Monday, February 11, 2013

LA Area Transwomen Pissed About Transphobic LA Times Article

Just as New York area transwomen were extremely ticked off about the transphobic reporting of the New York that came to a head in the story that was done on Lorena Escalera, our West Coast sisters are highly pissed off about the transphobic reporting in the West Coast's paper of record that has now come to anger raising levels with Sam Quinones' recent LA Times article about Hollywood's sex workers that focused on the murdered Cassidy Vickers.

The Quinones article disrespectfully referred to Vickers and the other trans sex workers as “male hookers dressed as women” and “men with women's breasts and clothes”.

It repeatedly referred to Cassidy in violation of the AP Stylebook guidelines for reporting on trans people by her old name and male pronouns.  It also disrespected the murdered Cassidy by asserting she was 'a gay male who dresses for attention and money.'  
And as you wise readers probably guessed,  the trans person in question that was disrespected in death by the article was survey says, African-American. 

Note to the Los Angeles Times and their writers, check the AP Stylebook if you have questions about how to write about a transperson.

transgender-Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth.   
If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the way the individuals live publicly. 

The pissivity of the West Coast girls like us over the article has triggered a petition drive that seeks to gather a modest 1000 signatures.  

In addition to the petition drive that seeks a retraction of the Quinones story, LA trans activists are also seeking a face to face meeting with LA Times officials to air grievances over past LA Times misgendering articles and ensure they don't ever see such a blatantly transphobic article written again. 

Hope GLAAD will also be there in support of the Los Angeles area trans community if and when they have this meeting. .


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