“The Tyra Show” Features Transgender Children and Their Families
January 28, 2010
On Wednesday afternoon, The CW Network aired an episode of The Tyra Show focusing on transgender children and their families, titled “We’re 7 & 8 Years Old and Know We Are Transgender.” Four young transgender people and three of their families appeared on the show to discuss their identities and their families’ experiences in raising them as their true selves. 
While the show, overall, did a laudable job of presenting the rarely-discussed topic of transgender children and their families to a mainstream audience using correct terminology and asking respectful questions, there was still some room for improvement.
Tyra first spoke with the family of Josie, an eight-year-old transgender girl, whose mother shared how she first learned about the word transgender and realized that the female identity Josie had always expressed was something she and her husband needed to embrace. As Josie talked with Tyra, she shared her favorite activities and various aspects of her personality.
However, at points the conversation shifted problematically to focus on Josie’s body and anatomy, with questions about her self-described “birth defect” and her level of comfort in bathing suits and getting dressed in the morning – though it does appear that the show’s producers may have edited out some of the most problematic questions that GLAAD witnessed at the live taping.
Unfortunately, with every transgender guest on the remainder of the show, Tyra’s focus in one way or another returned to issues of anatomy, surgery, menstruation, or body hair rather than highlighting the more important stories from their life experiences. Mainstream America’s tendency to reduce transgender people to their anatomy and operative status is never acceptable, but in the context of young children, such conversations become even more inappropriate.
Additionally, the end of the show featured “a heated debate” over the acceptability of parents’ decisions to allow their children to live as a gender different from their sex at birth. Dr. Marci Bowers, a transgender surgeon specializing in sex reassignment surgery, and Kim Pearson, Executive Director of TransYouth Family Allies rebutted arguments made by a professor who said that all children should be discouraged from transitioning and made to feel comfortable living as their birth sex. This segment brought an unnecessary source of friction to an issue that did not need to be framed as a debate.
Again, GLAAD thanks The Tyra Show and its producers for bringing the topic of transgender children to daytime TV in a mostly fair and respectful manner. We hope that this constructive criticism will serve to inform future episodes on transgender-related topics.
Related Posts:Taco Bell Addresses Reports That Transphobic Radio Ads Are Still Airing
January 25, 2010
On January 13 GLAAD reached out to Taco Bell Corporation after receiving numerous complaints about a transphobic radio commercial that was airing across the country. BorderHouse blog published the most complete description of its content on January 7th:
“Some male tells a female (presumably his wife or girlfriend) that it’s a surprise that there is nacho cheese in a layer of the Taco Bell burrito. The woman responds with “Well, I have a surprise for you. I was born male, my name was Claudio” and her voice is lowered several octaves. After which, the male says ‘Ew.’”
GLAAD contacted Taco Bell’s Media Relations staff about the collective outcry over the use of someone’s transgender identity as the punch line of a joke and Taco Bell spokesman Rob Poetsch swiftly issued this statement:
“We sincerely apologize as the ad was not meant to offend anyone and as soon as it was brought to our attention, we immediately stopped airing it.”
Unfortunately GLAAD has received several reports that the problematic ad is still running in places like Indianapolis, Indiana, Cincinnati, Ohio and Hampton Roads, Virginia. The Advocate Magazine also reported hearing a similar commercial on Sunday morning in Los Angeles on KIIS-FM during Ryan Seacrest’s weekly American Top 40 countdown. According to the Advocate, “In this ad, after a fight between the man and the woman, the woman says, “Well then I don’t feel so guilty telling you… [I wasn't born] Martha.” The woman’s voice then changes to a man’s voice, which says, “I’m Marvin.”
We reached out to Taco Bell to ask that the company rectify this situation immediately and explain why the problematic commercials are still reportedly running in several markets. Taco Bell issued this response:
“We are very concerned to have learned that over the weekend some stations were airing a radio ad that we instructed them to remove on January 14. In the process of replacing the ad, we discovered that some stations inadvertently ran the original commercial. We sincerely apologize that this ad ran again and offended people. We’re in the process of contacting all of our radio partners to ensure that the original ad never airs again. We appreciate that GLAAD brought this to our attention so that we could take immediate action.”
We appreciate Taco Bell issuing this apology but urge our members to hold the company accountable for fair advertising standards moving forward. If you hear anti-LGBT radio commercials in your local area please contact GLAAD immediately at nationalnews@glaad.org and tell us what time the commercial aired, on what station, and in what city. Taco Bell must live up to its word, pull all of the spots immediately, and cease defaming LGBT people in all future advertisements. GLAAD and the community will be listening.
