There Is A Lesson To Be Learned Here

When you are interviewed by the media the first thing to remember is that it is their deck, and they can stack it anyway they want. The second thing to remember is that they can lie. And you should also realize is that their business is to sell advertisement and get the most people to view those ads.

Hit by “Trans-Friendly” Fire
Gendermom
November 21, 2017

When they interviewed me and my young trans daughter, both reporters seemed sympathetic to us and claimed to be trans-friendly.  So why did they turn around and write such transphobic articles?

Over the course of the summer, I was contacted by two young journalists. One wrote for an alternative American weekly newspaper, the other for a venerable British magazine. Both wanted to interview me about my experience as the mother of a young transgender child. They were respectful and sympathetic. One of them even Skyped at length with my 9-year-old daughter. (“How do you want your body to look when you grow up?” “I want really long hair!”)

When their respective articles appeared, the first one in June and the second earlier this fall, I felt sick and saw red. I also felt like the world’s biggest rube, having chattily handed over my daughter’s story to those whose intention was to debate her very existence.

Do research about the reporter, do research about the news agency that they work but beware they might freelance the article to another agency.

Perhap the most troubling feature of both of these articles is that they are, strictly speaking, largely “true” (with the notable exception of the bogus 66-80 percent statistic). Yes, some people change their minds. Yes, peer pressure exists. Yes, transition is not without its risks and complications. These are all important points to make. What’s wrong here is that the choices the authors have made about what to include and not to include add up to a highly misleading whole, one that makes transition look a lot scarier and more controversial than it actually is. When you’re telling a story, everything hangs on which details you include and which ones you leave out. For example, Herzog and McCann both highlight the potential health risks of taking cross-hormones, but make no mention of the far greater health risks that transgender people face: The widespread lack of access to any kind of quality medical care, let alone health care that is responsive to the particular needs of transgender patients. They also makes no mention of the alarmingly high rate of suicide attempts among trans people (upwards of 40 percent; but this rate goes down when people are able to transition). I’d call suicide a pretty significant health risk, wouldn’t you? Nor do either of them mention the fact that research shows children who transition exhibit levels of psychological health indistinguishable from their cisgender peers. In pieces that purport to be represent balanced presentations of the pros and cons of supporting the transition of young people, surely this kind of information merits inclusion, no?

Remember the reporters can pick and choose what they write (the same is true for bloggers, it is their blog and they can spin it anyway they want.).

When I did activist training at Fantasia Fair and other venues I make it a point to not to do any interviews and to think in sound bites of 10 seconds. From my website…

Tips For Being Interviewed By The Media

1. Don’t do it!
2. If you do, think of sound bites (7 or 8 seconds). Once when I was lobbying for ENDA down in Washington DC I gave a five minute interview and all they used was one sentence “I don’t think it will pass this year, I think we are in it for the long haul.” And they called me a “seasoned professional” which I got a chuckle out of since that was the first time I lobbied.
3. (Corollary to #2) Be prepared for them to use your statement out of context in the worst possible way.
4. Know what key words not to use and how to spin a negative question positively (Why do you think that the “bathroom bill” should pass?”*)
5. Don’t use abbreviations (see above)
6. You might want to talk to the reporter beforehand and mention the “AP Style Sheet” or GLAAD Media Guide for the correct use of pronouns.
7. And above all, realize that you are going to be stopped on the street and told “I saw you on the news last night!” That happened to me after I gave an interview; the clerk at the deli said that to me.
8. Also be aware that they may use your photos or video for other stories. They may use a picture of you walking in the background as they are talking about a trans person who committed a crime.

*Don’t answer that question! A better answer to that question is... The anti-discrimination bill is important because it protect all transgender people from discrimination in employment, housing, credit and public accommodation.

I have to give interviews because of my position with a trans non-profits but I don’t like it.

You heard the saying “Buyer beware!” well a corollary to it is “Interviewee beware!”