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Queer Youth Network Slams Tabloid’s Transphobia

Complaint lodged with Press Complaints Commission over Sun article
 

MANCHESTER, July 12, 2009  –  On the eve of this year’s “Sparkle”, the national transgender celebration in Manchester, the UK’s national LGBT youth organisation, Queer Youth Network has lodged a formal complaint with the Press Complaints Commission after its members sent dozens of letters by outraged young people and parents outraged at a recent article in The Sun newspaper attacking a young transsexual person, labelling her as “misguided”.

In February, the Sun newspaper printed aa article about how Kim Petras had become “the youngest person to undergo a sex-change operation” and her struggle to overcome years of bullying to eventually pursue a successful modelling and music career.

Last week, the Sun printed an article by columnist Jon Gaunt titled “Misguided” in which he calls the 16 year old “tacky”, “sad and slightly sick”.  He describes her gender-reassignment surgery as “drastic body mutilation” and goes on to make a devastating comparison with Michael Jackson by stating “...and you thought he was odd.”.

“The Sun newspaper makes a conscious effort to stress the rarity of gender-dysprosia, often singling trans people out as “freaks” and social outcasts, when in reality this could not be further from the truth,” said David Henry, of the Queer Youth Network.

“The fact they seem obsessed with writing sensational stories about transsexual people seems to support this.  In our experience about a third of all young people who come into contact with “Gay Youth Groups” tell us they are also exploring or questioning their gender identity.

“This is not the first time in recent months the Sun has printed such discriminatory and deeply upsetting comments.  The paper frequently uses the term “trannies” in a derogatory fashion.

“We accept the Sun is a tabloid newspaper and celebrity gossip mixed with sensationalism is part of what it does best.  However, demeaning and dehumanising young people in this manner is absolutely unacceptable and potentially damaging to thousands of people, many of whom have strikingly similar experiences to those of Kim Petras.

“Transgender people and those who do not conform to gender-norms experience more than their fair share of ridicule and social torment in their every days lives as it is  –we do not need this continued abusive onslaught from the mainstream media,” Mr. Henry continued.

“We accept many people will not be surprised by this offensive and inaccurate comments made by Jon Gaunt in this article, but as Britain’s most read newspaper we would like to hear at least an acknowledgement from the editor of the upset this has caused our community by printing one of the many letters sent in by our members, if not a full apology from Jon Gaunt himself.”

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