CHECK YOUR VERNACULAR! "TRANNY-GATE AND THE MOLLOY EFFECT" Published MAY 27th 2014 By Xander Gibb

With the constant requirement to be politically correct I am wondering today how far that actually goes and whether we are responsible for policing a vernacular any further than the things we say, or how we wish to be described. As a side effect of being a comic I often refer to myself in negative terms as a part of my shtick if you will.  I recently referred to myself in mixed company as a "fat fag" which was totally my prerogative. 
I was told by another member of the L.G.B.T.Q community that this was harmful to community as a whole.

It brought back to mind (not that it ever really went away) the recent issue regarding the terminology used on the TV Show RUPAUL'S Drag Race and whether the terms "She Mail" and "Tranny" were offensive in the context that they were being used.  Lets first of all recognize the huge positive impact this show has had in the straight community and how much more mainstream it has allowed, Drag to become and also the knock on effect of that for Trans people.

For anyone to ever accuse RUPAUL of not being community minded or insensitive is frankly ridiculous given the impact his work has had on the community as a whole. I was concerned that the show in order to not be seen in a bad light decided not to use the phrases in the future so as not to offend anybody. Whilst I would never want to intentionally offend anybody, for one Trans individual to lead this tirade against prominent figures in the community is startling.

Blogger Parker Marie Molloy is attempting to make a name for herself and terms herself as a "Trans Activist". If this where all it were about, girl I would back you to the hilt but this issue goes far deeper.  Those of you who know me are fully aware I have a belief system that is founded on the fact that we do not have to agree on every little issue to co-exist. Molloy,  however much she tries to deflect the negative attention she has brought most of it upon herself due to her inability to agree to disagree.

I accept fully that SHE does not wish to be described as a Tranny as that it offends her sensitivity and will back her to the hilt for that. When anyone insists they speak for the community as a whole and dictates how the WHOLE community should be termed and which vernacular should be used it is nothing short of ridiculous. The whole Trans community has been up in arms about Molloy and her attempts to police the vernacular of others when describing who they are.

One such person is the thankfully outspoken Jayne County who is openly Transsexual and is happy to refer to herself as a Tranny and will not bow to pressure to stop referring to herself in such terms, no Mamm! She was even banned from Facebook for using the  word Tranny to describe herself. I am at a loss to how we have gotten to this point where we cannot choose the vernacular that we wish to use to describe ourselves without being Policed or Banned for it.

A group has sprung up called Trannies4Rupaul which is astounding given the level objection Molloy claims exist within the community regarding the word, but to find the answer we must dig a little deeper. I spent sometime looking through Molloy's Twitter page the other day in order to get an idea of where she was at with all of this and it was like a trail of negativity throughout. She is at odds with the world and anyone who objects or disagree with her is either blocked or their commentary is shared with Molloy's own negative spin attached for good measure.

This Victim mentality is causing a spread of divide in the community which is, I believe the true motivation for Molloy's continued vitriolic journey. She has even called for the termination of The Editor of Huff Post's Gay Voices Noah Michelson . I am unsure if Noah even knows what he has done to deserve this level of response over and above the fact he does not agree with her perspective. Be assured that Noah is not an unkind person and has even from time to time advised me to be a little less personal about people in my writing. I am quite sure Noah's crown, throne are tiara are safe for now.

One thing that would make me warm to Molloy is if she would learn to engage in Civil Discourse instead of being on the defensive so often. I have made more friends since I learned to be more objective , even people I vehemently disagree with. Instead she chooses to block and ignore anyone who does not fall into line with her ideologies. Her concern at the level of personal response she receives is puzzling as she makes all kinds of statements on how people should behave and when questioned on them she backs down or doubles back on her original statement.

We as a community should not be working against one another and it is ridiculous to feel like we will ever agree on every mute issue.  As we will be discussing this issue on Sundays show, I gave Molloy the opportunity to put her point across, however she did not respond and I am now blocked by her on Twitter. Molloy is a talented writer and I am sad that she makes enemies from her level of commentary. If we choose to be continually controversial it does not bode well for a challenging career as we run the risk of being seen as an anti activist.

When we claim to be an activist and the very very people we claim to be acting for are antagonized by our very level of interaction and the issues we raise, we surely have to begin to question exactly who we are acting on behalf of. We cannot presume to direct the vernacular any individual chooses to use about themselves, only ourselves or we run the risk of causing divide rather than unification. If we choose to put our opinion out there, we have to have the balls to back it up. No pun intended.

What about you? What do you think?

Tell me below

 Love & Peace, Xander.

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