Mediaworks pulling "the boy" Top Model ads
Posted in: New Zealand Daily News
By GayNZ.com Daily News staff - 8th February 2012
http://www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/2/article_11373.php (http://www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/2/article_11373.php)
An ad campaign which labels transgender America's Next Top Model contestant Isis "the boy" is being removed, after complaints it's offensive to the transgender community.
"The Top Model ad campaign is certainly not intended to be offensive, nor controversial, and we apologise for any offense it has caused," says a statement from Mediaworks, Four's owner.
[...]
"We have, however, received feedback over the past few days that the tagline 'The Boy is back' used on the posters featuring Isis is offensive to the transgender community, and in response have already taken steps to have the posters in question removed.
I can actually uderstand both the ad-creators use of "boy" aswell as the opposers to it.
The problem with things like this, are that the opinions on the usage of some expressions are so divided even within the Community and while I can indeed understand why some, even many, trans-persons finds the ad offensive, fact remains that many others wouldn't.
For instance, consider the Hip Hop transgirl Sidney Starr and her choise of words when she revealed herself;
Sidney Starr Hip Hop ->-bleeped-<- Goes On Maury To Reveal "Born Man Or Woman"! (Reactions From The Crowd) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYjqtWD_0ds#)