How to Write About A Trans Person...

I feel like, as a simple blogger, I shouldn't really have to tell the "real" writers, reporters, and media personalities how to do their jobs. But I guess I do, at least when it comes to trans men and women.

First and foremost, here it is: http://www.glaad.org/reference/transgender

Learn it.

What has spurred me to share this with the world (which honestly, you can use a search engine, can't you?)? A lot of trans individuals have been in the news lately. Lavern Cox was on the cover of Time magazine. Orange is the New Black's second season was released on Netflix. JLo's boyfriend cheated on her with a trans woman. R.Kelly's child came out as transgendered.

1. Lavern Cox

Lavern Cox was listed as one of Time's 100 most influential people, and even got her own cover story. She an actress and activist, and she's been very outspoken about issues facing trans people since her increase in popularity as a result of her role on Orange is the New Black. In short, I love her. She's fabulous, gracious and beautiful. That, however, doesn't stop people from saying/writing idiotic things.

Rush Limbaugh took it upon himself to use probably one of the most volatile words you could to describe transgendered people. Luckily, there was a smart woman listening in, ready to turn Limbaugh's venom into a teachable moment.

2. JLo's boyfriend

It's all over the tabloids. JLo's boyfriend cheated on her. But that isn't the "real" story, is it? No, the real story is that he cheated on her with a trans woman. Oh the confusion! How will media outlets refer to this other woman? Or should it be other man?! No. She's not a man. And she's not transsexual. Those aren't even the same things. 

Not only are the tabloids getting this all wrong, but so are media personalities like Jenny McCarthy. Granted, I know McCarthy isn't exactly a paradigm of educated discourse, but could you please please just think for a second? 

3. R.Kelly's Child

First of all, R.Kelly's child, formerly known as Jaya, has come out as a transgendered boy. This means that she was born with the anatomy of a girl, but identifies as a boy. It's icky that media outlets are reporting on children of celebrities at all, but if you're going to do it, at least do it appropriately. The blow quote is from http://naturallymoi.com.

Now, Jaya has reportedly decided that she just wants to be known as Jay.  The child also doesn’t want to be pretty anymore, she would prefer to be handsome.   She is part of the latest trend in the “Transguy” culture, where young people are choosing to claim whatever gender they identify with the most.

Um, I'm pretty sure that "Transguy" culture is not a thing. Being transgendered is not a youth trend, and while some people do choose what gender they identify with, others are transgender from birth, and not through any sort of choosing. Also, is it really that hard to use the appropriate pronoun? Jay is a boy. Identify him as such, even if he was born with female anatomy, you use the male pronoun here.
Then, there's this little gem:

The only reference we could find on what it means to be a trans guy is wikipedia, which gives this definition -”A trans man (also trans-man or transman) is a female-to-male (FtM) transgender or transsexual person. A trans man is assigned female at birth, but identifies as male.”

Really? Do you not have google? Did you not type into any search engine, "how to write about trans people." Because the third option down it the GLAAD link I posted at the top of this. If that was the only information you could find, it is because you're lazy, not because that's the only information out there.

What's the Big Deal?

I know some people will say, hey, this is relatively new, what't the big deal? People are bound to get things wrong at first. Don't be the "PC Police." I'm calling bullshit on this. 

Do you own a computer or have access to one?

Have you ever used a search engine?

Do you know how to type questions?

If you answered yes to these questions, than you can find out how to act like a respectful adult when it comes to transgendered issues. If you still failed to act/write appropriately, than it is a direct result of your lack of interest in being respectful. It is a sign of laziness, ignorance, and most damning, unwillingness to learn. 

Speaking as a White, Straight Girl...

Speaking as a white, straight girl, who has authority over your story?

There's been some big minds doing some great thinking on the subject for a while now. As a write of no color, there is often a question of whether or not it is appropriate to tell the story belonging to a person (or character) of color. When I think way back to the time of the Imperialism, and the treatment of "native peoples" by white imperialists, as well as the "documentation of natives" by white explorers, I start to cringe. That being said, there is a big difference between that sort of writing and a well-written novel or short story with a POC protagonist. But still, does a white person have authority over a narrative of that nature? Can a white person adequately and honestly portray a person of color? I think this is an important question, that I don't necessarily have the answer to.

The same sort of questioning could be applied to straight writers writing about characters with differing sexual orientations.

It isn't just a question of being respectful of the subject matter. It's more of a question of how do you write the character authentically?

Granted, these questions rarely get raised if a female author is writing from a male POV, or a male author is writing from a female POV. I wonder, do the author's intentions matter here, or should authors always avoid writing characters of different backgrounds to avoid in-authenticity? What are your thoughts?

Crooked

Crooked is my freshman novel. (Yup, I'm anticipated that one day I'll write a "sophomore novel.") It's the story of a drag queen named Freddie (a.k.a. Pistil Whipped) who escapes Boston with an ex-lover to save his own life, leaving behind his romantic partner, his drag mother, and his life on the stage.

Freddie is a true misfit. Between his profession, his sexuality, and his inability to commit, he finds himself alienated from those around him. He's crooked, in a straight world. As a way to further explore his crooked nature, I've decided to start a regular feature on my blog. It will be true to the nature of Freddie, and focus on something I'm very passionate about, LGBT rights.

Enjoy!