the spiritually & mentally violent and inhumane images that Gay Hollywood continues to make of transsexual women which hold many of them hostage in segregation, depression and dangerous vulnerability? Is “mafia” an inaccurate word when one considers that for decades on end the gay establishment has continued to marginalize the transsexual, transgender and intersex communities for their own gain? Gay Hollywood has bombarded the trans community with abuse by irresponsibly green lighting and producing content with dangerous messaging. The gay press deliberately (sometimes unintentionally) mis-gendering, silencing and stigmatizing trans women during this current uprising of Trans Americans is another reason we chose the word “mafia”. This is not us “picking a fight”; this is actually us defending ourselves from a fight waged on us from those in the LGB community who feel “oppressing our own” is just. While some LGB people harm us out of “ignorance”, we won’t ignore the alarming truth that many gay and lesbian decision makers harbor conscious transphobic ideals which impact Trans Americans, and us seeking accountability is not “divisive”, it’s us calling out “divisiveness”.

However, because we want nothing more than to make this a “LGBT family meeting” in hopes of inspiring the gay community to stop exploiting and impeding trans people’s progress, we feel that it’s best to change the name so we will not alienate those in the gay community who truly want to be allies with the trans community. The pursuit of happiness and human rights are also beholden to Trans Americans, and the defamation against them is a road block to these goals, and it must be resolved.

Moving forward, the main goal of our panel is to address this current crisis of propaganda in the media which assaults transsexual women. While we note that many of these images are made by gay men, we acknowledge that many gay men understand our honest hurt, and truly want to help us foster understanding in society, humanize our images and be allies in ACTION (not just allies in words or acronyms.) Therefore we are making this concession because we have faith that as these conversations about media reform continue that more and more LGBT people will realize that “bad visibility” IS NOT better than “no visibility”. While many people in the trans community are calling to break away from the LGB community because they feel they are deliberately holding them back, MAGNET believes that LGBT UNITY is best, but it has to be honest unity, or it’s not unity at all.

Bill, a gay man and ally to the liberation of transsexual, transgender and intersex people, wrote us: "As a white, male, gay American, I understand where you are coming from. All too often, the LGTB community 'forgets' about the 'T' in that acronym. I have always found that particularly odd, as those are the people in our community who are treated the worst. They are treated with disdain and with open, celebratory abuse. Many LGB people participate in this abuse. I have seen it firsthand. I always speak up about it. Trans people NEED us. They NEED our support & our inclusion. What they do not need is our abandonment of them in favor of our OWN civil equality."

This inspiring message from a gay men reinstills ours faith that the LGBT community does have a chance of staying together. If Gay Inc. would listen, educate themselves and understand more, then that hope can become a reality.

We hope to see you at the panel!

July 15th. 7:00-9:30pm “Women Demanding Change Now: The Dehumanizing Misrepresentation of Transsexual Women through the Gay Male Hollywood Lens.”

For panel info: http://www.facebook.com/loveashleylove#!/event.php?eid=138251619535256&ref=mf