Related Posts:Transgender Woman Murdered in Houston; Some Media Coverage Misses the Mark
January 25, 2010
GLAAD joined Pride Houston on Monday in an effort to correct problematic news coverage about the tragic murder of Myra Chanel Ical, a transgender woman whose half-naked body was found in the Montrose area of Houston on Jan. 18.
Authorities have no suspects in the case.
The Houston Police Department issued a Press Release last Wednesday which incorrectly identified Ms. Ical by the male pronoun.
Following the BPD’s lead, The Houston Chronicle published an article on Jan. 20 which erroneously calls Ms. Ical “a man” and also uses the male pronoun. Both the BPD and The Houston Chronicle also list Ical’s birth name as primary identification.
Both The Associated Press and The New York Times’s style guidelines prohibit reporters from using a pronoun that an individual does not prefer.
From The Associated Press:
“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.”
From The New York Times:
“Unless a former name is newsworthy or pertinent, use the name and pronouns (he, his, she her hers) preferred by the transgender person. If no preference is known, use the pronouns consistent with the way the subject lives publicly.”
Houston’s local Fox affiliate, KRIV-Fox 26, also failed to accurately report the murder, again incorrectly calling Ms. Ican “a man” and listing her birth name, rather than her lived name.
It should be noted, meanwhile, that Houston’s local CBS affiliate, KHOU-11, fairly and accurately reported on the murder and even reached out to the Transgender Foundation of America for its story:
After being alerted to the problematic coverage, GLAAD contacted Pride Houston to offer our assistance in the matter.
(To read Pride Houston President Meghan Stabler’s analysis of local media coverage, click here)
GLAAD has since reached out to both The Houston Chronicle and Fox-26 Houston and requested that their stories be changed to reflect accurate terminology.
A candlelight vigil for Myra Chanel Ical will be held tonight, January 25, 2010, at 9 P.M. at the site where Myra’s body was discovered. Please join over 160 confirmed attendees to remember Myra’s life and raise awareness about anti-transgender violence.
For more information about tonight’s vigil click here, or visit the Memorial for Myra Ical Facebook page.
Anyone who might know anything about this crime or who might have witnessed it is urged to call Crime Stoppers. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for any information called in to the 713-222-8477 tips hotline or submitted online at www.crimestoppers.org that leads to the identification, arrest and/or charging of the any of the suspects in this case.
GLAAD will continue to insist that media fairly and accurately report on the murder of Myra Ical. Updates will be made available on GLAADblog.org
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UPDATE: KRIV- Fox 26 Houston Drastically Improves Coverage after GLAAD Outreach
Last night, approximately 200 advocates and allies gathered on the 4300 block of Garrott in Houston to remember Myra Chanel Ical.
Fox 26 Houston was on the scene and made notable improvements in its reporting after GLAAD and Pride Houston reached out to the network.
Fox 26 originally identified Myra as a man and used her birth name instead of her lived name.
GLAAD applauds KRIV-Fox 26 Houston adhering to journalistic standards of fairness and staying in-line with contemporary usage. We will continue to act as a resource for Fox 26 in its future LGBT reporting.
Related Posts:Taco Bell Acts Quickly to Remove Transphobic Radio Ad
January 13, 2010
After receiving several reports from constituents and advocates about a transphobic radio commercial for Taco Bell, GLAAD joined a handful of watchful bloggers in calling on the company to cancel the ad. This afternoon, Taco Bell agreed to pull the hurtful material from further broadcasts after conversations with our National News team and other concerned advocates, including Autumn Sandeen of Pam’s House Blend.
While no audio recording of the commercial has yet been found, BorderHouse blog published the most complete description of its content on January 7th:
Some male tells a female (presumably his wife or girlfriend) that it’s a surprise that there is nacho cheese in a layer of the Taco Bell burrito. The woman responds with “Well, I have a surprise for you. I was born male, my name was Claudio” and her voice is lowered several octaves. After which, the male says “Ew.”
GLAAD contacted Taco Bell’s Media Relations staff about the collective outcry over the use of someone’s transgender identity as the punch line of a joke (a troubling trend we dealt with most recently in outreach to the Late Show with David Letterman).
Spokesman for Taco Bell, Rob Poetsch, confirmed that descriptions of the ad by concerned advocates were accurate and quickly began the process of taking the ad off the air. He issued this statement to GLAAD late today.
