Ted Diadiun the Plain Dealer Reader Representative has been left wondering and stunned at the outcry over the trans toxicity of his papers three stories describing a murdered transgender woman as the
"slaying of a oddly dressed man".
Diadiun wrote
"The story was in the paper when they were made aware of the change in AP style, but editors hurriedly went back into the online version, taking the words "oddly dressed" out of the headline and making the references gender neutral. Along the way, in some references to the body, "he" became "it," until that was changed -- which only served to increase the ire of some readers."
Mr. Diadiun when you die do you have anything readied to identify your body? In case you don't I have prepared a stickum note for your forehead. No reason to thank me, "it" is the least I could do. The least you could have done was to call Cemia by her correct gender and name in her death.....
Why twist the dagger of transphobia Diadiun? You reposted a mug shot of Cemia despite knowing full well your readers objected to you doing that. Why? Don't you get it? There are pictures available for you to use that show Ce Ce as a happy human trans woman. That image like her authentic name is what she wanted people to know her when she was alive. Diadiun, the least you could do would be to honor that simple wish in her death.
If the articles were about a rich cisgender woman with a few minimal legal entanglements in her past that have nothing to do with the present situation, like driving without a license or skipping a bus fare, would you have posted those irrelevant mug shots of her in three consecutive articles about her murder? That's fucking bullshit, and now you know that too.
Diadiun writes:
When the story was published, Caniglia and his editors began to get emails from all over the country, objecting to the tone of the story, the use of male pronouns, the description of Acoff's clothing and the recounting of his criminal record.
Some were cordial. Some were profane. Some were threatening. Nearly all were angry.
Caniglia was stunned.
"I was trying to be as sensitive as possible," he said. "I never had a thought to be unfair or hurt somebody who was already brutally slain."
"SENSITIVE"! OMG don't even think about playing the victim card Diadiun. Caniglia wrote three articles each progressivly more transphobic. Writing those articles that way was all about getting the public's attention, pandering to transphobs and getting free plublicity angering trans people. I will call you out on that. Bullshit.
Diadiun continues:
"The AP style change is understandable, but perplexing."
"Where do we draw the line?" said Chris Quinn, the editor in charge of the paper's local coverage. "What's a cop to do when filling out the gender form of a police report? What's a census taker to write? What about a driver's license?"
Quinn said future stories will say something like, "Acoff self-identified as a transgender woman so, for the purposes of this story, will be identified with female pronouns."
I am relivied your editor read the style guide but I am appalled he hasn't bothered with it for so many years. I hope in the future your paper will respect transgender people in life and death.
In the meantime Mr Diaium you and Mr Quinn should pay attention to what the
Columbia Journalism Review wrote about your paper. You will know where to "draw the line and maybe you won't be quite as 'perplexed' about angry virtiol you received about your trans toxic articles.
You can read the whole of Diadiun's post
Story of Olmsted Towhship homicide victim riles transgender advocates: Ted Diadiun
Ted Diadiun
About Me (from his profile on the PD):
As the reader representative, I encourage comments, complaints, suggestions, compliments, debates, questions about fairness or anything else dealing with The Plain Dealer that a reader might want to talk about. I respond to calls and e-mails, and write a Sunday column about whatever strikes me as the most interesting or intriguing journalistic issue of the week. You can reach me through e-mail at tdiadiun@plaind.com or by phone at (216) 999-4408.
