> Baltimore Sun responds to transgender community
>
> In November, The Baltimore Sun covered a crime spree carried on by five
> people. The group shot and killed Tacy Ranta, a transgender woman; robbed
> another 12 people; and carjacked two vehicles. Although aware Ranta was
> transgender, throughout its initial reporting on Nov. 24, the Sun used male
> pronouns and made mention that Ranta was "wearing woman's clothing." The
> newspaper also, by the use of bracketing, inserted "he" twice into a quote
> from one of Ranta's friends who actually used the word "she." In a Nov. 25
> follow-up article, once again the newspaper continued to refer to Ranta
> with male pronouns and again mentions the wearing of woman's clothes. The
> newspaper's lack of sensitivity about transgender people was noted by
> several organizations. This diverse group, which included Baltimore's Gay
> and Lesbian Community Center, transgender rights lobby group It's Time
> America and GLAAD, contacted the newspaper to express concerns and to
> educate the staff.
>
> In response, the Sun ran a third article. While the newspaper could have
> done nothing at all, or could have ran a blurb about pronoun usage or
> clarified that Ranta was a transgender woman, not a transvestite, the
> newspaper featured a lengthy, well-written profile about Ranta in its Dec.
> 15 issue. Reporter Michael Ollove touches briefly on the murder, but then
> goes into detail on Ranta's life, interviewing her friends and co-workers.
> He covers Ranta's early life as a male, her activism for the transgender
> community and the issues faced by transgender people, including family
> reactions, problems of obtaining legal identification documents such a
> driver's license and the political apathy found both in and out of the
> transgender community.
>
> Also included in the article is a quote from Ranta's friend Jessica Xavier,
> a transgendered woman, who explains what the desire to start the transition
> process is like: "It becomes this force that builds in you and you can't
> live without it anymore. Most of us look at it as life and death. After
> all, if it were a choice, who would choose to face universal disapproval
> and discrimination?"
>
> Please thank The Baltimore Sun for providing an informative and
> nonjudgmental view of the transgender community. Also, the newspaper needs
> to hear that we appreciate it listening to our community and responding
> quickly and positively.
>
> Contact: John S.Carroll, Editor, The Baltimore Sun, 501 North Calvert St.,
> Baltimore, MD 21202-3604; fax: 410-332-6188; e-mail: [log in to unmask]
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|