“We sincerely apologize as the ad was not meant to offend anyone and as soon as it was brought to our attention, we immediately stopped airing it.”
- Rod Poetsch, Taco Bell Corp.
It is encouraging to see Taco Bell act so quickly in response to our concerns. A special thank you to all of the community members, especially Autumn Sandeen, who brought this to GLAAD’s attention. We were happy to help bring a resolution to this situation.
Related Posts:“Late Show with David Letterman” Contributes to Problematic Reporting on Amanda Simpson
January 6, 2010
Yesterday we reported on President Obama’s appointment of Amanda Simpson as a senior technical advisor at the Commerce Department and some of the problematic news coverage about her becoming one of the first openly transgender presidential appointees.
Unfortunately, as coverage of her landmark appointment continues, so does the disrespectful treatment in the media. During last night’s “Late Show with David Letterman” on CBS, David Letterman announced Simpson’s appointment and reported that she is a transgender woman. He also showed a photo of her. The show’s announcer Alan Kalter then reacted to the news with disgust and mock horror, saying, “What? Amanda used to be a dude? My God!” He then hurried off stage to hearty laughter from the audience, apparently to go collect himself after the shock of this discovery.
Using this type of reaction to the discovery of a person’s transgender identity for comic effect appears to be a current trend in entertainment media. We’ve recently criticized similar instances of such defamation on FOX’s “The Cleveland Show.” Depicting people reacting in horror to transgender individuals is a dangerous stereotype for popular media to perpetuate because it contributes to the societal conception of transgender people as abnormal and deceptive, which all-too-often results in anti-transgender violence and/or discrimination when played out in reality.
We are reaching out to CBS “Late Show with David Letterman” with our concerns about this transphobic joke. Please send your concerns to CBS at: http://www.cbs.com/info/user_services/fb_global_form.php
Related Posts:Obama’s Appointment of Transgender Advisor Signals Progress in Policy but Highlights Pitfalls of Some Media Coverage
January 5, 2010
President Obama has appointed Amanda Simpson as Senior Technical Advisor to the Department of Commerce, making her the first openly transgender presidential appointee in the U.S. As national news coverage of her nomination increases, we are seeing reports that run the gamut from full and fair descriptions of her life and work, to defamatory headlines promoting sensationalized conceptions of transgender people.
According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, where Simpson has served as a board member for the past three years, she brings 30 years of experience working in the aerospace and defense industry, most recently serving as Deputy Director in Advanced Technology Development at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Arizona.
In NCTE’s press release Simpson said:
”I’m truly honored to have received this appointment and am eager and excited about this opportunity that is before me. And at the same time, as one of the first transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, I hope that I will soon be one of hundreds, and that this appointment opens future opportunities for many others.”
Autumn Sandeen provides a thorough commentary on Simpson’s appointment in her blog on Pam’s House Blend.
ABC News.com published a brief but fair article emphasizing that “it was her merits, not gender identity, that got her the Commerce job.”
ABC quoted Simpson discussing the obstacles she may face as she takes on her new position, “I’d rather not be the first, but someone has to be first, or among the first. I think I’m experienced and very well qualified to deal with anything that might show up because I’ve broken barriers at lots of other places, and I always win people over with who I am and what I can do.”
In contrast to this respectful coverage, other media outlets including the New York Post, and to some degree, the New York Daily News, resorted to problematic headlines. The Post identified Simpson as “sex-change gal,” and The Daily News unnecessarily publicized her assigned name alongside her chosen name in reporting her appointment. Both outlets also used the problematic phrase, “sex change,” and The Post used the defamatory term, “tranny,” in a photo caption. These articles highlight the vital need to continue educating reporters about how to improve their coverage of transgender-related news topics. In 2008, The American Journalism Review published this overview of the common pitfalls of reporting in this area and how the landscape will hopefully continue to change for the better.
We encourage readers to contact the Post and the Daily News and voice concerns about their coverage of this story:
New York Post Executive Editor: Jesse Angelo, jangelo@nypost.com
New York Daily News: voicers@edit.nydailynews.com.
Please include this link to GLAAD’s Transgender Terminology Guide in your email. Please also ensure that your emails are civil and respectful and do not engage in any kind of name-calling or abusive behavior.
GLAAD will continue our outreach to these news outlets about their problematic coverage.
