Right now, I mostly listen to David Bowie, and I'm pretty sure he's not transphobic. You never know though, I guess.
And is anybody else bothered by some of the "It gets better" project things made by celebrities that leave out "transgender"?
...It's so much fun to be a minority out of a minority. But then again, there are transphobic gay/bi people so, guess I shouldn't be surprised.
As for the first part, I'd definetely try to stop listening to them based on principle, same as if I found out a band was homophobic or racist or anti-semetic (spl?) or something.
As for the second part, not to discount what you're saying, cause honestly it's hard to know one way or the other when there's a lack of presence, but it remnds me of something my therapist said to me recently. I made a comment to her about being a minority within a minority at a GLBT meeting since I was the only trans person (as far as I know) there; her response was that it may not be so much that we are a minority within a minority but that many trans people desire to live completely stealth after transitioning and don't end up being a big part of the GLBT community any more unless they identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Assuming that that's a possibility I wonder how many people either don't choose to be a part of the "It Gets Better" vids because they choose to live stealth or aren't known or whatever. This is obviously all conjecture cause I have only the very basic knowledge of the project :P Lol, so basically I have no idea if trans people are not included by exclusion or choice, but it just made me think of that whole thing with my therapist, food for thought or something like that :)
No to both questions.
If there's a song I like, I will listen to it. I don't even know the names of people who are in bands I like, that's how much I don't care.
If a band I liked was homo/transphobic I wouldn't really care, but if they went out of their way to launch or be part of like the anti-trans: let's-bash-them-in-the-face project then it would be a harder decision.
^ same
Half the time, I can't even name songs I like by my favorite bands, and I pretty much never know the name of anybody unless I specifically decide to search for more of a certain person's work.
I've never paid attention to the "it gets better" projects, so that doesn't bother me.
I generally don't listen to the actual lyrics of a song. Instead, I listen to the way the song sounds overall, with the vocals being just another instrument. Sometimes I'll look up the lyrics just because I feel like knowing them, but most of the time, I have no idea what's being sung about.
If I find out my favorite musicians/bands are openly bashing anyone, then I'll keep listening to their music; I just won't give them any money for it! >:-)
David Bowie, transphobic? Have you seen him at all? I'm not just talking about the androgyny of Ziggy Stardust; he's actually gone further than that, wearing dresses not even in drag-fashion but just as if it were his everyday attire. This is the guy who wrote a song that goes, "Got your mother in a whirl cause she's not sure if you're a boy or a girl." This guy specializes in the strange and queer. I'm pretty sure you have nothing to fear.
I'm never moved by the personal opinions of authors, musicians, or any other entertainers; if their material is good, that's all I care about. Look at Orson Scott Card. He wrote Ender's Game, a book I've loved since I was nine. It turns out, he's got some pretty screwy ideas about certain things, but that's not going to stop me from enjoying his fiction.
I guess my favorite artists right at the moment are Bowie and Lou Reed, and I also know Reed is not transphobic; case in point, he used to date a trans woman, and wrote a song called "Walk on the Wild Side" back in the '70s introducing subjects like that to the mainstream. So I guess that knowledge is just an added bonus as to why I like him. But it doesn't influence me to like or dislike his music one way or the other.
Funny this is mentioned. I've loved the smashing pumpkins for over 15 years and there is a story that recently came out about Billy Corgan saying transphobic stuff against a transwoman who said some negative things about him on a Smashing Pumpkins messageboard. You can google it if you're interested in the story behind it and stuff. The woman also made a youtube response video as well. I have not stopped listening to the smashing pumpkins. I don't agree with how Billy handled the situation, but I have not stopped liking the band. There are also 3 other memebers of the band. (well, the band that existed between 1991-2000. Before the reunion)...
No I don't have to like the band as people to like their music.
yes... well no wouldnt. of course i would want to based on principle. however when i think about it i didnt stop watching glee when i realized it was a transphobic show created by a transphobic man.
Yes, I would stop listening to a band that was trans or gay phobic.
However, I'm not bothered by "it gets better" vids that leave out trans people, because it's still at least helping gays. just because it doesn't mention trans people doesn't mean that they are against trans people.
No. Simply no. Seriously if I stopped listening to every band that might have _something_ against me I probably wouldn't have much left to listen to.
What's next? Stop buying food because the people at the factory or whatever is a bigot in private?
If they were actually campaigning against transpeople or something however, then yes, I would stop listening to them. Same if it's actually in the lyrics, obviously.
Generally I don't want to know anything about the artists I listen to. I want to enjoy the music, and that's all.
My fav band isn't so I guess I don't have the problem :P
My favorite bands and musicians are pretty much all dead (literally, as opposed to being in the Dead, well except Jerry, he's both), so it's really not much of an issue.
No, I wouldn't. Though I would be deeply disappointed and hurt by it. But I love their music regardless of their views so I would continue listening. Thankfully I can't see them being transphobic at all.
If people I have respect for (because, for example, I like their music) turn out to be transphobic, I'd call 'em out on it. That way, there's the chance they'd end up not transphobic.
As for the "it gets better" thing, I've noticed lately that most organisations and projects that are glibly dubbed as "LGBT" are in fact just LG with a hint of B. It's just become automatic to say LGBT and people don't think about what it means (it reminds me of hearing someone interviewing Nelson Mandela and getting into a muddle over automatically calling him an "African American" :)). So I'm happy with "it gets better" supporting kids with diverse sexual orientations, whilst wishing there was more of that support for kids with diverse gender identity/expression issues too - and wishing people didn't just go blah blah LGBT and then leave us T's disappointed when "the T is silent."
