Responses to some letters to The Post-Standard

[Natasha]

Responses to some letters to The Post-Standard

http://www.syracuse.com/opinion/index.ssf?/base/opinion-3/1227347893291590.xml&coll=1
11/23/2008

I am writing in regards to your Nov. 17 article entitled, "Gender motive in death, cops say." The subtitle is "Dwight DeLee is accused of killing Moses Cannon, 22, who was a transsexual." This acknowledgement of her gender expression was relieving, as most news reports before this had described the motive of the killing as her sexual preference only. Unfortunately, throughout the article, you chose to ignore her identity by referring to her as "him" and "he." Why, if her family and friends quoted refer to Teish in feminine terms, do you insist on invalidating who she was by only using her chosen name in quotations, as if it is a "street name" or criminal alias, and insist on continuing your use of male pronouns?