NYT Ethicist's dangerous advice on outing "transgendered" people

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NYT Ethicist's dangerous advice on outing "transgendered" people
Feministing
By Jos
12 July, 2010


http://www.feministing.com/archives/021807.html 🔗


Sunday's The Ethicist, an advice column by Randy Cohen in the New York Times, addressed a question from a woman who found out the man she was dating was transgender. The questioner asks if she should out this man to her entire community.

A responsible, informed answer to this question would address how dangerous, not to mention invasive and just plain unethical, publicly outing a trans person is. It would point out that thinking a trans man has to be outed delegitimizes his identity and paints him as a deceptive sexual predator simply by virtue of his trans status. A good answer would explain why some trans folks choose not to reveal their transition status to sexual partners, addressing the "trans panic" defense for violence against trans folks and the problematic notion that being trans and not saying so publicly is "dishonest." It would talk about the number of trans folks killed every year because of their gender identity and explain that exposing someone to this potential violence because you are uncomfortable with their gender history is completely unacceptable.