Related Posts:“I Kissed A Girl” Singer Katy Perry Ridicules Transgender Community on Twitter
December 21, 2009
On December 6th, singer Katy Perry (“I Kissed a Girl”) posted a nude picture on her Twitter page of what appears to be a transgender man. She tweeted: “http://twitpic.com/sdf45 – NSFW! I knew those little white last week of the birth control pills would still have an effect on your body! FU.”
The photo posted on Twitpic (photo blurred by GLAAD):
Perry is referring to the last week of birth control pills that are typically taken as a placebo but largely thought to not have any effect on the body.
Making fun of transgender people’s bodies is deeply offensive. Perry’s ridicule dehumanizes this person and ignores the courage and resolve it takes to live within a transphobic society.
Some of Perry’s transphobic fans responded immediately with more crude jokes at the expense of the transgender community. On Sunday, the LGBT community began its response, calling Perry out for her exploitation.
While it appears the pic was removed this morning, we urge those offended to tweet Katy Perry directly and educate her about how jokes like this contribute to a climate that puts transgender people in harms way. If you’re on Twitter, please post this tweet to Katy Perry:
@katyperry Ridiculing a photo of a #transgender person is never OK. Pls educate yourself. (Pls RT!)
Related Posts:Governor David Paterson Signs Executive Order Protecting Transgender NY State Employees
December 16, 2009
This morning, before a room packed with advocates, allies, and journalists at the LGBT Community Center in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, New York Governor David Paterson signed Executive Order No. 33 prohibiting discrimination against any employees of New York State agencies on the basis of their gender identity or expression.
Word of his intention to do so spread quickly yesterday after The New York Times received the news. He followed through today in grand style, joined at the podium by state legislators, including Senator Tom Duane, Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, Assemblyman Micah Kellner, and Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell.
NY1 quoted Gov. Paterson saying, “The transgender community has had to wait for what are the same freedoms and equalities that everyone else enjoys, in terms of employment and choices all around this state. And as far as state employees are concerned, that problem ends today.”
The governor emphasized that while his executive order cannot be as sweeping as similar state legislation would be, it can nonetheless pave the way for larger steps toward LGBT equality in the near future. Paterson cheerfully quipped that this order represented one of the lessons he had learned in politics: “If you want something done, you have to do it yourself.” And to those skeptical of the distance New York has yet to come in order to protect transgender and gender non-conforming workers from discrimination, he promised, “You’ve only seen the first act. You haven’t seen the grand finale.”
FOX 40 has posted a summary of this morning’s signing, including statements from the many supportive legislators and transgender rights advocates around the state.
Prominent among them were the sentiments of Senator Tom Duane – who worked with then Senate Minority Leader-Paterson to include gender expression protections in the original Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA) in 2002 – promising that he and his allies in the Senate would not relent in their push to pass the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), a marriage equality bill, and the Dignity for All Students Act “until equal protection under the law is a reality for all New Yorkers.”
GLAAD will continue to provide updates on media coverage of any further progress in protecting all employees from workplace discrimination.
Related Posts:New York’s Governor Set to Extend Employment Protections to Transgender New York State Employees
December 15, 2009
This morning The New York Times reported that Governor David A. Paterson plans to sign an executive order protecting transgender public employees from discrimination in New York State.
On Wednesday December 16, the governor will appear at a ceremony at the New York LGBT Community Center at 10:30am to celebrate New York becoming the seventh state to protect public employees from discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression. Go here to view details of tomorrow’s event.
While the order will stand as one of the broadest extensions of protection for transgender New Yorkers, it represents only a first step toward full workplace equality.
According to Dru Levasseur, Transgender Rights Attorney with Lambda Legal, Gov. Paterson’s order “will bring New York up to par with other states that are taking the lead on workplace fairness.”
The executive order will apply only to state employees working under the executive branch and not to those in the private sector. LGBT rights advocates have been working to pass the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act in the New York legislature since 2003, which would prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression in any workplace, as well as in housing and public accommodations. GENDA passed the New York Assembly last April but has yet to reach a vote in the Senate.
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) has stalled at the federal level, leaving transgender people in the 38 states without state protections vulnerable to harassment and adverse job consequences.
We applaud Governor Paterson’s decision to create change within his executive branch and urge the media to closely follow this issue in other states and at the federal level and report on the necessity to extend these vital protections to transgender employees around the country.
Related Posts:UPDATE: Orlando McDonald’s Fires Manager Who Denied Transgender Teenager Employment
December 14, 2009
An Orlando, Fla. McDonald’s has fired a manager after he refused to hire Zikkeria Bellamy, a 17-year-old transgender applicant.
