It鈥檚 time for the mainstream press to treat all trans people with dignity
It鈥檚 2017 and major news outlets are still reporting on trans people like absolute donuts.
We鈥檙e getting there, as a society, right? More and more people have heard about various trans issues, and are getting used to radical ideas like calling people by the name and pronoun they ask you to use. You might even have a trans friend or two.
This month, the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission released a to respectful reporting on trans folks and gender diversity. It鈥檚 easy to use and all rather common-sense stuff, really. Among other things, it recommends against making a big deal out of a trans person鈥檚 gender when it鈥檚 irrelevant, calling them by their old name, or sensationalising a story on the basis of gender.
These principles have been discussed , particularly following instances of insensitive reporting about trans people over the last few years. Trans visibility and routine media coverage is relatively new, but of all people, reporters should be able to keep current on how write respectfully about minority groups.
Which brings me to the transphobic trash I came across on a news site recently.
A woman named Evie Amati is accused of attacking two customers at the Enmore 7-Eleven. An Australian news website I won鈥檛 name (but you could find easily enough if you want to formally , as I have) appears to have Facebook stalked Evie to discover that she鈥檚 trans, and published a lengthy 鈥渆xclusive鈥� focusing on just that.
Seriously, on only that. The headline calls her by her old name, and that鈥檚 the whole story, that a woman they recently reported on turned out to be trans.
Imagine if the scandalous reveal had been that she turned out to be a lesbian? Perhaps 20 or 30 years ago it might have been, but we don鈥檛 stand for that garbage anymore, and we shouldn鈥檛 stand for this either.
To the news site鈥檚 bare credit, the story refers to Evie throughout by her correct name and gender pronouns, when it鈥檚 not discussing her past.
The amount of deeply personal information about Evie鈥檚 old life, along with pre-transition photos and screenshots of Facebook coming-out posts, in an alleged news article is nothing short of disgusting. It appears to breach the Australian Press Council鈥檚 . And this is a 24-year-old trans kid being picked on.
Don鈥檛 say it shouldn鈥檛 have been on Facebook if she didn鈥檛 want it reported on. We鈥檝e all stuffed up our privacy management on Facebook, and regardless, the onus here is on the reporter to treat a trans woman with dignity and respect. Yes, I know she鈥檚 accused of a violent crime. We don鈥檛 respond to that with transphobic gossip.
As a trans person, I鈥檝e sat in work offices and felt my heart drop as I heard people calling me by the wrong gender pronouns. I鈥檝e been approached by a colleague who Facebook stalked me and wanted to know more about my transition, and let me tell you that is goddamn terrifying when you thought you were passing and it was all behind you. (Pro tip: it turns out anyone can still see all your old profile photos even if your Facebook profile is on Secret Squirrel mode.)
This is, without hyperbole, the sort of thing people kill themselves over.
This is the sort of thing that gets trans people murdered.
It is 2017 and we report on trans people, like the rest of the LGBTI community, with sensitivity and respect. We don鈥檛 conduct ourselves like sensationalist tabloids at the expense of a person鈥檚 basic privacy and dignity.
If you need someone to speak to, you can contact one of these services 鈥�
Headspace: 1800 650 890
Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
Beyond Blue 1300 224 636
QLife: 1800 184 526
Lifeline: 13 11 14
2Spirits: 07 3017 1777
