JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND
Have I Been "Hate Crime"-ed By The New York Times?
http://justinbond.com/?p=1347 I woke up on Christmas Day with more than a lump of coal in my stocking. No, instead it was an offensive, transphobic review from the paper of note's increasingly out of touch music critic Stephen Holden:
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I never called myself a freak during the show but with his twisted worldview Mr. Holden translated my observations about the "nature vs. nurture" argument and my open and direct discussion of my life as a transperson and my queer identity as "self-described freakishness". I do not have a problem with the use of the word "freak" but when it is used as a tool to pave the way for a blatantly transphobic personal attack cloaked as a "critique" it gives me pause.
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THEATER: Justin Bond Blasts "New York Times" Critic For Being Transphobic
http://www.queerty.com/theater-justin-bond-blasts-new-york-times-critic-for-being-transphobic-20130103/ Gender-nonconforming cabaret star Justin Vivian Bond, who prefers the pronoun "v", isn't thrilled with New York Times critic Stephen Holden, who reviewed Bond's recent holiday show, Snow Angel.
In a scathing post on v's blog, Bond contemplates the writeup as a possible "hate crime," because of Holden's use of transphobic language—including the phrase "his/her self-described freakishness."
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Among other slights: The Times review assumes Bond's brilliant hair is a wig (it isn't), suggests Bond sounds best "when I sing like 'a man,'" and describes v as a campy drag send-up of Kim Novak. "There is a difference between being a drag queen and being a transgender cabaret performer," Bond clarifies.
While Holden's review is positive overall, Bond's umbrage stems in how, just below the surface, it's really a critique of v's trans identity more than the show itself.