There is a program on ITV in the UK that is having two people on, who are now married to each other. They have both changed their gender (from HRT to SRS).

Why then do TV channels and others such as news papers always say "they've had sex change surgery"?

The presenter said "later we have two people on, who were born in the wrong body, who had sex change surgery"

It really gets to me when, that is all that is said, and nothing about the HRT that they had to take to change their gender (the body).

The millions of viewers who will be watching that, this morning (who don't no anything about, gender change) are going to think "oh, all they of had done is their "bits" made to look like the other sex"

If you look at them both, you would not even know that one use to be a man and the other a woman.

QuoteWhy then do TV channels and others such as news papers always say "they've had sex change surgery"?

...

The millions of viewers who will be watching that, this morning (who don't no anything about, gender change) are going to think "oh, all they of had done is their "bits" made to look like the other sex"

Well, yes this is true. They do it because the "average" viewer's attention span is about 10 seconds. If one wants the public to watch their show, they have to say something QUICK in order to "hook" their attention, otherwise they'll just channel-surf to another channel.

Sad, but true. And "they had sex change surgery" is a LOT more grab-worthy than "they took 2 years of pills, 1 one of therapy, 1 year of Real Life Experience, had several body modifications, including modifying their genitalia to be more appropriate to their gender, then they spent a year coming out to their families, their jobs, the courts; and finally figured out the bra size that actually fits the woman!"

So yeah, we know what's involved, and we hope that since they do have to use a quickie-hook to GET viewers, that they'll use their hour or so of showtime to actually mention most of the other things...

I tend to think it's because TV types seem to believe that most people want to have sex included whenever possible.

Gender somehow doesn't quite have the same effect it seems.

I heard one commentator recently making the comment , 'It's not as if they've found a Gay gene!'.

I wanted to screem at the TV that 'they' haven't found a straight gene either. But it's TV. Not as if it matters.

It's simple. The media are all on some sort of power trip at the moment and ratings means much more than raising public awareness when you have advertisers and sponsors to think about.

Sex change is inflammatory because you have people on NHS waiting lists and many assume that you can just saunter down to your local GP and get a sex change on the NHS.

It couldn't be further from the truth. Especially nowadays when getting an appointment to see your GP in the same week is a challenge for most people.

Those are really good point Stella.

This bothers me too. The media makes no effort to educate themselves on what gender transition really involves.

The problem is that the public believes what it sees on TV, so people feel like they are educated about transgender when they really don't know squat and most of what they "know" is inaccurate.

The phrase "change their gender" is misleading too. Maybe I'm the only one bugged by that though. We're not changing our genders. We're changing our bodies to match the genders we already are.

Quote from: Edge on April 26, 2013, 08:58:14 AM
The phrase "change their gender" is misleading too. Maybe I'm the only one bugged by that though. We're not changing our genders. We're changing our bodies to match the genders we already are.

Yes.

Probably arrives from a confusion between gender and physiological sex.

Since they're the same for most people, they don't understand the difference.

Quote from: suzifrommd on April 26, 2013, 08:21:28 AM
This bothers me too. The media makes no effort to educate themselves on what gender transition really involves.
The problem is that the public believes what it sees on TV, so people feel like they are educated about transgender when they really don't know squat and most of what they "know" is inaccurate.

Of course they don't bother. Their job--what they get paid to do--is not self-education. They are paid to present as intelligent, reasonabl, "Joe/Jane next door" so that viewers trust what they're saying.

The editors get paid to take the raw footage and piece together enough drama (from wherever it maybe found), in order to keep the viewer entertained...being informed is not the intent, although if it is a show that purports to present "a fair and balanced" version, it will merely withhold open criticism.

The producer is paid to make sure everyone does their job, and in toto make money for the company (usually from advertising, but even public TV has to persuade Those Who Control The Purse. And if they show what the investors/government doesn't want shown...they lose funding.

Simple as that. No conspiracy, no "Star Chamber", etc. Obviously the potential is there, but that's beyond this forum.

Feel free to rent out a room and give a presentation correcting the TV show...or even stand on a street corner, pointing out the errors. I guarantee you'll learn what I did when I did that...it takes a LOT of skill, from several people working as a team, to get the public to pay more than scant attention.

