Hold the Hype
In her recent special on MSNBC, Melissa Harris-Perry and her guests (Mel Wymore, who is running for a City Council seat on New York's Upper West Side; Mara Keisling, Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality; and Kate Bornstein, author of the soon-to-be released "A Queer and Pleasant Danger") raise many issues related to being transgender in the United States. The role of labels, violence against trans people, politics and coalition building, identification documents and a variety of other topics emerged during the conversation. What was also remarkable about the discussion was what did not appear, namely the sensationalism and misinformation that so frequently accompanies media pieces related to gender diversity. Instead, a serious dialogue about real issues took place. Further, the host’s knowledge of gender diversity—referring to her own “cis” identity, recognizing the distinction between issues facing LGB people versus those facing transgender people, navigating pronouns—illustrated a refreshing change from much of the coverage found in popular media. Further, even as the conversation examined issues facing transgender individuals, what also emerged was the clear connection to the manner in which gender biases and assumptions impact all people. With issues of gender continuing to surface in our culture, it is imperative that the conversations about very complex issues are facilitated in an informed and thorough manner. By setting the sensational aside, a thoughtful conversation took place. How refreshing to have such an elegant example for others to draw from.
4/15/2012 Melissa Harris-Perry on MSNBC: Being Transgender in Americahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJOD_SYWKtI
