Filed under: Ideas, Popular Culture, Social Justice | Tags: Oprah, television, transgender
As the story of Thomas Beatie hits the mainstream today with his “first television interview” on Oprah (thanks for the heads up Bug-Eyed Broad), I feel that it would be inappropriate to allow Calpernia Addams polemic on exactly what is and is not appropriate to ask a transsexual to languish in the comments section (but many thanks to Mike Soron for bringing it to my attention).
While not exactly the same thing, as an openly (whether I like it or not) gay man, I can relate to Addams’ position (while still acknowledging that gay men are not exempt from atrocious behavior). Why do people feel that they can ask you deeply personal questions about your body and/or sexuality just because you don’t embody the norm? From now on, I’ll be responding in Calpernia-fashion: “If you need to ask, you don’t need to know.”
