THE GUERRILLA ANGEL REPORT — After an ugly week for trans people in the news, particularly, in newspapers, imagine my surprise when I picked up from my doorstep our local paper and seeing a trans positive story on the front page — we’re not talking about a small tombstone piece, but real estate approaching half of the front page with a photo above the fold.
The story in The Oregonian: Portland’s Grant High School creates unisex restrooms for transgender students to use after school administrators became concerned about their safety and needs.
Yes, it’s simple as that. $500 to change some locks. Potential problem fixed. Next issue please.
Why can’t other schools be as progressive as the Portland Public Schools? Need a model? Here’s one.
Thumbs up to the school counselors, administrators, Portland’s TransActive and anyone else that had a hand in this.
As for The Oregonian, whoa, what can I say? Pronoun usage, terminology, facts — you got most everything right. Here’s another model for mainstream reporting on trans people and trans issues that others ought to follow. (The Daily Mail, et. al., I’m looking at you.)
Grant High’s transgender students get unisex bathroom option | OregonLive.com.
———–
You’re welcome to share this entire article!
Follow this topic on Lexie Cannes’ Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/lexiecannes
Support this site, get the transgender-themed feature film “Lexie Cannes“ DVD here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0963781332
The Guerrilla Angel Report is associated with Wipe Out Transphobia: http://www.wipeouttransphobia.com/
Categories: Policy, Administrative, Transgender, Transsexual, Trans
Many folks out here in Oregon have worked hard for a long time on trans issues. It is great to see it paying off.
It’s nice to see some good news after seeing so much hate and ignorance and fear mongering all week. Portland, you’re amazing! Thank you!
Portland, of course with compassionate thinkers and a free spirit of course Portland would do this for trans-kids. I wish Portland was in a sunnier place I’d move there.
I think the best and most notable thing about this article is that the bathrooms aren’t being designated for transgender students, but that they are there if the trans students feel uncomfortable using the bathrooms assigned to the gender they are identifying with.
FYI: don’t get too excited about the family’s coverage. They did not break the story. The Grant High School magazine did. All media followed – KGW, KOIN, KATU, KPTV, Willamette Week, KXL and KEX – and appropriately credited Grant Magazine. But The Oregonian was LAST to report the story and didn’t credit the students who brought this story to light.
*paper’s
Dave, thanks for the info and setting the record straight.
However, there is a somewhat bigger story here than the Grant unisex bathroom, which in itself is HUGE (thumbs up again to Grant HS). The trans community has been taking a beating in mainstream media with exploitation, misgendering, wrong pronoun usage and truly ugly dehumanization in newspaper reporting. Here, The O got everything right, and put it on the front page. At least now I’ve an example I can point to when engaging in media exploitation debates in the future.
Thanks for your comments!