Have we finally learnt to accept transvestites?

[Stavros]

The fall-out from Eurovision proceeds -first we found out most British voters thought Poland's entry was the best, now the Telegraph prints an article which criticises the reaction to Conchita as being part of a long tradition of ridicule and thus asks if Conchita was a victim of the fact that many people don't take Eurovision seriously, so she became part of the problem not the solution...a well argued article I think.

Eurovision: Have we finally learnt to accept transvestites?

As transvestite Conchita Wurst wins Eurovision, Patrick McAleenan asks whether this was also a meaningful victory for men who like to dress as women



By Patrick McAleenan
11:17AM BST 12 May 2014
A trannie has won Eurovision. I didn’t watch this year’s contest having long since given up on the show. It was (a puppet) that finally put the final nail in the proverbial coffin for me. A once respected singing contest (hello Abba!) had become an international joke where performers were lauded for how ridiculously bad they could be.
I use the term ‘trannie’ deliberately. I’m aware it’s a derogatory and disrespectful term, but it was the word used by a couple (male/female) in front of me as I queued to buy milk in my local Tesco on Sunday morning. Their words were hardly accepting of the transvestite community, but were they reacting to the 'trannie' specifically or the ridiculousness of the Eurovision spectacle?

Austria's winning singer Conchita Wurst is the transvestite alter ego of former boy-band star Tom Neuwirth. Also known as 'The Bearded Lady', she has called the beard "a symbol of tolerance". Bravo to Conchita for putting it out there to the 120 million audience of his year’s contest. She seems to stand for tolerance and acceptance and freedom of expression and all those laudable grown-up things that should be encouraged. And yet ... she was a participant on Eurovision, the one international contest where you can guarantee that entirely nothing will be taken seriously. Does Wurst's participation make us (the wider public) take transvestism less seriously? Or is she doing more harm than good?




First, let's deal with the terminology. Many people – and media outlets – have referred to Conchita as a drag queen act. Wrong. A drag queen is a man who dresses, and often acts, with exaggerated femininity, usually for the purpose of performance ( ). A transvestite, on the other hand, is a person who sometimes wears clothes traditionally worn by and associated with the opposite sex; typically a male who cross-dresses occasionally by habit or compulsion. Wurst is the latter.

The couple I earwigged at my local Tesco’s used ‘he’ a few times during their conversation when referring to Wurst. Wrong again. With transvestite people, you use the pronoun of whatever gender they are presenting. If you're talking about a man dressed as a woman, 'she' is respectful. I've been corrected on this one in the past; I wonder how many people – straight and gay – know how to refer to a transvestite. If we can't get a pronoun right, then surely it's a sign that transvestism still isn't fully accepted?
Most of us have seen a transvestite on the street, train, or bus. I’m always interested to see how people (especially men) react. Stares, whispers, name-calling and protective arms around children are still common behaviours. Transphobia stems from a fear of the 'other', of people who simply don't conform to society's norms. The issue transcends confusion around a simple pronoun; observe the reactions to transvestites and you realise that transphobia is still common in Britain.
Often, the reaction of people can be divided along sexuality lines. Men dressed as women is nothing out of the ordinary for a gay man to see or be around. Unless you’ve been living the life of a monk, most of us have watched a drag show so our social acceptance, by default, is more accepting of the transvestite community.

The reaction to Wurst's performance makes for an interesting case study. She won over audiences around the globe with her performance of 'Rise Like a Phoenix' – even though the song was consistently dire. On Saturday night, Twitter was awash with positive comments and pictures of fans donning beards, brown wigs and lip gloss to celebrate. It wasn't as though the world recoiled in fright – although Wurst did face a transphobic backlash online, with conservative protesters in Russia, Armenia and Belarus branding the contest a "hotbed of sodomy".
My worry is that Wurst's Eurovision victory belongs to a long-standing trend of treating transvestites as figures of humour. For many years we've seen men dressed as women on television and in film – the Two Ronnies in the 70s and 80s, Mrs Doubtfire, Little Britain’s hopeless transvestite character Emily Howard – but it's almost always played for laughs. It's as though the only way we can render transvestism safe is by making it a vehicle of laughter.
Of course, sometimes performers dress as women with serious intent. Eddie Izzard stands out for his openness on his transvestism. The 'look’ he favoured was a mix of bustiers, leather, PVC and dominatrix heels. But as Izzard has grown older and diverted his attention from stand-up to charity and politics, he's increasingly toned down his transvestism in public. It's now a long time since Izzard performed in girl-mode.
Wurst dedicated her victory to "everyone who believes in a future of peace and freedom" and, in a wry response to her critics, noted that it was "strange that a little facial hair causes that much excitement." So the beard was for television and headlines? Therein lies the danger of people’s reactions. Rather than being remembered as a champion for the global acceptance of transvestites, Conchita Wurst will probably be known as the bearded lady who won Eurovision 2014. Her message was derailed by the spectacle of it all.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/think...svestites.html

[GroobySteven]

I think this piece is a little puerile and just looking for an angle. I think it's also misinformed. Is there still a readership for The Telegraph?

I didn't watch any of the show, it's not my thing but I caught the winner online - and if I'd just heard the song without the vision, it was actually pretty ok - and given some of the previous Euro winners and entrants, far from "dire" in comparison, so I think his whole argument is knocked down there.

Men dressed as women in comedy roles (regardless of terminology) - or women dressed as men in comedy roles, will always be funny. They're playing characters, so trying to equate anything that The Two Ronnies, Les Dawson, Mrs.Brown or Catherine Tate do in the comedy routines is irrelevant also.

Personally, I believe we should address people as the gender they appear and it is a rule on this board but I don't believe their is a hard definition or ruling on this, just because a bearded man wears makeup and a dress, then we should refer to them as a "she"? I think the writer has got this totally incorrect:

"With transvestite people, you use the pronoun of whatever gender they are presenting. If you're talking about a man dressed as a woman, 'she' is respectful. I've been corrected on this one in the past; I wonder how many people – straight and gay – know how to refer to a transvestite. If we can't get a pronoun right, then surely it's a sign that transvestism still isn't fully accepted? "

So overall ... what a pile of horseshit.

[GroobySteven]

Here is a better trans news story:
http://groobypost.com/scientist-kate...reporting.html

[GiDM]

I get the "tolerance" thing she's going for. However, if she didn't didn't have that beard, albeit a very very nice beard, she could be one of the worlds most beautiful Tgirls.

[robertlouis]

I read that piece in the Guardian. Whether it will actually deter the titillation that drives so much of the British press, including the quality end, remains to be seen, but the ruling is a step in the right direction.

As for the whole Eurovision thing, yes, it's a camp uberfest, and I can't abide it for a second. However, I do agree with the Telegraph writer's conclusion. If Conchita was genuinely trying to make a serious point, she chose the wrong forum.

[robertlouis]

Paris Lees, trans campaigner, in the Guardian. I do like her.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentis...nder-diversity

[Prospero]

Paris Lee's piece is good.... all aboard the openness express

[GroobySteven]

I think Paris Lees should get more credit for her writing and position as a transgender advocate.

[robertlouis]

I think Paris Lees should get more credit for her writing and position as a transgender advocate.

She was No 1 on the Independent's Pink List last year.