Yeah, I have to say, it also strikes a nerve with me when stories about transition do not mention HRT. Because, well, I only found out about it myself about 4 months ago, because none of the stories about transsexual individuals that I grew up with mentioned it either. So before I finally stumbled on the information about it, I had always assumed that SRS was the only part of transition, and that all of the feminine shapes and looks came from various surgeries like FFS and breast implants. I didn't know it was possible to really get the smooth skin and the soft feminine appearance and the lack of body hair from a few little stupid pills. Had I known that, I would have transitioned a LONG time ago. So yeah, I really do wish that HRT and its effects would become more public knowledge.

At least they are talking about it on television and the news.  Its on peoples mind, I don't expect a news story to cover every aspect of transition.

And with each passing year it will be covered more and in more detail.  With the internet "anyone" who is interested can find all the information they need about transition.

Be happy for that.

QuoteI guarantee you'll learn what I did when I did that...it takes a LOT of skill, from several people working as a team, to get the public to pay more than scant attention.

Oh, the irony is delicious...my own informative and educational posts are ignored, while the appeals to emotion are repeated over and over...

I rest my case, LOL!

Quote from: Sarah Louise on April 26, 2013, 10:47:53 AM
At least they are talking about it on television and the news.  Its on peoples mind, I don't expect a news story to cover every aspect of transition.

And with each passing year it will be covered more and in more detail.  With the internet "anyone" who is interested can find all the information they need about transition.

Be happy for that.

I agree with this.  The more coverage, at least presented in a positive or neutral manner, the better.  People really are ignorant and their perceptions of the trans community can be effected by simple things like watching a story.  While they may not learn every aspect about being trans, at least they will see that we are normal people who just want to live their lives.  That is a good thing in my book. 

And as for the reporters, they themselves are unlikely to know everything that is involved. 

Quote from: Beth Andrea on April 26, 2013, 09:16:48 AM

Feel free to rent out a room and give a presentation correcting the TV show...or even stand on a street corner, pointing out the errors. I guarantee you'll learn what I did when I did that...it takes a LOT of skill, from several people working as a team, to get the public to pay more than scant attention.

I'm sorry but I have to disagree here on the basis of twenty years experience as a theatre director and having had contact with the media including television.

Money talks, just like anywhere else and if you throw enough money around at people you soon find enough people willing to run around after you. That's the only power television has - money.

It's got nothing to do with skill, at least not when you compare it to other forms such as theatre and the motion picture industry where it takes a bit more than skill to put a production together because the people in both theatre and films make their living by getting enough bums on seats.

This is why so few actors who feature on television such as soap operas never really make it on the stage or in the movies.

I guess I never seemed offended by it... Even after figuring out I'm trans. Sex change is just the basic way to say these people are trans and they went about changing their gender and so forth. I don't see a whole lot of it myself, but I wouldn't find it offensive. Maybe it's just me, but I feel "sex change" is technically what we're doing. The rest is medical terms and the likes.

Quote from: Jerred1985 on April 26, 2013, 02:53:04 PM
I guess I never seemed offended by it... Even after figuring out I'm trans. Sex change is just the basic way to say these people are trans and they went about changing their gender and so forth. I don't see a whole lot of it myself, but I wouldn't find it offensive. Maybe it's just me, but I feel "sex change" is technically what we're doing. The rest is medical terms and the likes.

Flicking through the TV channels, I found a program on Home and Health, billed as: Transgendered and Pregnant.

The intro claims that, two people, as a result of taking transgender hormones are now pregnant.

There's more but it doesn't get any better.

I was about to drift off into a mental fit of self righteous indignation when I thought of your post.

Then I laughed.

It is funny. Very funny. And frankly, if they want to say things like that then who cares? 

Quote from: Carrie Liz on April 26, 2013, 10:40:12 AM
Yeah, I have to say, it also strikes a nerve with me when stories about transition do not mention HRT. Because, well, I only found out about it myself about 4 months ago, because none of the stories about transsexual individuals that I grew up with mentioned it either. So before I finally stumbled on the information about it, I had always assumed that SRS was the only part of transition, and that all of the feminine shapes and looks came from various surgeries like FFS and breast implants. I didn't know it was possible to really get the smooth skin and the soft feminine appearance and the lack of body hair from a few little stupid pills. Had I known that, I would have transitioned a LONG time ago. So yeah, I really do wish that HRT and its effects would become more public knowledge.

Me too. No idea about hormones and there was no way I could pass without them. I just assumed transition meant getting a penis sewn on or something and since I wasn't interested in that...