“CNN – Your Most Trusted Name In News”, that’s their slogan.
I don’t want my “most trusted” news source to bash me, hurt me, depersonify me, insult me, laugh at me, try to humiliate me, or attempt to kick me down after all the things that I have been through just to live as who I am. I don’t want my “most trusted” news corporation to do this to anyone. I had wanted to refrain to from getting too personal in this post, but I don’t think I have a choice any longer. Jeanne Moos’ account insults me because I am me, there is nothing impersonal about that.
“CNN’s Jeanne Moos examines manliness and motherhood.” Otherwise known as “CNN’s Jeanne Moos makes a laughingstock out of the entire trans community and she and her co-workers should be ashamed.”
When I saw this, I was watching CNN’s live feed on their website and by the time I realized you could send feedback via a little “Your Voice” button, they were already onto a segment about Obama. Woops.
I’m not sure I need to explain why that video is so offensive. But if I must, I must do it in list form.
1. The tone of Jeanne Moos’ reporting is not that of an unbiased, impartial reporter – even if she is TV’s equivalent of a ‘columnist’, they should have mentioned that instead of setting it up as a news segment – but of a transphobic, dehumanizing, cissexist tyrant.
2. They do not show two sides of the story. In fact, when they do interview Thomas, they then follow the interview clip with people making tranphobic comments and bashing what he says.
3. I do not enjoy being called an ‘it’, I do not know anyone who does enjoy being called an ‘it’. Thomas’ has a name which is common and easy to use. Hell, if you can’t remember the whole thing, I’m sure he wouldn’t be too offended if you just said “Tom”. Now, if three letters are two hard for you (that’s okay, I’m not going to assume everyone is all that educated or articulate or literate) then you can even say ‘he’, it’s only two letters long and it’s an everyday word that I’m sure you’ve used at some point in your life. Thomas, he, his, him and possibly even Tom are all appropriate pronouns and names. A shortlist of innapropriate things: “Is it a boy? Is it a girl? No, not the baby! The one having the baby!” (followed by laughter, most of which comes from the host, Jeanne Moos), bringing up Thomas’ old name and announcing it like it’s something relevant, “Thomas Beatie, formerly Tracy Beatie is the subject of a Barbara Walters special, but what’s especially hard is knowing what to call it”, “…and had his breasts REMOVED!”, only showing people who are offensive and disrespectful and transphobic, by only showing one side of a story you are endorsing that side.
At this time, we’d like to invite and encourage you to submit a comment about what you think of CNN’s “Pregnant Man Is Pregnant Again” segment and ask that Jeanne Moos retracts her transphobic comments and makes a public appology on either CNN.com or CNN TV.
You can also mention that it’s estimated that every five hours an LGBT youth in the U.S. commits suicide and that Jeanne Moos is not helping.
The form is kind of complicated, but it is located here if you want to give it a shot yourself. If you’d like some assistance with this, here’s what a completed form would look like:
The Vagabonders 