Sensitivity to diversity and research necessary, but lacking, in 'Rant'
Meg Krisanda
Published: Saturday, January 31, 2009
Updated: Sunday, February 1, 2009
http://www.wilkesbeacon.com/opinion/your_voices-1.1319945This letter to the editor is written in response to Tim Seigfried's 'Angry Rant' column of 1/24/09 and therefore addresses the columnist directly.
Dear Mr. Seigfried:
To answer the first question you posed in your article referring to the "pregnant man" story, "Why did the major news organizations in the country decide to call a female-who had some "refinements"-a man?
Answer: Because Thomas Beatie is a male, period. Yes, he has the reproductive organs of a female and is able to bear a child but he is one of the many people who identify as transgender. Do you need a minute to look it up? The media is doing what the media does best, making a spectacle out of something that is different instead of properly educating the public. And your rant is not helping.
Research. Research. Research. That is what's missing here. I understand it's an opinion piece and it's your spot to rant and rave about what ticks you off, but this topic is something I argue you know very little about. Do me a favor and read "Becoming A Visible Man" by Jamison Green or "Both Sides Now" by Dhillon Khosla, or pick up a Sociology 101 book and turn to the chapter about gender and sex.
