Comments on: Three men assaulted in Cornwall ‘homophobic’ attack

By: Malcolm Lidbury

Malcolm Lidbury — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:15:45 +0000

In my experience of Homophobic Cornwall police…the ONLY reason Cornwall police will be seeking the assailants
…will be to CONGRATULATE THEM!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MUiccStmHw

By: Christine Rourke

Christine Rourke — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:32:17 +0000

@Jennifer… I’ve been informed that the reporting of gender in this case was actually correct.

Granted, the nature of this particular story meant that there was always going to be a degree of confusion. In this case, it seems likely that the attack was made for homophobic reasons, and not transphopic ones.

But overall, I do agree that many local papers need to clean up their acts when it comes to reporting such areas and issues. Many do seem to consider that their small size renders them immune when it coms to standards and the law.
chrissie
xxxx

By: Jennifer Hynes

Jennifer Hynes — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:31:43 +0000

I knew I had it in my files;

“SEX-SWAP MAN STABBED HIS GAY LOVER”

That was the Plymouth Evening Herald headline on Friday 23 September 2005, complete with a mugshot of Lisa Woodhall. After this appeared, she killed herself in Eastwood Park Women’s Prison near Bristol, and the story disappeared from the Herald’s website.

Thing is, local papers are not as keyed up on political correctness as the majors, and so you get some very hurtful stories in them. I’m sure readers here will have seen plenty of discourtesy in their own local papers.

As far as I’m concerned therefore the Cornish Guardian needs to be pushed to clarify the gender of the victims further, and so do the police. And what is more they need to be reminded that they are not the arbiters of other people’s gender identity and how they wish to be referred to. Lack of this forethought is plainly discourtesy and possibly illegal under the terms of current legislation.

It might seem insignificant to those who are secure in their gender or non-gender identity, but to those who are not it can be very upsetting.

By: Jennifer Hynes

Jennifer Hynes — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:02:05 +0000

The Cornish Guardian refers to “three males”, but given the lack of sensitivity in local papers here in the South West (anybody remember the horrendously bigoted Plymouth Evening Herald front page about the trans woman who tried to cut her boyfriend’s throat? The coverage cause her to commit suicide in jail) I wouldn’t be surprised if they reported as male, a trans woman.

I’ve got no time whatsoever now for the so-called local press; parochial ingrates the lot of them.

By: theotherone

theotherone — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:00:58 +0000

I’m assuming they’ve not – this time.

By: Christine Rourke

Christine Rourke — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:47:56 +0000

Thanks for that info, theotherone.

They so usually get it wrong that I assumed it was likely they had done so this time…

Hugs
chrissie
xxx

By: OrtharRrith

OrtharRrith — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:14:21 +0000

If and until they name the victims Christine, I’d be inclined to assume that on this occasion the papers are refuring to the Trans victim by the correct gender – of course that’ll change if and when it hits the red top papers such as The Sun. Definately Transphobic not Homophobic though.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:04:23 +0000

What in the heck is a “white”? Is that like a Whitie or a Darkie? What has happened to English grammar?

By: theotherone

theotherone — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:50:53 +0000

christine: one of the men was a Transman, that’s why it was ‘three men.’

By: Christine Rourke

Christine Rourke — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:41:36 +0000

Actually, it is a very confusing story.

How come it says “three men”?

Does it mean that one of the men was a trans-man?

Or is it that the local police were not up to speed on diversity issues, and did not take on board that a trans-woman is NOT a man?

Personally, I’d have picked up the phone and clarified a few details before putting this one up.

Hugs
chrissie

By: Abi1975

Abi1975 — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:43:01 +0000

Cornwall is really getting a bad reputation for itself as a backwards place full of hate.

By: Abi1975

Abi1975 — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:41:01 +0000

“We have recorded this incident as a hate crime after one of the victims made a claim that the assault could have been a homophobic attack because one of the party was a transsexual.”

Maybe the Padstow Police need a bit education on the difference between sexuality and gender identity! Its transphobic not homophobic.

Anyway, I always had Padstow down as a more cosmopolitan cultured place than the rest of Cornwall, I guess I was wrong.