tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24139383.post8534671521323011926..comments2023-10-31T05:56:29.210-05:00Comments on Sexual Evolution: The Trouble with the New York Times, and Bravo Mich Womyn's Fest!Amanda Hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567728932144057419noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24139383.post-9598839077624748752007-03-10T13:54:00.000-05:002007-03-10T13:54:00.000-05:00Thank you Amanda. You really touched my heart. I...Thank you Amanda. You really touched my heart. I had no idea that Paul would put my birth name in the article, and I was pretty upset about it. The good side of it is that I have been able to caution friends who have done interviews on what to be clear about in terms of personal boundries. I have been thinking about working on a book, my life has taken more interesting twists. I like your writing would like to talk about colaberation.<BR/><BR/>ShaneAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24139383.post-79802112368069358072006-08-25T09:59:00.000-05:002006-08-25T09:59:00.000-05:00I agree that it's a step forward for the popular n...I agree that it's a step forward for the popular news media to produce articles on transexual identity (and this isn't the first for the Times), but I do think that presenting the article from the position of the lesbians who are offended by medical transition was a mistake. Had the article spent a little more time on the positive effects of transitioning for those who go through it, I might have been more forgiving.<br /><br />The thing is, I'm not sure it matters that Vitello and even the general public believe this to be a lifestyle issue. I think that the average NYT reader has enough education and vocabulary to be expected to understand the issue as it actually is. I think your description of how it could have been written is perfect. I would rather the general public come away from an article about transexualism a little confused but having heard the vocabulary than believing that FTMs are "women who choose to pursue life as a man."<br /><br />All that aside, thanks for commenting, it's always nice to be forced to clarify my position!Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02383392891972708265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24139383.post-86952142639095913692006-08-25T09:08:00.000-05:002006-08-25T09:08:00.000-05:00While I don't disagree with you on any particular ...While I don't disagree with you on any particular point, I do think you are being overly harsh on the NYT and the author of this article, Paul Vitello. Yes, for people like you who are on the cutting edge of identity politics, an article on FTM transexuals belongs in the health section, but the vast, vast majority of readers who are unfamiliar with this topic probably consider it a lifestyle issue (and that was certainly the slant of this article).<br /><br />In an absolute sense, this article may be poor, but you need to consider it in the context in which it appears. I recently saw a staged version of "The Opposite of Sex" and found it offensive due to its stereotypical gay characters and portrayal of homosexuality as deviant. However, had this play been produced 20 or 30 years ago, don't think it would have been offensive and its humane treatment and ultimate acceptance of homosexuality should have been applauded. Public acceptance of transexuals and knowledge of transexual issues is currently a decade or two behind where we are on homosexuality. If this article is republished in another 10 or 20 years, I hope that I will find it as offensive as I found that play, but for now, I think it is well researched and presented considering the author (as far as I can tell) had no prior expertise in this area and is writing for a lay audience. He couched it in terms that most people will be able to understand and generally was careful to refer to post-op transexuals by the appropriate pronouns. Yes, he could have introduced a few terms at the beginning of the article in order to be more understanding of his subjects, but I think many readers would have been confused to read about a relationship between a self-identified lesbian and a female-bodied person who, after a double masectomy and hormone therapy, now externally presents his true gender identity. If you disagree, I think you are giving the average person too much credit and Paul Vitello too little.Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10746154734429921639noreply@blogger.com