Does a Gay Shirt Ignore the T in LGBT?
Some activists say that a transgender model wearing a pro-gay shirt is another example of transsexual erasure.
BY Michelle Garcia
July 12 2012 4:27 PM ET
http://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2012/07/12/activists-say-gay-shirt-american-apparel-ignores-t-lgbtA small grassroots volunteer organization aiming to educate people on trans rights and issues says a campaign featuring a transgender model is actually helping erase transsexual visibility.
Leaders of MAGNET, or Media Advocates Giving National Equality to Transgender & Transsexual People, are boycotting a campaign from American Apparel and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, asking both to reconsider the message their new T-shirts send.
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"I think it's absurd and ridiculous to think that I would misrepresent my sexual orientation," she says. "The T-shirt doesn't say I am personally gay. This shirt simply says gay is O.K., meaning that I — as an ally and a public figure — am telling other people that there is nothing wrong with gay people. I'm not misinformed and I know who I am. This design empowers my friends in the gay community, and I'd like to see more allies wear this shirt."