Once again the 'T' in LGBT is silenced
The case of the jailed Malawian 'gay' couple is all the worse as one partner has had her transgender identity airbrushed out
o Natacha Kennedy
o
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 22 May 2010 16.00 BST
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/may/22/malawian-transgender-identityIt was bad enough to have the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia called "Idaho". But leaving aside concerns as to why the organisers of the event would want it to sound like a D-day landing beach, the idea that the "T" should be silent is hugely symbolic. A much better acronym would have been Idath, but that would have meant putting transphobia in front of homophobia. The organisers must have decided that trans people were not important enough.
Following this trend, the tragedy of the Malawian couple sentenced to 14 years imprisonment with hard labour simply for loving each other, is now framed as a "gay rights" issue. However, the appalling case of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga has demonstrated just how silent the T has been rendered - and indeed the possibility that there might also be an I (for intersex) not even considered.
