Transgender and Political Correctness

Friday, June 23, 2006

I have been questioning myself of late. Have I been overly sensitive to apparent anti-transgender and homophobic verbal expressions?

Of course...in all honesty...some people are unavoidably and totally homophobic. Tucker Carlson is the first one who comes to mind. Bill O'Reilly is another. As deplorable as it is coming from them, I have come to expect such insensitive expressions. Even though there are times I find myself agreeing with Tucker, I have learned to take, with a grain of salt, his homophobic distribes. Bill O'Reilly I never agree with and would never expect him to understand transgender issues.

But, of late, I have found otherwise resonant voices expressing what can only be considered couched slurs against the GLBT community. The two media personalities who come to mind are Keith Olberman and Randi Rhodes. Don't get me wrong...I am not insinuating that either of them is homophobic...I, however, believe that there is a cultural bias that is hard to root out and still rears it's ugly head even with otherwise sane thinking individuals.

I have heard, on more than one occasion, Keith Olberman express a certain squeamishness any time a news item involves a man dressed as a woman. The latest was his piece on the Florida traffic cop who was dressed as a woman while on duty, working the traffic division. This has not been the only instance of his awkward handling of potential transgender issues.

With respect to Randi Rhodes, the seeming political incorrectness has, of late, been associated with Anne Coulter and the intimation that she is "really a man-just look at her adams apple". Again...I may be too sensitive...but...I quiver and shake at the thought of being associated in any way with that woman. If only she WERE transgender...perhaps her vitriolic attacks would be more subdued.

I would like to add that, in the cases of Both Randi and Keith, I am, again, not asserting any agenda. I think they are both victims of a pervasive societal view that has just not evolved to a point where even inadvertent and mistaken comments can be avoided. When you live in a culture of intolerance, it is easy misspeak.

I would also like to add that, in every other respect, I am HUGE fans of both of these persons. Other than these particular faux pas, I find their perspectives to be refreshing and ones that resonate with MY world view.

The point I am making is that the concept of politically correct language, even though stretched to extremes in far too many instances, reflects cultural moires and biases, and that a refusal or inability to recognize them helps to perpetuate the culture of intolerance, bigotry and marginalization even when there is no express intent to do so.

I envision the day when all people are accepted as human beings and not disenfranchised for any reason. It is the goal I work towards and the hope I live with every day.

trickster108