Sunday, January 2, 2011

Indianapolis Media Didn't Learn Jack-They're Still Misgendering AA Transpeople

Seems like during the holidays last year I was calling out the Indianapolis media and a Black reporter for the disrespectful way they covered the murder of Taysia Elzy and her boyfriend.


Thanks to my H-town homegirl and Indianapolis native Diamond Stylz, I've been alerted to another instance of media people disregarding the AP Stylebook.    And since they've already had this happen last year with another area  transperson, the Indianapolis media peeps don't have the 'we didn't know' excuse to fall back on..
   
Let's review once again what the AP Stylebook has to say about covering transgender people in media stories.  If you're tired of me repeating it,  I'm just as fracking tired of spelling it out to you professional media peeps as well.

transgender-Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth.

If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the way the individuals live publicly.


Once again, an Indianapolis news station gets it wrong with a transperson, and big surprise, the transperson disrespected was a African descended one.   

Back on December 26 a little after 10 PM EST 23 year old Angel Johnson was shot four times in the face, chest and leg after someone kicked in her chained apartment door.   The home invasion incident has its genesis in an altercation she had with denizens of her apartment complex over her trans status. .  


Fortunately she survived and is thankfully recovering from her injuries.

The waste of DNA who did it according to Diamond is now in police custody.


But once again an Indianapolis media outlet, this time it was WXIN-TV Fox 59 and reporters Vanessa McClure and