Why It’s Best to Avoid the Word ‘Transgendered’

[Marcellow]

Why It's Best to Avoid the Word 'Transgendered'
Source: http://time.com/3630965/transgender-transgendered/
Author: Katy Steinmetz
Posted: Dec 15th, 2014

"Last week, Sen. Jeff Merkley announced that he will be introducing a comprehensive LGBT non-discrimination bill in the spring, which means, among other things, that a lot of lawmakers and media outlets are going to be making decisions about how they talk about LGBT people."

[suzifrommd]

While I agree with everything the article says, I still have an uncomfortable feeling about policing people's language. Some people find it very taxing to change their speech patterns. I prefer to find other ways of getting people to change their attitudes unless there is a serious problem (using the t-word) for example.

[PPatrice]

Hhmmm....I've been away from the scene for quite a long time, but I'm assuming that the expression "transgender" remains an umbrella term which can/does take in a lot of territory, so much so that I'm inclined to think it's usage can be quite confusing to a lot of folks.  I'm equally inclined to think that if one means transsexual/intersex/->-bleeped-<-/et.al then one could express themselves with the appropriate term, rather than burdening the recipient(s) with a much more vague term whose precise meaning must be teased out.  I'm inclined to think that not everyone loves a mystery, good or not.

If it's necessary for me to use a self-descriptor, I prefer the term transsexual (preceded with the adjective "post-operative").

[Dee Marshall]

As I understand the article it's about the media policing their speech in articles and reports, not individuals. In that case it's totally appropriate. They have time to get it right and those articles are the model others turn to. If people are going to get it right consistently, this is how it will happen.

[JulieL]

I think the original headline is a little misleading. They're just arguing against the use of "transgenderED", not "transgender".

"The consensus now seems to be that transgender is better stylistically and grammatically," DiEdoardo says. "In the same sense, I'm an Italian-American, not an Italianed-American." The most common objection to the word, says Serano, is that the "ed" makes it sound like "something has been done to us," as if they weren't the same person all along.

[Steph34]

I think the original headline is a little misleading. They're just arguing against the use of "transgenderED", not "transgender".

The addition of the suffix "ed" is indeed derogatory, but that is not what the article is about. The article, unfortunately, seems to use the two terms interchangeably. What they are arguing against is the use of the term as a noun, saying that it should be used as an adjective and followed by something else about the person, so that the person is not defined solely by being transgender. I agree with the article's perspective as it applies to the media, because I think it would promote better comprehension and a more open mind if adopted as a policy. However, the right terminology to use in personal encounters should be based on people's feelings; a term should be avoided only if it is likely to offend.