final blog post

After this course, I now look at news more critically. I do not take everything at face value and I question the authority and expertise of each news source. I now realize that each news source directs different issues in different manners for each audience. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but now that I realize it, I am better able to understand the news. This also enhances the fact that it is very important to look up a story on multiple sites (blogs, news sources, etc.). By doing this, I am able to fully understand the story from differing points of view. I have also learned how to write for different audiences myself. This will certainly become useful outside of the college-sphere mainly because most of my writing in college is for one audience - professors.

Justice for Coy

Coy Mathis was identified as a male at birth, but since the age of 18 months, has insisted she is a girl. Since then, her parents, teachers and peers have accepted her transgender identity and have always referred to her as a girl as well as allowed her to use the girls bathroom. But this past December, her parents received a phone call from the principal of Eagleside Elementary School stating that Coy could only use the boys’ bathroom, the nurses’ bathroom or the staff bathroom. New York-based Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund attorneys[1] filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Division on behalf of Coy’s parents Kathryn and Jeremy Mathis, because by denying her access to the girls’ bathroom Coy is being discriminated against. Coy is now being homeschooled and will continue to be until the legalities of her case are settled.

Coy’s story began on the local level first appearing in The Gazette, a Colorado Springs newspaper, on February 26^th. Carol McGraw wrote the first story about the legal case in her article titled “Complaint filed in case of 6-year-old transgender girl”. The story then went on to the Denver Post where Colleen O’Connor, P. Solomon Banda and the Denver Post Editorial Board all forwarded their own articles of the story. O’Connor attempted to present both sides of the story, that is those that are in favor of Coy’s use of the girls bathroom and those that are opposed. Banda wrote about how Coy and her family came to accepting her transgender identity. The Denver Post Editorial Board was very firm on their stance. In fact, they insinuate that there can’t be ‘two sides to this story’ and that the lawsuit is an unnecessary spectacle considering Colorado's anti-discrimination rules clearly state that transgender individuals shall be allowed to use the "gender-segregated facilities that are consistent with their gender identity."[2]

In less than a week, Coy’s story has been forwarded from local to national and even international news levels. National news sources such as Fox, CNN and ABC were all willing to weigh in on the issue, yet some more than others. Fox News was sure to publish a piece on this story but was disinclined to include many details. Their miniscule 124 word article titled “Colo. transgender girl can't use girls' bathroom at school; parents file complaint with state” which prohibits any comments is telling of just how much coverage Fox will allocate to this kind of issue and similar issues.[3] ABC took a great deal of effort in analyzing the details of the case as well as the effects discrimination can have on the transgender community in their article “Transgender Triplet Banned From Her First-Grade Restroom”.[4] In extensive detail, CNN explained the facts of Coy’s legal dispute, the school’s defense, the blurry line of what constitutes discrimination and the scope of the transgender community in their article “School’s transgender ruling: fairness or discrimination?”.[5]  Even The Daily Telegraph, which is a news source of the residents in Sydney, Australia, weighed in on the controversial issue. In their article “Transgender child Coy Mathis banned from using the girl’s bathroom at Colorado school”[6], The Daily Telegraph remained unbiased and factual throughout, considering they only quoted various other news sources. Their strategy seem to be to forward without adding any opinion.

In the very beginning articles, the authors focused on the facts of transgendered persons and Coy’s specific circumstance as well as her parent’s point of view. As time went on, stories began to include opposing opinions. For example, Aurora resident Karen Carter, was quoted in O’Connor’s article stating, “I don't want my 7-year-old girl going into a restroom with a boy.” She continued to say, “If this person has boy genitals, I don't think she needs to be in there with him." As the story has spread further, the main focus has become less about the civil rights of this 6-year old girl and more about the disbelief of her identified transgendered-ness. This is even more evident in the ‘comment’ sections of the articles.