It depends... If they say something really horrible, I'd probably feel disgusted listening to their music. I tend to like more open-minded bands (that I know of), so I don't think I would have this problem.
Quote from: darrin.scott on September 15, 2011, 08:59:26 PM
Funny this is mentioned. I've loved the smashing pumpkins for over 15 years and there is a story that recently came out about Billy Corgan saying transphobic stuff against a transwoman who said some negative things about him on a Smashing Pumpkins messageboard. You can google it if you're interested in the story behind it and stuff. The woman also made a youtube response video as well. I have not stopped listening to the smashing pumpkins. I don't agree with how Billy handled the situation, but I have not stopped liking the band. There are also 3 other memebers of the band. (well, the band that existed between 1991-2000. Before the reunion)...
Ugh, well to the questrion, I definitely wouldn't start listening to them.
Also I used to like this song but it had a few homophobic slurs and I tried to like it but I was too uncomfortable listening to it.
If they made songs with truly terrible messages, I would stop listening to them. If they acted transphobic in person I would never know about it and thusly keep listening to them. Most of the bands I like have split up, or become pretty lousy (Bauhaus, I'm looking at you!).
yes and no but manly no,
to me music is music and I like to hear what I wanna hear, its rarely my felling that I got a special opinion to the person who made it cause mostly I dont care so much, only if I feel offended and bad about it I would stop listening to it, but if not then I dont mind.
I have heard songs people could somehow find homophobic or transphobic, and listed to people I did consider being so as well, but if I dont feel bothered about it then I wont stop listen to it.
I must say there is 2 kinds of the view one of to directly HATE some people or looking down at them, the other is to be "joking"
the second one is a middle line where people can feel offended or not, and where people might offence your without really wanting to or maybe they mean it, you cant really be sure.
ex there is a song in my country who seam pretty homopobia called "all gays guys blood are pink"
but in the video they sing "everyone who dances are gay!" while they dance themself.
however,
I must say if someone where trans/homopobic rasist or anything I found very wrong in the way of not just putting few statement who could be seen as rasict or homopobia/transhobia and so on, but it where so I clearly felt offended.
then I wouldnt suport them the same way as if they had been someone I didnt felt offended about,
I wouldnt use money to bye there music only listen to it on the net,
I wouldnt go to there concerts, or go into them as members of the band, all this kind of stuff,
While it's often true that groupsglibly dubbed as "LGBT" are in fact just LG, the question is 'why is that'? The real reason that the"the T is silent" in most places is true, is not out of intent, but due to lack of participation. Between the stealth deal and the constant shouting that "I'm no homo' from many of our members that often verges on outright homophobia its' obvious that a significant segment of our population has made sure the T is silent by default.
Like everyone else was saying, I don't think I pay attention enough. I like what I like. I couldn't just stop listening to something I like.
You can like the music without liking the actual singer, etc.
It's like.. I'm an Atheist but there are some Christian bands that are actually pretty good, so I still listen to them.
A part of me gets weary whenever transgender and intersex is simply tacked onto gay and lesbian rights - as if gender identity has anything to do with sexual orientation.
Anyway, to answer the question, no. A number of artists who are great singers are lousy individuals, and are probably a disappointment to interact with in real life.
I'd probly start stealing their music, to be a dick.
A number of artists who are great singers are lousy individuals, and are probably a disappointment to interact with in real life.
It's some rule somewhere that you should never meet your idols.
Hell to the F no. I would lose respect for them as a person but I still like the music and couldn't stop listening.
So you wouldn't 'respect' them, but you'd still help them get rich? Awe, that would break their little rock star hearts I'm sure.
I don't want to meet my idols.
I pay no attention to bands apart from their music, I couldn't even name every member of Iron Maiden or Metallica so wouldnt have a clue about their views.
That said, if I found out that a band was promoting hatred towards Transgendered people then I would stop buying any new albums that they released, would you pay your hard earned money to someone who would revel in your demise?
I would however keep listening to any albums I already owned as not listening to them would be like cutting my nose off in spite of my face. This probably means that i'm a hypocrite (something I try to avoid) but I can't see myself having a black & white answer to this question.
Sometimes it's hard. Buju Banton was the one that got me. Loved some of his songs but then he came out with all that shoot batty boys in the head stuff.
It would really depend on the level of transphobia, and how much I felt it related to the music itself. If it was something particularly awful, it might give me too much of a negative association with the music, and I'd certainly be put off supporting them monetarily... but overall? Probably not.
I expect that, if pressed, many of the members of bands I listen to would have somewhat transphobic opinions, since transphobia is so depressingly common and accepted. Especially since I listen to a lot of older bands with older members. But, again, it probably wouldn't make me stop listening to their music unless they clearly had a bee in their bonnet about trans people and went out of their way to try and make things worse for us.
I mean, at least half the artists I listen to have already said other things that offend me or that I at least find stupid. I'm usually able to separate that from their music in a "Love the art, not the artist" sort of way. I'd love to only be able to listen to music produced by people whose views never offended me, but unfortunately that would be limiting myself to a pretty small list... and probably ever shrinking, as I expect some of the people who haven't offended me yet have just been better at keeping their mouths shut.
I want to stick pins in my idols ;D.