Part of speech
I just read todays news and fealt really anoyed by one article in the Swedish paper Svenska Dagbladet.. The article is about the Miss International Queen 2006 and in a few sentences they say that Mexican Erica Andrews is the new Miss International Queen.
What made me angry was the header. "Transsexuell världsmiss korad" is a wordgame that means both "transsexual miss world is crowned" and "transsexual mistake of global proportion is crowned". I got upset and e-mailed the editorial staff with my complain and within four minutes I got a apology and the header was changed to "Världens snyggaste transsexuella korad" that is without double meaning and means "The most beautiful transsexual in the world is crowned".
I was glad that they imidiate changed it so that sheep joke wasn't there but I'm a bit frustrated about the use of transsexual as a noun. I think transsexual schould be an adjective and not a noun. My problems are of a transsexual nature and I am doing my transition and sexchange in order to not have as few transsexual problems as possible in the future. I don't know if it's a common use of the word but I now that my doctors and a couple of friends see this the same way.
4 comments:
> I think transsexual schould be an adjective and not a noun
Yes, yes, yes! It really annoys me when "transsexual" is used as a noun. I find it insulting, because it takes away the thing that matters to me so much. I am a person, not a gender-indeterminate "thing" - I am a woman (who happens to be transsexual) and that is why I don't mind being referred to as "a transsexual woman". But calling me "a transsexual" implies that I am a transsexual (who might be a man, a woman, something else, "doesn't matter"). Well, it *does* matter, to me.
I agree entirely. It annoys me intensely to hear hear people talk about "a homosexual". I am a homosexual man, and proud of it.
i was impressed that the editorial staff heard your complaint, apologized to you, and immediately changed it.
we've all got so much to learn about each other and the words we use with/for/to/about each other. we should all continue striving to understand each other with willingness to hear, to apologize if necessary, and to grow.
I totally agree!! I'm no "transsexual", my transgender issues are not my identity, only a part of it.
I got annoyed at DN (big swedish newspaper) when they had an article about a transgendered woman, but kept on referring to her as both transsexual AND transvestite. That really doesn't make any sense.
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