            The issue is certainly controversial and no matter how objectively different news sources represent Coy’s story, there will always be an abundance of opinions. As the news spreads, many individuals are taking it upon themselves to counter the stance of Coy’s parents, Kathryn and Jeremy. Although some comments are in support the parent’s decision to let their daughter express her true gender-identity, the vast majority of comments counter this very idea. In response to O’Connor’s article in the Denver Post one comment alleged:

            This is NOT a little girl! He's a little boy who (according to his curiously PR savvy           parents) "identifies" as a little girl.

There are many other posts that sing along to that same tune and even go as far as to suggest the child should get gender reassignment surgery if she in fact really is a girl. Specifically, one comment in regards to the ABC article stated:

            Transgender means to cross, as in CHANGE GENDERS. Coy Mathis IS a boy. Why not             have the parents go and get the surgery right now for him so he can actually physically             turn into a girl. I mean let's really go the whole 9 yards shall we.

Gender reassignment surgery is not something to take lightly or even suggest and especially for male-female transsexuals at the age of 6. It is an extremely intense series of hormone injections, the removal and addition of private parts, and an extremely painful recovery. Some specifics include shaving the tracheal, breast augmentation and of course vaginoplasty in which the penis is removed, the urethra is rerouted and the extra skin is used to form the labia. These surgeries, if ever performed, would need to be done well after Coy has gone through puberty.

            Although this issue has become public, it was first presented as a civil rights issue. The intention of her parents was not to put her integrity, sexuality and genital region up for international discussion. People can’t seem to understand that gender and sexual reproductive parts do not always need to match in order to remain a functional (or legitimate) human being
            Luckily to straighten out the misunderstandings of many cigendered[7] [see definition below] people, CNN published an Opinion piece titled “Gender identity not just body parts”.[8] The author, Donna Rose, is a male-to-female transsexual and an advocate and spokesperson for transgender people and issues. In her piece she stated her opinion of the schools decision:

            It is unfortunate that Coy's school has not learned the lesson that so many other aspects of          our culture have already acknowledged, that a person's gender is more complicated than a    body part or a chromosome.

She also tries to resolve the misguided notions that a child cannot even know her gender at such a young age by stating:

            Part of being a child is developing your identity. School can teach you knowledge.             Society can teach you what it expects of you. But, once you develop a sense of yourself,        no one and nothing can tell you who you are. You come to know that -- to your core.

She goes on to say:

            When a child's sense of self develops in ways that are traditional and unremarkable,           nobody takes much notice. But when it happens in ways that challenge traditional norms          or expectations, people often try to "correct" it.

No matter how many articles similar to Rose’s are published, there will always be cigender people who refuse to understand or sympathize with the transgender.

            Some people have stated that, “It's possible the parents are publicity hounds. The welfare of their child appears to be secondary (since they are so willing to make a private matter public).” Regardless of the truth, Coy’s parent’s decision to make this lawsuit public could provide extreme headway for the rights of the transgender community. In McGraw’s article, Coy’s mother said she is telling her child’s story publicly because, “The more transgender issues are talked about the better it is. With awareness comes acceptance.”[9] On the other hand, it is unfortunate that gains must be made at the sacrifice of 6 year-old Coy’s childhood educational experiences. As noted in O’Connor’s article “Transgender 1st-grader must wait for ruling on use of school restroom”, Michael Silverman, executive director of the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund said, "Transgender rights will be America's next great civil rights struggle."

