From The New Civil Rights Movement: http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/brutal-murder-of-transgender-woman-prompts-news-organizations-to-blame-male-victim/discrimination/2013/04/30/66158
by
on April 30, 2013
The brutal murder of a transgender woman has prompted almost every news organization that reported on the murder to blame the victim, publish her arrest record, and repeatedly label her as a man. The murder was a heinous crime, the misgender identification by news organizations who have not taken the time to learn how to report on issues related to transgender people is offensive.
Also very disturbing is the fact that no report would lead readers to believe the police are working diligently to find the murderer. Not one report stated police are asking for assistance or seeking help in finding her killer.
The victim, Cemia Acoff, whom every outlet incorrectly named “Carl Acoff,” was a 20-year old transgender woman found brutally murdered — her body dumped into a pond in a Cleveland, Ohio suburb after having been stabbed, tied with rope, and “attached to a block of concrete,” reports state.
But all the reports identify Acoff as a man or male, ignore the AP Style book’s and GLAAD’s information on how to report on transgender crime victims, and perhaps worst of all, treat the victim as a criminal, dehumanize her, and make inappropriate or offensive references to her and her body. One report even referred to her body as “it.”
News reports from local ABC affiliate NewsNet5.com, local Fox affiliate Fox 8, an Associated Press (AP) report in the Times Leader and elsewhere, a report as far away as Tucson, Arizona’s KOLD/KMSB, and two reports in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer all chose to identify the murder victim as male, not as a transgender woman.
A few titles:
Oddly dressed body found in Olmsted Township pond identified
Brutal slaying marks the end of Clevelander’s fight for acceptance
Stabbed body in pond ID’d as missing Cleveland man
Man found in Olmsted Township pond has criminal history
Police Identify Man Found in Pond
Olmsted Township police ID man dead in pond, tied to concrete block/steel pipe as Carl Acoff Jr.
Not one report used the word “transgender” or identified the murder victim as a transgender woman. Not one report stated any attempts were made to contact the victim’s family, much less include a quote from a family member, friend, or neighbor.
Continue reading at: http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/brutal-murder-of-transgender-woman-prompts-news-organizations-to-blame-male-victim/discrimination/2013/04/30/66158
See Also:
Gay Star UK:
Trans woman stabbed, dumped in pond tied to concrete in Ohio
Transgriot:
Another Black Transwoman Dies In Ohio And Is Disrespected In The Local Media
Three More April African-American Transwomen Deaths
