Guardian apologizes and Deletes Julie Burchill's Screed 'Transsexuals should cut it out'

 

The highly toxic Observer article 'Transsexuals should cut it out' was deleted but there was no mention Burchill's employment status or even an apology from her.

The following statement is from John Mulholland, editor of the Observer:

We have decided to withdraw from publication the Julie Burchill comment piece 'Transsexuals should cut it out'. The piece was an attempt to explore contentious issues within what had become a highly-charged debate. The Observer is a paper which prides itself on ventilating difficult debates and airing challenging views. On this occasion we got it wrong and in light of the hurt and offence caused I apologise and have made the decision to withdraw the piece. The Observer Readers' Editor will report on these issues at greater length.

The comments posted beneath the article have also been removed in line with our deletion process and as a result these comments will no longer appear in individual users' profiles.

Being a relative novice to British media treatment of transgender people I observed earlier that the brouhaha over 'Seeing Red: the power of female anger' was little more than a Tempest in a teapot. But then I started to learn about the atrocious treatment UK trans people receive by the mainstream media the angst over Moore's article began to make sense.

According to Gay Star News Moore returned to Tweeter and offered an apology for her comment about Brazilian transsexuals:

'I did not set out to offend and the murder of all women trans or not is clearly something I DO care about,' Moore said, adding that there had been 'much bridge building' between her and 'several trans people who I deeply respect' and she is meeting with more trans people.'

(Note I could not verify that she returned to tweeter or said this)


Even though some within the UK community would perceive this as just another episode of transphobia I would like to remind you of this.

We stand with you, planet wide. We are one, planetransgender and our collective voices can't be denied. Even though there has been no word of Burchill's employment status I venture you won't see her hateful writing being framed as an 'exploration of a contentious' subject again, in the Observer anyways.

So I think we can see this as a victory none the less.

Vicco: Smallest City In America To Pass LGBT Protections

Usually its the big cities that make big news when they institute LGBT protections but this time the big news is how small the city is and how big their hearts are.

Vico Kentucky is located in the southern tip of Perry County, 12 miles from the county seat of Hazard in rural Appalachia has 318 residents covering only .08 square miles.

Source Fairness Campaign: Vicco, KY) Today the Fairness Coalition joined the Appalachian town of Vicco, Kentucky as they approved the state's first lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) anti-discrimination Fairness ordinance in a decade. The measure, which prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations based upon a person's actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity, received support from three of the city's four-member commission and mayor.

Vicco becomes the smallest municipality in America with such anti-discrimination protections and joins three other cities in the commonwealth with Fairness laws--Covington, which passed an ordinance in 2003, Lexington, and Louisville, which both approved laws in 1999.

"Vicco is a community that believes all folks should be treated fairly," shared Vicco City Attorney Eric Ashley. "We believe everyone deserves the opportunity for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Fairness is a Kentucky value, a Vicco value, and one of our most American values."