3B
Wednesday, February 15, 2017 // The Statement
BY ASHLEY TJHUNG, MANAGING MICHIGAN IN COLOR EDITOR
ILLUSTRATION BY OLIVIA STILLMAN
A
t Michigan in Color, we pride ourselves on
being a section by and for people of color,
dedicating ourselves to producing inclusive
content from all marginalized identities. Recently, in
collaboration with The Statement, we published an
article with contributions from several student leaders
on campus. In the process, we accidentally published
a contributor’s assigned birth name instead of her
current name, Vidhya Aravind.
Unfortunately, I, in my role as co-managing editor,
made a mistake. In doing so, I caused undeniable harm
to her individually, in addition to the trans community
at large.
A person’s chosen name is an important part of their
identity and self. In assuming that Vidhya would keep
her last name (which she did not), I unfairly took away
that power by overlooking the complexity of names,
and ignoring her Indian cultural heritage.
It would be false to say that my privilege as a
cisgender woman did not play a role in this. When
transcribing Vidhya’s interview, I realized she had not
provided her last name. It crossed my mind if I should
ask what last name she wanted used, but in the chaos
of production, I let myself to think “good enough.” I
wrote the last name used in her uniqname rather than
asking her, like I should have.
That was both damaging and dangerous. Cis people
often use dead names or improper pronouns when
speaking with or about trans folx, creating discomfort
and sometimes harm to the person’s mental health.
Furthermore, news outlets often use dead names
or improper pronouns for trans folx. High-profile
examples of this include reporters continuing to use
Caitlyn Jenner’s assigned birth name, rather than the
name she chose for herself.
The media has a prominent voice in the issue, and
with power comes responsibility. Using the birth
names of trans folx in such a public sphere not only
causes damage to their person, but can also put them in
danger. Having information like birth-names publicly
disclosed puts trans folx at a greater risk of being
publicly outed or harassed.
On a legal level, trans folx face high levels of
institutional discrimination, particularly in their
attempts to change their names. Even when courts
approve of such changes, administrative processes to
have their name present on all forms of legal documents
are both difficult and burdensome.
Besides names, trans folx often have little legal
protection when it comes to workplace discrimination,
or are forced to use facilities of their gender assigned
at birth, rather than the one they identify with. This
includes anything from bathrooms to prison cells.
After my mistake, I sat down with Vidhya to discuss
what needed to happen next. She explained her careful
process in choosing her name — the cultural reason for
claiming a new last name, and the ways she and those
close to her have been processing and reacting to seeing
her birth name in print. During this conversation, I
realized how little I knew about the issues, or even the
jargon surrounding trans folx.
When researching for this article, I became
frustrated with the lack of coverage on trans issues.
While organizations such as the Human Rights
Campaign and GLAAD, formerly the Gay and Lesbian
Alliance Against Discrimination, attempt to educate
and advocate for LGBTQ issues, few of the major news
networks extensively cover everyday discrimination
trans
folx
face.
Coverage
of
discriminatory
bathroom laws is plentiful, but information on trans
discrimination in the workplace or the lack of trans
representation in television and film are only available
on advocacy sites and blogs.
As a member of a news outlet, I recognize I am
part of the larger issue of misrepresenting trans
folx and the issues they face. Beyond the individual
mistakes behind misusing pronouns or birth names,
we also need to do a better job of covering trans issues.
According to a 2013 study by the National Coalition of
Anti-Violence Programs, 72 percent of hate homicides
violence crimes were against trans women, yet I find
coverage of such violence minimal.
The media claims to take a neutral stance when
relaying news to the public. However, not educating
ourselves on the ways privilege can manifest itself in
our work can reinforce dominant narratives of silencing
and erasure of the trans community. Privilege is the
ability to ignore aspects of violence or discrimination
against trans individuals.
Some might argue that making an effort to cover
specific situations of marginalized communities is
working on a slant, but, in my opinion, not making
more of an effort to cover these injustices is also
showing bias. These issues are important to everyone
— not just the trans community — and are necessary to
fully understand the society we live in.
We
must
be
respectful
of
marginalized
communities, vigilant in accurately representing
them and their experiences and work to create
space for communities to represent themselves.
The media has a duty to offer platforms to those
facing discrimination and, for trans folx, we are
consistently failing.
In context with society as a whole, we need to do
better when it comes to being social justice advocates
and allies to the trans community. My actions are
just one in a stream of micro- and macro-aggressions
Vidhya will face today. We must take it upon ourselves
to continue our education, to acknowledge our own
privileges and most of all, to understand when we
cause harm and work to rectify it.
Changing How We Write About Trans Folx In Media