Dos and Don’ts of Trashy Trans Reporting

This is a review of the way a single story is handled by two diffident tabloid newspapers. The sensationalistic reporting style is so starkly different that I thought it would make an exceptional case study for the dos & don’ts of trans reporting (even when it’s tabloid reporting).

DO – From the New York Daily News:

 

Do keep the focus on the criminal, not his victim
Do keep the focus of the mockery on the criminal and not on his victim

A hulking ex-firefighter accused of violently attacking his transgender ex-girlfriend walked away Monday with a jail-free sentence for the 2011 melee.

In December, Taylor Murphy, 29, was acquitted of felony strangulation and witness tampering charges, but was convicted of misdemeanor criminal mischief and assault, and felony criminal contempt for violating an order of protection when he contacted Claudia Charriez more than 1,000 times after the blow-out.

– Read more here

DON’T – From the New York Post:

 

Don't glamorize the criminal while mocking his victim
Don’t glamorize the criminal while mocking his victim

A beefy FDNY calendar boy with a weakness for glamorous transsexual strippers was sentenced to five years probation today for assaulting and then continuing to compulsively contact one of his exotic she-male exes.

Taylor Murphy, 29, had last come to court with a towering replacement transsexual stripper on his arm, but arrived at court today with a pretty, biological gal-pal at his side instead — a platonic, childhood sweetheart, his lawyer explained.

– Read more here

One tabloid is run by the same guy who runs FOX News and the other is a tabloid run by the same guy who runs The Atlantic. Can you tell which one is which?

So, in summery: A.) don’t be a douche; and, B.) GLAAD Media Guide, even tabloids can use it!

 

Cristan Williams is a trans historian and pioneer in addressing the practical needs of underserved communities. She started the first trans homeless shelter in Texas and co-founded the first federally funded housing-first homeless program, pioneered affordable health care for trans people in the Houston area, won the right for trans people to change their gender on Texas ID prior to surgery, started numerous trans social service programs and founded the Transgender Center as well as the Transgender Archives. She has published short stories, academic chapters and papers, and numerous articles for both print and digital magazines. She received numerous awards for her advocacy and has presented at universities throughout the nation, served on several governmental committees and CBO boards, is the Editor of the TransAdvocate, and is a founding board member of the Transgender Foundation of America and the Bee Busy Wellness Center.