According to the CBS 6, the McDonald’s issued a statement saying: “Sand Lake Road McDonald’s has a strict policy prohibiting any form of discrimination or harassment in hiring, termination, or any other aspect of employment in the organization. The restaurant requires all employees to comply with local, state and federal employment laws.”
According to Bellamy, after the manager discovered she was a transgender person, he left a voicemail message saying: “You will not get hired.” “We do not hire fa**ots.” He also declined to interview her, according to a press release from the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, the organization representing Bellamy.
In its statement, McDonald’s further condemned the manager’s actions saying: “The behavior of the individual in question is not reflective of the employment policies in the organization. Further, this individual acted outside the scope of his authority and was not responsible for hiring. The individual in question is no longer employed by the restaurant.”
While this is step in the right direction, Bellamy’s attorney, Michael Silverman noted that it’s only a first step.
“We’re asking [the Florida Commission on Human Relations] to take the complaint and make sure that McDonald’s takes appropriate steps to make sure that this doesn’t happen again,” Silverman said.
He is also urging McDonald’s to include gender identity protections in its corporate employment policy and urging Congress to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), now pending in Congress that would protect LGBT people from being fired for who they are.
GLAAD will continue to urge media attention for Zikerria Bellamy’s story.
Related Posts:Grunberg Apologizes for Chaz Bono Tweets
December 10, 2009
Thanks to everyone that tweeted Heroes star Greg Grunberg asking for an apology for the tweets he made about Chaz Bono, the actor took to his Twitter account again yesterday to apologize.
The day after Rebecca Juro of The Bilerico Project cited Grunberg for his disrespectful comments, he offered this an apology:
“And I apologize if I offended ANYONE. Now, back to fart jokes and Yowza!!”
Yesterday after GLAAD’s blog post asking allies and friends to tweet Grunberg for a direct apology to Chaz and the trans community he tweeted this:
Juro who broke the story on Grunberg’s tweets, wrote a letter making an appeal for more responsible messaging from Grunberg saying:
Grunny, when you make jokes about Chaz Bono, even though your intent is to joke about his weight, that’s not what a lot of people are going to take from it. Mixing gender pronouns in reference to a transgender person as you did in one of your tweets is considered deeply offensive in our community, disparaging to Chaz’s gender identity, and by extension to the rest of us as well. I know you don’t see it that way, but that’s how I feel, and it’s how many other transgender people and allies feel as well.
Again thank you to all that tweeted and to Grunberg who will hopefully think twice before making comments about someone’s gender identity.
Related Posts:Heroes Star Greg Grunberg Offends Transgender Community on Twitter
December 9, 2009
Heroes star Greg Grunberg recently made took to his Twitter account (@greggrunberg) to make some unfunny and offensive jokes about Chaz Bono, Cher and Sonny Bono’s son who recently came out as transgender.
Grunberg tweeted the following about Chaz:
When called out on these tweets by The Bilerico Project’s Rebecca Juro, Grunberg responded, claiming that his tweets had nothing to do with Chaz’s gender identity, saying:
My comments about Chaz Bono letting himself go had NOTHING to do with the transgender issue. NOTHING. Chaz is overweight as am I and people have jokingly told me that we look alike. I was merely poking fun at that notion. I hope you realize I meant nobody any harm. Lighten up and take good care.- Grunny
We find it difficult to believe Grunberg’s claims that his comments about Chaz Bono had nothing to do with “the transgender issue” when he very clearly used both male and female pronouns in his first tweet. The deliberate use of both pronouns shows more than simply a lack of understanding of gender identity issues and we call on Grunberg to apologize to Chaz and the transgender community for making such insensitive comments on his Twitter account.
If you are on Twitter, please tweet this statement: “@greggrunberg – You owe Chaz Bono and the transgender community an apology.”
While he claims they off-handed comments with no malicious intentions, it is nevertheless important to educate Mr. Grunberg about the harmful effects such comments can have on transgender acceptance.
Related Posts:Orlando McDonald’s Denies Transgender Teenager Employment: Manager Leaves Threatening Voice Message with Slur
December 7, 2009
When Zikerria Bellamy applied to work at an Orlando, Fla. McDonald’s, she was hoping to earn some extra cash to help support herself. But for the 17-year-old transgender woman, that never became a reality.
After a manager discovered that Bellamy was a transgender person, he left a voicemail message saying: “You will not get hired.” “We do not hire fa**ots.” He also declined to interview her, according to a press release from the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, the organization representing Bellamy.
