First of all: Tranny. Tranny tranny tranny tranny tranny tranny tranny. And let’s be clear: Tranny. Tranny. Trannies. Tranny = A man in a dress looking like a hot mess. A fun drag queen. A crazy, messy drag queen. A fierce bitch. A term of endearment used as slang for a female impersonator. Tranny tranny tranny.
After Lance Bass said “trannies” this week on “Access Hollywood” (clip below), the self-appointed arbiters of bad language (The Advocate, Queerty) accused of him using a “transgender slur” and “degrading an entire group of people,” which is funny because the people I know who use the word “trannies” the most…..are trannies.
I thought gays—especially those who are well-educated journalists like the ones who work for Advocate and Queerty—were supposed to be better at interpretating context, nuance, and intention, but I guess it’s easier to just police a Z-list celebrity’s language and watch the page views roll in.
Today, in an article titled “Why We Shouldn’t Use The Word ‘Tranny'” on Huffington Post Gay Voices, Lance Bass took almost 2000 words(!) to apologize for not knowing he was using an offensive word, but mainly to complain about The Advocate and Queerty for being so mean:
So to the gay media, we need to work together, because it will happen again. We live in a soundbite world. Everyone is tweeting their thoughts, 140 characters at a time, all throughout the day and night. Once it is out there, it is available for everyone to dissect and interpret. There are plenty of media outlets ready to tear us down, humiliate us, and make us feel less than. Why can’t you be on the front lines to help defend us or educate and set the example instead of tearing us down? Again, to be clear, I have no problem apologizing. I unknowingly used an inappropriate misuse of the word.
He “used an inappropriate misuse”? The hell? I know that Huffington Post doesn’t have a paid editorial staff, but come on! What does that even mean?
I am horrified that I said it knowing what I know now and would be devastated to find out I hurt anyone’s feelings. I take full responsibility for the words coming out of my mouth. The first people to report on the story were The Advocate, Instinct, and Queerty, not any mainstream media. My community were the first ones to attack me. The Huffington Post is the only outlet that reached out immediately and suggested I write something to help educate. That to me is responsible journalism, and everyone should follow suit. I just believe there are better ways to handle the distribution of press and would appreciate it if the media, especially the gay media, could be more responsible in how they report a story.
Lance Bass would appreciate some responsible journalism, please.
So, the next time someone says something that is perceived by the traffic-hungry, reactionary gay media (but literally no one else with a functioning brain) as offensive, the media should give them space to write a 2000-word non-apology apology on an unmanned, unedited content farm like Huffington Post first, and report on what they said later.
Yes, the media should be more responsible in their facilitating of celebrity apologies. That’s real journalism.
If only all of the media were as fair and balanced to celebrities as Arianna Huffington, who, as it happens, looks a little bit like a tranny.
[Queerty]
[The Advocate]
[Huffington Post Gay Voices]
Why are some gay men so beyond having compassion for others? A lot of people don’t know the difference between a cross-dresser and a transsexual. So when you’re calling someone a tranny you might want to be more specific. And many trans people have expressed that being refereed to as a tranny is offensive.
If someone refers to a gay man as a faggot, is that offensive?
But that’s designed to be derogatory and offensive, there’s no way anyone can accidentally/innocently use that term.
I never knew “tranny” was a derogatory term, I thought it was just a shorter way of saying transsexual, transgendered or transvestite. But by that logic then, isn’t calling homosexual people “gays” offensive too?
People seem to love to be offended these days, just to slag someone else off.
This is what happens when every segment of society is made into a victim for political purposes – and it’s only going to get worse.
Well……..they kind of are victimized and murdered on a regular basis so……
Sorry, Reichen. Couldn’t remember that tranny’s name.
Oh, Lance, if only you knew the definition before you hooked up with that tranny Leichen.
“I love Miami, except the trannies!”
To be honest, I have never heard the word “tranny” applied in any manner, derogatory or otherwise, towards actually transgendered individuals. The transgender people I know are simply referred to as men and women, same as non-trans people, out of respect, and if/when it has to be mentioned, everyone flat-out says “transgender”. “Tranny” is reserved for busted drag queens, busted hookers, and busted porn actors. Let’s face it, we need “tranny” to stay exactly where it is in the lexicon without rabid activists trying to take it back. Otherwise, how will we distinguish between the skanky tranny hooker down the block from the normal, boring hookers in conversation? Context clues? Bitch, please.