Our Favorite Things: Two-Stepping and Trannies

Comments

Dear Wayne,
Trannies is a pejoritive. It's a highly offensive slur meant to de-gender trans women. Think about it! It's meant to refer to something feminine as "manly" or "over the top and theatrical." It's most often used to refer to transvestites or drag queens but the people you are talking about here don't fit that bill. These are just people who identify as trans. Please check the GLAAD Media Reference Guide. Here's another link for reference.
http://www.bilerico.com/2008/09/is_tranny_…
Rebecca

eat_the_cis on June 17, 2010 at 5:39 PM

Seconding the comment by eat_the_cis. The GLAAD Media Guide makes it pretty clear. Also, if I can't count on my alt weekly to get it right, there is no hope.

Nat_a_nat on June 17, 2010 at 7:12 PM

Dear Rebecca,

I did not write the headline, and would not have used the word "trannies" to refer to trans men and/or trans women. As a freelance writer, I submit my story to the Mercury, and while I can suggest a headline, the editor or art director many times gets to choose the title of a story. To clarify, I am aware of the offensive properties of using the word trannie, when referring to trans-folk, and apologize that it came out in this publication.

Wayne

w_bund on June 18, 2010 at 6:03 PM