tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23011476.post2243738766311442600..comments2023-09-27T19:09:01.306+00:00Comments on so long as it's black...: A question of style, a question of rightsClarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16379030619471592492noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23011476.post-16297752937689057762009-09-19T11:54:43.574+00:002009-09-19T11:54:43.574+00:00I generally don't bother quibbling over headli...I generally don't bother quibbling over headlines. The fact of the matter is that they are often not representative of the story, not written by the same person, and a styled purely to grab attention. <br /><br />And honestly that isn't what bothers me here. <br /><br />What bothers me here is the story itself contradicts both best practice and plain decency in it's reference to a boy.<br /><br />Somebody who lives as a girl should be referred too as a girl. To refuse to denies her the power to define herself. <br /><br />This isn't about clarity. You can change sentences, mention that she was born male. This is about comfort. <br /><br />And putting the comfort of the reader above the rights of the subject isn't very nice. <br /><br />Which, oddly enough, I said in the post.Clarehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16379030619471592492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23011476.post-74264590984732900942009-09-19T11:03:30.971+00:002009-09-19T11:03:30.971+00:00Clare, you are incorrect in your analysis.
The he...Clare, you are incorrect in your analysis.<br /><br />The headline and story must, in necessity of fact, refer to a boy who is to have a sex change. Regardless of any issues of gender identification, this is the fact. A child, currently male, is to (at a future date) undergo operations to change his gender to female.<br /><br />If the headline stated "Girl, 12, is having sex change, school announces" then the facts of the matter would have changed. It matters not whether you like the reporting, but it must be reported this way: he is currently a boy; to call him a girl would mislead.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03707320285453217998noreply@blogger.com