Gives Good Headline: How the Media Loves Its Sex Changes II

[Hazumu]

The below pull-out refers to the media presentation of the murder of Taysia Elzy a transgender woman, and her boyfriend Michael Hunt.  Station WHTR used incorrect pronouns and birth name to identify Ms Elzy, and portrayed her in an offensive manner. =K

In response, reporter Steve Jefferson has stated that "Our goal is to catch the killer- NOT promote your cause" ... which presumes a little bit about the role and effectiveness of the media, and raises a question about how using a name that the victim didn't use is supposed to help jump-start potential informants' sense of recall (it also begs the question about why asking for respect and fairness is a "suspicious agenda").  No, it's not about promoting a cause — it's improper to co-opt someone's life that way — but for Jefferson, it's clearly become a case of refusing to acknowledge that a need to transition has any basis in reality (not to mention refusing to respect the victim period), more than it is about reporting facts (i.e. how the victim lived) or encouraging people with information to come forward (about the world surrounding a person they actually knew, rather than some obscure moniker they were probably unfamiliar with).