Trans organisation demands apology from Sowetan
Transgender community organisation Gender DynamiX has slammed the Sowetan newspaper for its recent article confusing transgender women with gay men.
The article, reporting the recent decision by the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) to welcome transgender women in its ranks, was incorrectly titled “Gays can join ANC Women’s League”.
Journalist Moipone Malefane then went on to use the terms “gay” or “gay men” and “transgender” interchangeably in her story. She also wrote about transgender men instead of transgender women.
In a statement on Friday, Gender DynamiX expressed its “alarm” at the “problematic reporting” by the Sowetan, which has sparked outrage in the LGBT community.
While welcoming the ANCWL’s resolution, it said that the article showed “a deep level of ignorance of transgender persons and issues around gender identity.”
Most disturbingly, the organisation noted, is that the editing structures of the newspaper did not correct the misrepresentation of transgender women by the journalist.
“The lack of sensitivity and respect on the reporting on a discriminated and traumatised community is alarmingly unprofessional,” it said, decrying the inexcusable “journalistic laziness” that “contributes to the aggression perpetuated and reproduced against gender minorities.”
Gender DynamiX argued that the Sowetan failed in its responsibility as a media establishment that “facilitates and influences public perceptions on a wide range of views, ideas and communities.”
It called on the newspaper to write an apology and a retraction, adding that “it is through carelessly written articles that transgender people are humiliated, erased and denigrated.”
It further urged it and other media to improve their awareness of gender and sexual minority issues.
Gender DynamiX describes itself as the first African based organisation solely focusing on the transgender community.
Mambaonline wrote to Malefane at the Sowetan for comment on her article on Thursday but has yet to receive a response.
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I would like to comment on the article from a Gay perspective and to point out a serious inaccuracy in the content. Firstly, Gender Dynamix in South Africa claims to be “solely” focused in the transgender community – this is not so as they actively participated in “The Alternative Gay Pride” in Cape Town which successfully attempted to scuttle the “real” Cape Town Gay Parade. This was a political attempt to destroy a totally inclusive event of long and proud standing using race and gender to divide the Gay community – I have great respect for our transgender family and offer all support to their cause – I am a proud Gay man and cannot understand why it should be “humiliating” to refer to a trans person as Gay – We are all part of the same family, whether it be gay men or gay women or Transgender – if we stopped this bigotry and profiling by using labels such as “mad black lesbians” and refer to all of us as GAY without adding a colour or a gender as a prefix ,we would be heading in the right direction. So lets get over ourselves and move forward as one big family.