Following the Twitter Hashtag #MeteorShame begun by the Transgender Network of Ireland to kick start the campaign to end the awful Meteor advertisment I found a very verbal opponent of the ad Co-chair LabourLGBT Louise Hannon. Her opposition was also noticed by one of the drag queens in the advertisement, Paul Ryder who replied to Louise with this tweet:
However Ryder isn't at all aware or could care about the harm he is causing. Looking at his Facebook it's obvious he couldn't care less.
Ryder let me help you to understand. Louise is not the only one becoming aware of the harmful contribution to the trans community. So regardless of your personal concerns, you should be aware you are doing your reputation and your marketability great damage by not taking responsibility for your role in the Meteor Advertisement.
You could make this right by saying you are sorry for the harm you are causing and contacting the other Drag artists in that ad and ask them to come forward with a public apology for there role as well.
Anything less is good as signing a employers dismissal notice to a trans person, or telling a cop to harass us or loading a gun for the next murderer.
Some reactions since posting this article:
A tweet posted by a follower of Paul Ryder in a conversation about what should happen to me. It's the most violent reaction to date for my audaciousness confronting a man for his transmysiogony.
It occurred to me some what belatedly, that the teeth that Mr O Reilly threatened to kick in were in fact not my teeth at all. The picture he saw was taken by a professional photographer for a local newspaper. He did a nice job photoshoping my teeth. See, I hadn't had dental insurance for decades before that picture.
Mr. O Reilly, I'm sure that the photographer would be very accommodating if you'd like to kick in his camera lens or have a go at his computer.
But he was a very big man Mr O Reilly, and a Texan to boot.
Mr. O Reilly, I'm sure that the photographer would be very accommodating if you'd like to kick in his camera lens or have a go at his computer.
But he was a very big man Mr O Reilly, and a Texan to boot.
And this beauty from NG Blog. SOME men hate it that a transgender woman would have a media platform and would dare use it to demand accoutablity from them for transphobia.
You can find that NG post here. I have had a long association with that blogger Nelson G. Oddly enough begining with his helping me get my blog back after being violated for confronting gay misogony in 2008. I posted about the timing of Congressman Barney Franks use of the transphobic phrase "men with penises in the womans room" when talking about Trans Rights and the publication revealing his boy friend for the past decade was in fact a rent boy .
Related posts:
Transgender Equality Network Ireland Press Release
Irish Times Meteor Dials Up Trouble
Gay Community News
Galick News "Meteoric Mistake"
32 comments:
I think its VERY SAD that you think paul is in some way to blame for your own insecurities...
If anything i think this add has helped the Transgender community by showing "THE DRAG BAR SCENCE" in a positive way to the irish public.
Its based in a bar where a man wants Free Wifi, it doesnt matter if its a Straight Bar, Gay Bar or a Drag Bar.
Its also not a Transgender bar the advert is advertising its a Gay/Drag Bar.
I think you should be the one to apoligise to Paul for this ridiculous blog you have made about him.
Grow up & stop trying to make yourself out as a victim, the add was made for a bit of fun & not to insult anyone, the only person been insulted is Paul Ryder.
You havent even received any comments on it, Says alot to me.
Kieron
Seriously! I think you are all overeacting. I doubt whole heartedly that Paul Ryder's decision to appear in this commercial was in any way, shape or form a direct insult or vendetta to a community that i assume he holds very close to his heart. Work is WORK and in the day and age in which we live i would strongly adivise against anyone taking themselves TOO seriously as media and publications are two areas that will always have a certain unbiased sense of humour. Paul is an absolutely Beautiful person and im sure will have no problem making contact with you to discuss his choices with you (not that he really should as he did NOTHING wrong) as oppose to you instigating an completely uncalled for campaign or hatred. Stop making mountains out of molehills. - Thommas Kane-Byrne
paul ryder is a good guy and thats totally out of line. When writing stuff like this are you aware he has a family. Paul is a very talented performer and actor and what we are seeing here is just jealousy people will not respomd well to this good luck
tonia
Are you serious ? What offence exactly have you taken to this add ? While it may not be an award winning advert I cannot see what harm it has done to any community or group (except Vodafone users ) . If it had been a heterosexual woman the wifi chaser was dancing with would you be as fast to jump to the defence of that group ?claiming women were just used as objects to obtain a data allowance and the actors were all misogynists ?
