Susie O’Brien: Seven wrong to present ‘transgender’ comment on MKR as an insult

There’s nothing outrageous or offensive about transgender people, so a My Kitchen Rules contestant being called “trans” is not an insult, Susie O’Brien writes.

There is nothing outrageous or offensive about transgender people, and so being called “trans” is not an insult.

At least, it shouldn’t be.

Shame on Channel 7 for whipping up hysteria for last night’s My Kitchen Rules episode by promoting the show as centring around this supposedly insulting word. It’s 2019 and acceptance of gender diversity is well advanced, so I thought we might see sensitivity rather than sensationalism at the expense of a vulnerable community.

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Indeed, there was no reason whatsoever for the network to air the exchange at all.

As Sally Goldner, media representative for Transgender Victoria, told me today, the segment should have been edited out altogether. I agree with her. However, now that it’s out there, I think it’s worth discussing so we can learn something from it.

The exchange unfolded when Veronica remarked on Karolina’s height, before Lyn weighed in and said she thought she was “trans” because she was so tall.

Karolina asked for clarification.

“You thought I was a transvestite?” she said.

“Only because you’re so tall,” Lyn said.

“Oh my god, you really are saying it!” an outraged Karolina said.

Lyn then tried to apologise, but Karolina was very worked up by this time and told others later it “hurt my core”.

MKR’s KarolinaPicture: Channel 7

MKR contestant Veronica. Picture: matrixpictures.com.au

As Sally sees it, the exchange wasn’t relevant.

“Isn’t it supposed to be a cooking show?” she said. “Why did it need to be in there at all? It’s not relevant,” she said. “If this was a comment about another group it wouldn’t have been put to air. It’s not appropriate.

“Transsexual lives are not free publicity — there’s been too much of it in the past,” Ms Goldner said.

She also objected to the “accusatory tone” of the contestants. “You don’t ask if anyone is transgender- trans lives are trans lives,” she said.

Karolina’s offended reaction is unfortunate because it suggests there’s something wrong with being a transgender person when there is not. It makes me sad that, once again, the transgender community is being treated by the media in this way.

For too long people born with the wrong gender identity have been viewed with suspicion and hostility. However, times are changing and there is now greater acceptance and understanding of those whose assigned gender identity don’t match their personal gender identity. Reality TV star Caitlin Jenner has done much to normalise members of the transgender community.

Lyn Ellbourn (left) with Sal Caputo of MKR. Picture: Supplied

As always, language is important.

According to Joe Ball, CEO of Switchboard, a LGBTIQA+ support service, calling someone “trans” is not so different to saying, “You’re gay”.

“The idea is that it’s a damaging thing to be seen as transgender when this isn’t the case,” they said.

“It can be really harmful. If people see positive role models and gender not used in pejorative ways then it leads to better mental health outcomes.”

The GLAAD media guidelines state the term “trans” is used as a shorthand to mean transgender or sometimes transsexual. It’s used widely in the gender diverse community and shouldn’t be seen as offensive.

However, “tranny” is different — it’s seen as dehumanising and shouldn’t be used. It notes that while some people use the term to refer to themselves, it’s not a term for others to adopt.

The guidelines also suggest the term transvestite, which refers to people who are cross-dressers, not those who are changing gender, should not be used unless someone self-identifies using the term.

While it’s good to use the incident as a chance for education, it would have been better left out altogether. Thanks to people like former tennis star Martina Navratilova, who’s come out today saying trans women shouldn’t compete in sport, the trans community has enough to deal with without this too.

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