Bellamy was stunned.
“When I first got it, I told my mom ‘this is not right, something has to be done about this’,” Bellamy told CBS 6 Orlando. “I just wanted to earn to some money and was willing to work hard at this job. In the current economy, jobs are really hard to find. I never expected to be judged on who I am, instead of being judged on whether I can do the job,” said Bellamy.
Employment discrimination remains a major problem for many LGBT people in the United States. And with no federal protections barring employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, an “average work day” for many LGBT people can be very difficult.
“Americans should have the chance to earn a living and provide for their families without being refused a job or fired for reasons that have nothing to do with their ability to do the job,” Michael Silverman, executive director of the TLDEF, who is representing Bellamy, said in a press release.
“Zikerria should not have been denied a job just because she is transgender. Like everyone else, she deserved to be judged on her ability to do the job and not on who she is,” he continued.
While the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)—a federal law that would prohibit employee discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity—continues to wend through Congress, it remains legal in 29 states to fire people based on sexual orientation. It is legal in 38 states to fire people based on gender identity remains legal.
GLAAD along with 19 other national organizations have called on Congress to immediately pass the legislation but there has been little to no traction on the issue.
And while the TLDEF has filed an employment discrimination complaint with the Florida Commission on Human Relations on behalf of Bellamy, Florida remains one of the many states that does not protect its transgender employees and residents.
GLAAD helped shape TLDEF’s press release and media prepped Bellamy extensively before her appearance on the local newscast. We also continue to pitch her story widely and anticipate future coverage in the Associated Press and on CBS The Early Show.
Related Posts:GLAAD Responds to Bilerico and The Cleveland Show
November 30, 2009
This morning, Bilerico blogged about the November 22 episode of The Cleveland Show, “A Brown Thanksgiving,” and GLAAD’s perceived lack of a response to the episode. We had reached out to Fox and the show’s producers, prior to Bilerico’s blog, to schedule a meeting. This is part of an ongoing discussion that GLAAD is having with Fox regarding consistent homophobic and transphobic jokes in some of its animated programming. The problematic transgender episode Bilerico points to is one of several instances that the Entertainment Team will be discussing with them, as well as advocating for more fair LGBT inclusion.
You can view the episode here:
GLAAD posts snapshots on a weekly basis on the home page, where you can read about our transgender advocacy. Reporters, producers, and editors consistently get terminology wrong and our Programs team is working to educate and correct stories that run as well as proactively tell stories of the transgender community. Just last week GLAAD worked with a San Diego news station after a sensational transgender story. Some other recent examples:
Two weeks ago we advocated the Honolulu Star Bulletin correct a story about the transgender victim of a hate crime where they used problematic terminology. The same week we also posted several blog posts at glaadBLOG.org with leading trans advocates for Transgender Day of Remembrance and a video with Candis Cayne discussing the power in our visibility.
Earlier this month Seventeen magazine released a letter to readers after our Director of National News sat down with editors about their article “My BOYFRIEND turned out to be a girl.”
In just the last eight weeks, our Media Programs team have pitched a story on a transgender pianist to the New York Times which ran in their Sunday edition, helped draft and secure a mother’s story about her transgender daughter on The Grio (MSNBC’s African American site) and media trained Reverend David Weekly before an appearance on The Early Show.
In September the Entertainment team received an apology from Lil Mama, a judge on MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew, after we received several incident reports about an anti-transgender critique.
GLAAD’s statements on MTV/Lil Mama’s remarks received widespread media coverage and the America’s Best Dance Crew statements called attention to transgender issues in mainstream press. We hope those interested in learning more will continue to check glaad.org and glaadBLOG for updates.
Related Posts:Exclusive Video: Candis Cayne Discusses Being Out as Transgender in Hollywood
November 20, 2009
In observance of Transgender Day of Remembrance, GLAAD’s Entertainment Media team is proud to bring you an exclusive video of fabulously multi-talented performer Candis Cayne sharing her experiences in Hollywood as a transgender actress.Candis guest starred on this week’s episode of Nip/Tuck on FX and is best known for her groundbreaking role as Carmelita on ABC’s Dirty Sexy Money. As the first transgender actress to play a recurring transgender character on network primetime television, Candis has been a trailblazer in increasing the visibility of the transgender community. Candis recently shot a pilot called Yes, We Candis and can be seen performing every Monday night at The Abbey in West Hollywood.
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