Last week a child was shot in e head for going to school, I would have hoped any activist would have more pressing things to blog about in this current social climate than an average Irish advert !
Oisin
Paul well done on the add. This world is full of people who are always going to be just alittle jealous of people doing well.... It comes with the job ;-) water off a ducks back Mr... Keep doing what you do best... X
This is totally ridiculous, Paul is a loving gay man with a loving family and loving friends who is a busy artist on the gay scene, all he is doing here is his job. Also giving that the gay scene is already a minority, are we now attacking from within that minority? This add and the actors in it have done nothing more than a days work and the fact that we are now criticising people for doing that is beyond acceptable, if people are going to fight battles can we please choose worthy one's? You should be ashamed of yourselves because what your actually doing is causing the same hassle for Paul as you have described for yourself and that is a form of bullying, tut tut!!!!
You're some wanker! Get over yourself! Everyone loves Paul and Paul loves everyone! You're clearly just a sad individual obsessed with Paul! Paul has done more for the LGBT community in a week than you have done with your blog which is a load of SHITE!
I'm a trans woman and a transgender activist. I think this blog goes too far, and I can't support the sentiments expressed in it. HOWEVER, there ARE GENUINE issues with this ad. HARM HAS BEEN DONE by this ad. Now, I don't know any of the performers, and I don't know what transpired between them and Meteor, so I'm not going to point fingers, but I do think drag performers need to be aware of how their art is used and abused by advertisers and others. I hope we can all calm down and work together to ensure that stuff like this doesn't happen again. I'm deirdre_dub on twitter and on forum.transgender.ie if you'd like to engage.
While I understand the Trans communities / and indeed your issue/issues with the advert, I completely disagree with the singling out and attacking of one of the actors in the blog above.
As an actor, they would have received a script and background story, no doubt describing a bar filled with Drag artists. There would have been no indication that the advert may have appeared transphobic during the recording stages at all and in the way the ad was staged, ie: with Drag Artists; Paul never even would have considered that it could have caused offence.
This blog is an attack on the character of an upstanding and well respected member of the LGBT community.
The issue here is clearly with Meteor, and to use this to single out and bully Paul Ryder is defamatory and quite sickening.
This blog post should be removed. Replace it with a post slating Meteor! But remove your libellous slander against Paul. It does nothing to forward the cause and only causes unnecessary division within the community.
I believe the biggest issue facing the Lgbt community right now in Ireland is Trans rights.
TENI has been focusing its pressure on Meteor over this advert, and rightly so as this is where the issue originates from. Target those who caused this problem, not Paul.
Regards
Cormac Cashman
This blog has gone way to far and to the point of singling one person out of the whole cast is just down right bullying! Paul is in no way to blame for anyone being insulted by this Ad, if someone has an issue take it up with Meteor! i think people are making noise for the sake of making noise! I think Paul Ryder is the one who deserves and apology here! If the blogger is reading this.. your are a disgrace for writing this blog! you should be ashamed of yourself!
Seriously have you nothing better to do with your time or your life for that matter.... COP ON and leave Paul Ryder alone it's none of your business what he has on his Facebook page he was paid to take part in the ad he was only doing his job so go pick on someone else.......
Its very easy to attack someone from a keyboard and a computer screen. There is nothing wrong with this ad. Paul has done a lot of work for the trans community and promoted tolerance of it. Even in the LGBT community, Trans is seen by some as unacceptable, wrong and/or weird (not my personal view, but it is out there). Transphobia does exsist, however, Paul Ryder is far from promoting it.
Shame on you for suggesting otherwise. As i said, it is very easy to attack someone from behind a keyboard and computer screen, if yo were to present yourself to me, i would happily argue my point to you in person, however, i feel that someone like you wouldnt have the guts to.
Many Thanks
AJ
The attempted suicide rate amongst transgender people is 40%, and 78% consider suicide. The way the media portray trans people plays a huge role in that. This is NOT people making noise for the sake of making noise!!! There IS something wrong with this ad!!! It is ads like these which played a role in me suffering more than 30 years in the closet - a suffering which could have killed me! Having said that, I don't believe this blog post is right.
I've known most of the guys in this advert for a long time. Attacking Paul or any of them, should not be the issue here and I don't condone it. They are lovely people. The issue here is that most trans people get physically or verbally abused at some point much in the same way gay people were targetted 20 years ago and still in some places today around the world.
