Question for transexuals

[downbeatplumb]

This woman used the word trannies during a chat show in America but in the context of highlighting anti-transexual behaviour by police in a light hearted way.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/01...ref=topbar

Gabourey Sidibe: There was a bar that we would frequent and every time we'd go, when we were leaving every single time there was always like a gang of cops arresting trannies.
Audience: [Laughter]

Sidibe: Specifically trannies.

Arsenio Hall: Yeah…

Sidibe: And I don't know what goes on with trannies but that tranny on tranny crime needs to stop!

Arsenio Hall and audience: [Laughter]

Sidibe [chuckling]: It is tearing our nation apart!

So as her intent was NOT anti-transexual but to highlight to a certain extent prejudice they face.

Is her good intentions enough to mitigate her use of what some see as a derogatory term?

she has since apologised for the term but is she right to?

I've apologized several times for using the word "Tranny". I don't realize that it was a slur. I'm very sorry for my poor choice of words.

My personal view is that by using it in a way that was not anti-transexual she took a little bit of the power out of the term.

But this is just the opinion of one who is not at all trans-gender or whatever so it carrys as much weight as a fart in a pig farm.

[TaraJo]

My personal view is that by using it in a way that was not anti-transexual she took a little bit of the power out of the term.

That's pretty much my view, too. Words like that derive their power from their impact on us. If we let words like 'tranny' bother us, we give them the power to hurt us. I choose not to let those terms hurt me and therefore take a bit of that power away.

But I also know there are some crazy, angry transsexuals who probably don't feel that way. Hell, sometimes it feels like all the other trannies are going out of their way to find something to be outraged about. For example:

http://www.dailydot.com/society/laci-gre...h-threats/

[FlyingNarwhal]

I never understood why tranny is considered bad. If I had a buddy named Transsexual, his nickname would be Tranny. That's really all I've ever looked at it as, a cute nickname.

[LastPoet]

People keep changing name!



This is too much hubris about a referral and a deterrent on the real issues.

[Chad32]

I find it annoying when there's kind of a long word, but a shortened version of the word is considered highly offensive. Like when I referred to someone as black, outside of any racist topic, and she went straight to the principle of the school because I didn't use African American. Transsexual/gender is a bit shorter, but still we as a people are predisposed to using small words when we can.

I don't call people black to be offensive. I call people black because someone decided the PC term nowadays should be a seven syllable phrase. That isn't even accurate unless you're an African immigrant, but that's another topic.

[TaraJo]

I never understood why tranny is considered bad. If I had a buddy named Transsexual, his nickname would be Tranny. That's really all I've ever looked at it as, a cute nickname.

I don't entirely get it, either. I mean, I get how some people want, so badly, to be able to play the sympathy card that they're going to turn everything into their victimization, but it isn't exactly like transsexuals don't already have plenty of real issues to complain about without creating issues of our own. I mean, has anyone here ever seen Boys Don't Cry? That's a real issue, not this little piddly shit.

But, then, I get that some people find the word offensive so I simply don't use the word except around people who I'm fairly confident are going to be laid back enough that they won't have a stroke over it.

[BrokenQuill92]

I just refer to people by their preference of pronoun

[TaraJo]

I just refer to people by their preference of pronoun

Context of the conversation doesn't always allow that.

[BrokenQuill92]

I just refer to people by their preference of pronoun

Context of the conversation doesn't always allow that.

Because of blindness when I'm not sure sometimes I have to simple ask. If I'm not sure about gender and I don't want to upset someone I usually ask. Most people are pretty understanding. It doesn't even have to be a trans person, if someone sounds rather neutral I ask.

[My imaginary friend is GOD]

"Tranny" is offensive, but there are much more offensive words that could be used, and it's kinda akin to using the word "homo" instead of "homosexual" or "lezzy" instead of "lesbian." It's kinda an abbreviation, so how mad can you really be about people using that terminology?

---

Because of blindness when I'm not sure sometimes I have to simple ask. If I'm not sure about gender and I don't want to upset someone I usually ask. Most people are pretty understanding. It doesn't even have to be a trans person, if someone sounds rather neutral I ask.

By the way, I'm genderqueer and I'm alright with whatever gender words you choose to describe me.