            So what happens next? Eagleside Elementary School must respond to the charge. Then the case will be assigned to a Civil Rights Division investigator. Both sides will be offered the chance to have voluntary mediation. If that is declined, the Civil Rights Division investigator will issue a ruling. Next a compulsory conciliation will occur, where the parents and the district will negotiate. Now, if for some reason the negotiation fails, the Civil Rights Commission will take over and could possible send the case onto an administrative judge.[10]

            As this story has progressed it has become clear that the majority of our society does not accommodate to transgendered persons. For example, there is no pronoun for a transgender person. We assign “he” or “him” to males who identify as males and “her” or “she” to females who identify as females. If not “he” nor “she”, we don’t have any other pronoun to assign to transgendered persons other than “it”. That alone is very telling of our society’s accommodation to transgendered persons. So, if only people could understand that allowing her to use the school’s girls bathroom is one of the many struggles Coy will face as she grows up in a world that values heteronormativity and cigendered persons. Throughout this mess, it seems that many people and news sources are forgetting she is only 6 years old. Hopefully this will all get resolved as quickly as possible for the sake of Coy, as previously noted, her life will be hard enough.

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[1] http://www.gazette.com/articles/transgender-151539-girl-year.html

[2] http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_22691781/school-wrong-transgender-girl?IADID=Search-www.denverpost.com-www.denverpost.com

[3] http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/02/27/colo-transgender-girl-cant-use-girls-bathroom-at-school-parents-file-complaint/

[4] http://abcnews.go.com/Health/colorado-transgender-girl-banned-grade-school-bathroom/story?id=18607443&page=2

[5] http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/28/us/colorado-transgender-girl-school/index.html

[6] http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/world/transgender-child-coy-mathis-banned-from-using-the-girls-bathroom-at-colorado-school/story-fnddckzi-1226587491318

[7] cigender: a term used to describe people who, for the most part, identify as the gender they were assigned at birth.

[8] http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/28/opinion/rose-coy-transgender-children/index.html

[9] http://www.gazette.com/articles/transgender-151539-girl-year.html

[10] http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_22684170/transgender-1st-grader-must-wait-ruling-use-school?IADID=Search-www.denverpost.com-www.denverpost.com

Careful Attention to Detail

            On February 5, Fox’s own Suzanne Venker published an online article titled “To be happy, we must admit women and men aren't 'equal'”.[1] While a writer and social critic, Suzanne is best known for her role as a “dedicated family woman”. This role as mother and wife has certainly influenced her writing. According to Venker herself, “[women] are happiest and most satisfied when they reject the feminist creed and embrace their femininity.” Some of her works include How to Choose a Husband (And Make Peace With Marriage), The War on Men, The Flipside of Feminism, and 7 Myths of Working Mothers. Many of her works are no stranger to controversy and criticism, so it is no surprise that a recent piece, “To be happy, we must admit women and men aren't 'equal'” stirred up quite a buzz.

            Although, this time the criticism wasn’t so much about the concept as it was the presentation. In Venker’s article, she critiques aspects of feminism and the feminist movement as well as emphasizes the importance of marriage, specifically heterosexual marriage. This view alone is substantial to create online chaos. Amusingly, to accompany her utterly closed-minded argument about heterosexual marriage and heteronormativity, Venker included a picture of a lesbian couple.

The shrewd woman who first noticed this mistake was feminist author and blogger Jessica Valenti. Valenti first posted about Fox’s mishap on her blog saying:

Shhhh…no one tell Fox News that the “wedding kiss” picture they’re using to accompany a piece about traditional gender roles is actually of a same sex couple. (MADE MY DAY)[2]

Valenti’s post helped spread this key detail throughout the news and blogosphere. The story caught like wildfire spreading from sites like the Alaska Dispatch and the Huffington Post, to mommy and feminist blogs and of course, Gawker. The subject material, being so controversial in and of itself, paired with a depiction of a homosexual couple is a time bomb waiting to explode. Many sites took advantage of the chance to point out Fox’s lack of reliability and inattention to detail.

At first look, the photo could be easily perceived as a man and woman rather than two women. This is even more evident seeing that it took 3 whole days to notice the distinction. But this cannot suffice as an excuse for Fox News. The photo used was no regular photo. In fact, the picture is of the couple on their wedding day. Lela McArthur and Stephanie Figarelle were the first same-sex couple to tie the knot at the top of the Empire State Building, soon after New York legalized gay marriage. 

