Help!

[beandelphiki]

To Psychology Today.

Dear Editors [anyone know the proper salutation to use here?]

In your October issue interview of actress Chloë Sevigny, you printed a sidebar listing Sevigny's filmography. In this sidebar, the film Boys Don't Cry was described as a film about, "a girl pretending to be a boy whose masquerade ends in tragedy." This is completely unacceptable, especially coming from a magazine about psychology; your publication should show some awareness of the trials transgendered individuals face. Brandon Teena was transgendered, not "a girl pretending to be a boy." While Brandon's apparent lack of honesty with his partners about his transgenderism is not to be condoned, he was certainly not a girl, nor was he masquerading as something he was not.

In the future, please be sure to show the same amount of respect to transgendered people as you would to anyone else.

Dan **********

---

To Calgary Herald.

[I have NO idea what sort of salutation I should use here!]

Re: "The Hemingway family feud," Carol Marbin Miller, Observer Oct. 4.

Despite the fact that Gloria Hemingway was noted in this article to have possessed "female genitalia" by the time of her death, she was not consistently referred to either by her chosen name or by female pronouns. This is a disgraceful dismissal of her gender identity and her wishes, as well as disrespectful to the transgendered community as a whole.

Gloria Hemingway was female, and should be referred to by the name and pronouns that properly indicate this.

I'm acquainted with high school students who posses several times more social awareness than this article contained, and I'm sure they'd be happy to point out that this legal battle would not exist if Gloria and Ida's marriage was recognized as just as valid as any other, heterosexual, marriage.

This was unacceptably offensive and insensitive of the Herald to print. For shame.

Dan **********

Suggestions very welcome. And anyone who wants to rip apart my grammar should feel free to do that, as well.

Comments

[kingdeadfish.livejournal.com]

'your' not 'you'.

Apart from that, what a load of whinging horseshit.

[beandelphiki.livejournal.com]

"Thanks" to the first part, "nice troll" to the second.

Debate getting boring?

[kingdeadfish.livejournal.com]

It's always been boring.

[haleth.livejournal.com]

I'd take out the commas around "heterosexual" in the second to last sentence, but I'm a comma minimalist. It's probably fine as it is.

[beandelphiki.livejournal.com]

Cool, okay. If you think of anything else, let me know.

[benthecube.livejournal.com]

I'm impressed with both letters, however I do think the second deserves a gold sticker. Very well thought out, articulated and to the point. Your "take no prisoners" attitude should be applauded.

I'm clapping.

[beandelphiki.livejournal.com]

Danke! *pleased*


But I can't send these darn things off without salutations! Even a guess as to what I should use would be helpful. *puppy eyes*

[benthecube.livejournal.com]

Well I think Editor (or Editors) would work for both letters, don't you? I wouldn't stress about it too much. If worst comes to worst you can always resort to "To Whom it May Concern".