The real issue is that the general public don't see the difference between an over the top Drag Queen and a trans woman trying to lead a normal life, and blend into society. It's about education and unfortunately if you were a drag quuen or a trans woman and you went to some of the straight bars in Dublin city you would get abused very quickly particularly at 2am. That is why this ad touched a raw nerve, because abuse happens to some trans people on a daily basis. One accquaintence is being harrassed in her own home in rural Ireland this week. Called a freak/pervert "you are one of those perverts who dress in womens clothes we see on TV" That is the damage ads like this do. because people do not know there are major differences between Drag Queens and trans women. In some parts of the world it can lead to murder
Louise Hannon
I understand people shock at my calling out Paul Ryder as it is the first time a transgender blog has done this so this is my rational for doing it:
There will always be immoral companies who will prey on the trans community. That will not change.
What we can do is call on those actors out who participate in promotions with such dubious intent to be respond to criticism.
Did Paul Ryder have any idea of how offensive that commercial would be to the trans community or the damage he was going to be a part of?
Paul Ryder asked me via Twitter to communicate. I took him up on that a couple of days ago sending a very fair interview to be published here and possibly my columns as well.
I have not received a response from Mr. Ryder as yet but I remain optimistic he will send the interview back as this blog has become a focal point in this issue.
Kelli
You hardly expect Paul to agree to an interview with you after you launched an attack on his character.
You have come off very unprofessional and after your ridiculous article, I would send you a solicitors letter before I sent you an interview.
CC
Kelli
Have you never done anything because you didn't know better? Have you never been in the situation of having done something that someone is telling you is a bad thing yet you don't understand what they are saying?
Yes, I have Unknown thank you and in a big way at times. If it was a innocent mistake I worded the questions to allow Mr. Ryder every opportunity to explain that to us.
I even sent a cc of it to my editor and believe me if the interview was inappropriate she would have told me. I'm not saying she would publish it, just saying.
But since I have not yet received any reply from Mr Ryder I will go with plan B.
I will publish the interview I sent him in the morning, sadly without any input from Mr. Ryder.
I want it public knowledge that Mr. Ryder asked me, a blogger and columnist to communicate. I welcomed that invitation with a with a interview.
It's what I do.
I made it clear Paul could answer as many of the questions as he felt comfortable with. At the end of the interview I gave him space were he could express unedited his views.
Paul, if you are reading this know that the offer still stands, but if I have not received even a acknowledgement that you received the interview I will proceed with plan B.
It is very important not to attack people. defame them, or to have a misportrayal of them! T-people are just people and it really hurts me to have adds that do not represent us in a positive light! I'm sure that Paul Ryder was just trying to earn money and did not stop to think that the add was hurtful! NO ONE SHOULD EVER BE THREATENED WITH PHYSICAL VIOLENCE!
This just demonstrates, for me, just how clueless and ignorant, even deliberately so, the LGB community really is about the T. They see this as harmless because they're not living our lives. They also see us as expendable, quickly thrown away if what we need gets in the way of what they want.
This advert is not much different than the 'TrAnnie' play down in Aussie. It's just more LGB fun at the Trans communities expense. It's so delightful being the second class part of a second class community.
Personally, I can't stand drag queens. I consider them misogynist, vulgar, foul-mouthed little twerps. I do not consider draq queens to be part of the trans community. They are NOT! They are part of gay male culture.
The problem is, most people don't know the difference between a drag queen, a transvestite or a transsexual. This is why I oppose the umbrella term 'transgender'. As a TS, I am not 'transgender'. I was born with the wrong parts, that's all. I am and have always been female. We need to educate people that transgender is not transsexual. IMHO
You folks who think you are "defending" Paul are in actuality making it increasingly difficult to have sympathy for him. I don't know Paul, and I take you at your word that he is a nice guy, and he probably meant no harm to trans women when he participated in this project. However, the harm done to real people when they are made the butt of an ignorant joke is real, and anyone involved in the creation of such harm has to be held accountable. I think Kelli has explained this well.
If Paul is actually an ally of trans women, it's incumbent upon him to acknowledge that the ad perpetuates ignorance and dehumanization of trans women. This is regardless of anyone's intentions, because intentions can be driven completely by ignorance and blindness to one's own privilege. People make mistakes. However, a group of peoples' humanity is not to be treated as a joke, ever. If you find yourself doing that, you need to check yourself. Stop talking and listen to the people who are trying to tell you of the harm being done to them. You don't know everything.