Whereas, Venker’s usual reactions are analytical, most sites that responded didn’t take her post nor her picture to accompany her post very seriously. Gawker stated, “Of course, she's talking about her belief that women should stop trying to compete with men and just give in to the fact that they were put on earth to be a wife and mother and nothing more. But looking at the photo of Stephanie Figarelle and Lela McArthur lovingly sharing their first kiss as a legally married couple, you can't help but smile.”[3] MSN stated, “Come on Fox, everyone knows if you're going to be lazy and pick a photo that totally undermines your story, you have to pick something a little more obscure.”[4] It is also interesting to note that no comments are allowed on Venker’s post. Again, this cannot be simply because Venker is a controversial writer, as one of her other pieces published on Fox News “Four things Jane Austen teaches us about love” has commenting capabilities. Seeing how abundant the reactions were without any commentary available, I can only imagine what it would be like with it. 

Fox’s photo mishap reflects poorly on their validity and reliability as a news source. The story was on spread to a vast amount of sites, each directed toward different audiences. For people who were never skeptical of Venker’s writing or Fox News may now be questioning their reasoning and for all who already have preconceived notions of Fox’s validity and reliability are just reinforced. On the other hand, the argument can be made that the reaction to this picture incident was similar to a publicity stunt. Regardless of the fact that Fox is being portrayed in a “bad light”, people are indeed talking about, analyzing and criticizing Fox, nevertheless increasing their exposure.

While the blogosphere was quick to catch this incident, Fox was just as quick to remove it. What now remains are two “restroom-esque” figures of a man and a woman. Overall, the damage is done and the picture replacement does not validate nor improve the original story.

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[1] http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/02/05/to-be-happy-must-admit-women-and-men-arent-equal/

[2] http://jessicavalenti.tumblr.com/

[3] http://gawker.com/5982945/fox-news-accidentally-uses-photo-of-same+sex-couple-to-illustrate-article-about-the-importance-of-heterosexual-marriage

[4] http://now.msn.com/fox-news-uses-photo-of-lela-mcarthur-and-stephanie-figarelle-wedding-in-pro-heterosexual-article

LIAR LIAR

In his article, “Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire” Errol Morris says:

But photographs are neither true nor false in and of themselves. They are only true or false with respect to statements that we make about them or the questions that we might ask of them.

Morris began his article refuting an old saying “a picture is worth 1,000 words”. I was quite skeptical of this statement seeing that I never question the validity of the phrase; I had always accepted it to be true.

Morris then presented a black and white image of a dated ship. I then started to understand what he meant because if I had to write a 1,000 word essay on that boat I would definitely be pulling my hair out after 200. Some pictures are worth 1,000 words but Morris proves some are not.

He also states:

All alone — shorn of context, without captions — a photograph is neither true nor false.

When Morris gave a storyline (context) to the picture of the Lustiana, I immediately understood what he meant by a picture means nothing without context. I immediately formed the black and white image of the Lustiana from bland to sad and depressing. After all, now knowing the context, this picture depicts a ship that tragically drowned taking thousands of people with it. 

The above image a normal 1^st grade picture right? What makes this picture important? Is it my 1^st grade class photo? How do you know?

Doesn’t the kid in the second row, second from the left look innocent? Normal? Does anything about him seem murderous?

Without a caption, it would be hard to know just what to think of this photo.

The child in the white turtleneck is actually Adam Lanza. Now I don’t need to go into much detail but Adam Lanza is now infamous for his part in killing 27 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School, 28 including his mother, which he killed at home.

Maybe upon first look you though the image was sweet, or maybe it gave you memories of your own childhood picture days.

Regardless, it is without a doubt that most of you will now think differently of the picture above given the context. This proves Morris’s assumption that a picture is nothing without context.  

✌out

photo credit to PBS's Frontline 
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/social-issues/raising-adam-lanza/slideshow-adam-lanzas-path-to-the-sandy-hook-tragedy/