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the politics of language

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the politics of language

08.27.03 (9:00 am) [edit]

For those of you unaware, there were several attacks on transwomen here in DC last week, 2 of which were fatal.
While all of it was going on, people in the various trans communities (both here and elsewhere) were sharing news of the situation. Now that we are not in a purely reactionary mode, what seems to be the biggest issue people are discussing when there is direct violence against us? Language.
Ok, some ways the media refers to trans people are inexusable, but the one that people are complaining about the most is whether the word 'transgender' is a noun or an adjective. In the communities directly affected (Latina and African-American) it is proper to say "a transgender" whereas other communities would say the murdered people were "transgendered women". What we have is a case of one culture trying to say that it's norms apply to other cultures ... and we all know how well that went with the Native Americans.
Language is a function of where/when/who you are. If you speak the Queen's English in Harlem you better have your running shoes on. Simmilarly, using ebonics on Wall Street will not project the right image there.

posted by: DRAMA (reply)
post date: 09.08.03 (9:01 am)

WTH? Why wasn't this publicized?

Here in Houston 3 young women were attacked in our cities poshest mall. Only after the third woman - a teen was abducted was there any publicity at all. The other two women were "mall employees," not shoppers. Makes you wonder where the media's real alliances lie.

posted by: Kara (reply)
post date: 09.09.03 (8:35 am)

One thing that someone pointed out was that the media was all over the West Virginia sniper story. What made it ironic was there you had several people attacked over a much longer period of time than either the DC cases or the Houston ones. Not that I am minimalizing the WV deaths, not at all, but it does make the media look to have strange standards. (maybe the media thinks some murders and attacks are worse than others?)