This is appaling. Ryder has so obviously become defensive and agressive because he has done something completely unaceeptable and been called out doing it. His reaction, says it all about him, let's hope he gets banned from twitter, advocating violence against trans people is not acceptable.
@Kieron Shortall. You should aplolgise for totally misunderstanding the situation. TENI have aclled for this ad to be banned because it is transphobic. TENI is the trans organisation for Ireland, so it is you who should grow up and try and listen to trans people rather than criticise trans people when they speak up abou their rights.
I have seen some idiotic drivel on blogs before but yours is the most childish and unintelligent I have encountered in a long time. How dare you say "the add (sic) was made for a bit of fun & not to insult anyone" How do you know what it is like being trans? How do you know what it is like to be insulted, ridiculed, excluded and misrepresented?
Pathetic.
I get really tired of transsexual and transgender people being lumped in with drag queens and transvestites who perform as members of the other sex, but who have male privilege the second they take off the clothes.
I've been out for forty five years and have seen this sort of hostility by gay men towards TS/TG folks ever since I came out.
I have dealt with cultivated stupidity and abuse from both gay men and lesbians for way too long.
As for coming and kicking Kelli's teeth out. This is Texas. You would be ill advised to think you can just come here and attack some one as many people have concealed handgun carry permits.
Kelli has a lot of friend here.
@ton1990, pivopivo, Richard Hillard; The "he is a good guy and you are being oversensitive it was only a bit of fun" defence won't work.
Given that Ryan has threatened Kelli with violence your suggestions that he is a good guy simply look ignorant and faintly pathetic now. How does it feel to to be made to look so foolish?
Maybe you should think before you post, if you are capable, which seems unlikely.
I'm no more surprised that Paul Ryder threatened violence against Kelli than I am that cis male drag queens, with no further connection to the trans community, think it's OK to perpetuate the worst stereotypes of trans women in the name of "humor". The misogyny is profound, and it is violence in its own sense. Paul would be well advised to accept criticism gracefully and can the talk of teeth-kicking, before he makes a bigger ass of himself.
Once again, getting really tired of GLB BS towards Trans* People.
I see no legitimate reason to support GLB when there isn't support in return. But I do have to wonder if it is just a small minded portion of that part of the GLB community or is it just GLB in general?
I would like to hear from those who still support the communities as a whole, not just the 'get over it' people who cloud the issues with bigotry and bullying.
Ativan
The tweet threatening to kick my teeth in originated from a Dean O Reilly of Ireland in response to my notifying Ryder I had successfully emailed questions following his request to communicate.
Ryder was mentioned in it so I can only speculate whether Ryder even seen it.
But given how quickly Ryder responds to mentions on twitter it would be safe to say he did see it and possibly participated in the conversation with his follower about it in some form.
Mmmm.
I wrote about that ad here: http://lexiecannes.wordpress.com/2012/10/16/meteor-cell-phone-television-commercials-mocks-transgender-people/
If Mr. Ryder wishes to appear in a low-brow commercial, it's his right I suppose, however, he should not be surprised at flack from the group of people he deliberately offended for the purpose of making money.
I've no pity for people who exploit others for money. If you can live with that Mr. Ryder, more power to you. But know that you've created a cringe moment for some of your family members, friends and fans.
Only Trans people understand how a ad like this affects them because we are the ones that get discriminated by people that only see us as guys in dresses, This ad reenforces that because the parasite that pic on us murder us don't know the difference between a trans Woman and a drag queen. Gay and Lesbian Cis gendered people would be up in arms if this type of crap was being done to them. This is not actcepable, not fair and to all the people that think this ad and ads like them are OK try and have some empathy for the Trans community that gets discriminated on a daily basis.
Only Trans people understand how a ad like this affects them because we are the ones that get discriminated by people that only see us as guys in dresses, This ad reenforces that because the parasite that pic on us murder us don't know the difference between a trans Woman and a drag queen. Gay and Lesbian Cis gendered people would be up in arms if this type of crap was being done to them. This is not actcepable, not fair and to all the people that think this ad and ads like them are OK try and have some empathy for the Trans community that gets discriminated on a daily basis.
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