There have a few disgraceful examples of gender abuse by various low-class dailies around the world - the usual suspects: Mail, Hollywood Life - since it became knowledge that former [?] girlfriend of Michael Phelps, Taylor Chandler, is intersex.
She correctly noted that she was named "David" when her birth was registered, which was enough to send the toilet-quality news outlets to scream that she was "born a man" or "born male".
As the better-quality outlets have noted, that is complete nonsense and quite vile gender abuse. A person born intersex is not "born male/female" but simply born intersex.
In the case of Taylor, we are told that she was born with both sets of non-functional external genitalia, but neither set of reproductive organs. She settled on a female gender and undertook hormonal and later surgical procedures so she could fully identify physically as female.
While I'm sure there were plenty of belly laughs in pubs, trains and workplaces at the thought that Phelps had been banging a guy, the facts are that it is blatantly incorrect and also incredibly hurtful for people who are in one of the most awful places a human can be - born between sexes.
While I would consider being born with any physical deformity pretty horrible, at least people born with obvious, non-gender deformities garner support and sympathy from the wider world. Intersex people generally garner oppressive views, gutter humour and outright gender hatred. (ask a transgender woman how some women see her and treat her)
I don't expect anyone to change their buying habits, but every person can help a little when the belly-laugh story is read out to not laugh and quietly say, "Change the phrase "born a man" to "born with no arms" and see if it's quite as amusing.
Sow a seed, occasionally they bear fruit.
She correctly noted that she was named "David" when her birth was registered, which was enough to send the toilet-quality news outlets to scream that she was "born a man" or "born male".
As the better-quality outlets have noted, that is complete nonsense and quite vile gender abuse. A person born intersex is not "born male/female" but simply born intersex.
In the case of Taylor, we are told that she was born with both sets of non-functional external genitalia, but neither set of reproductive organs. She settled on a female gender and undertook hormonal and later surgical procedures so she could fully identify physically as female.
While I'm sure there were plenty of belly laughs in pubs, trains and workplaces at the thought that Phelps had been banging a guy, the facts are that it is blatantly incorrect and also incredibly hurtful for people who are in one of the most awful places a human can be - born between sexes.
While I would consider being born with any physical deformity pretty horrible, at least people born with obvious, non-gender deformities garner support and sympathy from the wider world. Intersex people generally garner oppressive views, gutter humour and outright gender hatred. (ask a transgender woman how some women see her and treat her)
I don't expect anyone to change their buying habits, but every person can help a little when the belly-laugh story is read out to not laugh and quietly say, "Change the phrase "born a man" to "born with no arms" and see if it's quite as amusing.
Sow a seed, occasionally they bear fruit.
via International Skeptics Forum http://ift.tt/1zg0iTb
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire