No more "You've got she-mail"

[anaraqueen.livejournal.com]

Over the past several weeks, popular reality show "RuPaul's Drag Race" landed itself in hot water over the use of terms some activists claimed were transphobic or disrespectful to transgender people.

During a mini-challenge on the show titled "Female or She-male," contestants were asked to identify whether a photo showed a cisgender (non trans) woman or a former "Drag Race" contestant after viewing a cropped portion of the photo. Some transgender people claimed that the segment was transphobic, as "she-male" is considered by many to be a violent word used against trans bodies and lives.

Following an initial statement regarding the use of the word posted after the segment aired, "RuPaul's Drag Race" and Logo TV are now making a huge change to their programming in order to address the allegations of transphobia.

A new statement sent to The Huffington Post by Logo reads:

We wanted to thank the community for sharing their concerns around a recent segment and the use of the term 'she-mail' on Drag Race.

Logo has pulled the episode from all of our platforms and that challenge will not appear again.

Furthermore, we are removing the 'You've got she-mail' intro from new episodes of the series.

We did not intend to cause any offense, but in retrospect we realize that it was insensitive. We sincerely apologize.

Earlier this month, The Huffington Post reached out to two former contestants on the show that later came out as transgender to seek their perspective surrounding the controversy. Transgender model Carmen Carrera responded with a statement she made on her Facebook, claiming, "Drag Race should be a little smarter about the terms they use and comprehend the fight for respect trans people are facing every minute of today. They should use their platform to educate their viewers truthfully on all facets of drag performance art."

Transgender former contestant Monica Beverly Hillz also told The Huffington Post that she found the use of the term "not cute at all" and that "people don't understand the daily struggle it is to be a transgender woman."
(source)

Comments

[raktajinos.livejournal.com]

well that's awesome that they are taking it seriously. And there was none of that "we're sorry if you were offended" crap, but a straight up apology. Good for Logo.

[keeper-of-stars.livejournal.com]

I understand where they're coming from, but it makes me sad that they're pulling the WHOLE episode. Shade: The Rusical is one of their best episodes. They could easily edit out the mini-challenge and fill those five minutes with un-aired material. You know they've got tons of footage still lying around on the cutting room floor.

I wonder how they're going to replace the "she-mail" at the beginning of each episode. I hope it's not a choppy edit.

[anaraqueen.livejournal.com]

I've read on reddit that the episode will air again on june 17th (here's a picture anyway (https://31.media.tumblr.com/b6179de3269827ab607fb730dd4cb86d/tumblr_inline_n416zufm6j1r0aokv.jpg)) so I guess they will re do it without the mini challenge.

and the she-mail will be only "oooooh girl" from what I've read as well.

[keeper-of-stars.livejournal.com]

But was that decided before the announcement today? I really am hoping it's right, I'd hate to lose the rest of the episode. I wonder what this means for the DVD.

Yeah, it was a little odd at first, but not that off putting. I hope they come up with something better for the next season.

[anaraqueen.livejournal.com]

Yes! I knew about it on sunday. Also it would be nonsense cutting the whole episode, how would they explain April's vanishment?

I agree, when I heard it I was like "...", tbh I would prefer Laganja's audio "COME ON MAIL" or something related than that. Hope they bring it back do something good next season.

[keeper-of-stars.livejournal.com]

I hadn't even thought of the random disappearance of a contestant. I also feel terrible for Lucian. I can't imagine that he's happy to see it disappear.

Please no... Not Laganja, lol. Sorry, couldn't resist. :P But yeah, they need something better. I wish it would come back as well. :(

[puffy-wuffy.livejournal.com]

Wow! Not expected, but appreciated.

[kapvik.livejournal.com]

One wonders if Carmen and Monica are just being bitter because they didn't win. Anyone who watches the show should know that it is the opposite of transphobic, and more often than not has been a platform for its trans contestants for their stories and issues that they otherwise probably would never have had.

I attribute this to plain old oversensitivity. The lovely Our Lady J wrote an excellent piece here (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/our-lady-j/rupauls-drag-race_b_5148719.html?utm_hp_ref=tw) concerning this.

[keeper-of-stars.livejournal.com]

I find it interesting that you bring up Carmen and Monica. I find it even more interesting that Porkchop and Sonique weren't mentioned in the article. I don't know about Porkchop, but Sonique tweeted about this today. Among other things, she said, "@RuPaul I was never offended by your show. Not everybody has the same sense of humor. I openly think #yougotshemail is brilliant. Xoxoxoxo" And.... she ended up being attacked for it. I wish that they'd included her point of view as well. After all, she was the first to come out as transgendered on Drag Race.

That article is a very interesting read. Thank you for posting it.

[kapvik.livejournal.com]

Among other things, she said, "@RuPaul I was never offended by your show. Not everybody has the same sense of humor. I openly think #yougotshemail is brilliant. Xoxoxoxo" And.... she ended up being attacked for it.

Okay, that is messed up. Sonique is right; it's a harmless little pun, and she of all people would know how hard it is to be a trans woman and how this show treats trans individuals (the answer being, "nicely"), since as mentioned she was the first to come out as such on the show. I'm livid that Sonique was attacked for being sensible.

And particularly since Porkchop is older and (I would think anyway) seems less hypersensitive to bullshit, I would like to hear her point of view as well.

I'm just glad people like Our Lady J and Sonique (and Pandora, from whom I actually found out about all this in the first place) are speaking up about how much crap this whole affair is. There are more than enough real problems in the world to worry about without needling our own people about nonsense.

[keeper-of-stars.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was very upsetting to see. I read over some of the tweets, but gave up. They got pretty nasty.

I totally agree. When I first heard about it, I wondered about how Sonique must feel about it, given that she's trans and came out on the show. I had to smile about her comment about people not having a sense of humor. I can see where the term can be hurtful, but in the case of she-mail, it was just a pun. I must admit, I side-eyed Female/She-Male a bit, but the "she-mail" never bothered me.

Honesty, this is a case of people being overly sensitive. This is such a small thing to attack. Why put so much energy into this when there are much larger battles to fight? And when do we say enough is enough, we've censored this show enough? That line will just keep getting pushed farther and farther forward. What's next? Women complaining about the terms fish and fishy?

I checked Porkchop's twitter, but there wasn't any acknowledgement of it. To be honest, I'm not surprised by that. Not only for the reasons you mentioned, but because she did go home in the first episode of the first season. She's not really known as a trans Drag Race queen.

Oooh, Pandora! I've read over a few of her tweets about this as well, very interesting. And again, another person who wasn't included in that interview. Not that she would be though, since she's not trans. But still, I'm a little irritated that the article focused on two people who shared the exact same opinion about it. Not everyone agrees, clearly, but they didn't bother to talk to anyone else from the show.

P.S. It'll be a miracle if any of this was coherent, I'm half asleep here.

[myswtghst.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I think it's great that Sonique and Our Lady J (among others) have spoken out about not being offended. I think it's important to include different voices and opinions within the trans* community in the discussion, and to respect those opinions. I also think it's completely out of line to attack people who are trans* and aren't offended for voicing their opinions about this, regardless of whether they're offended or not.

However, I'm still of the belief that those voices do not cancel out the voices of those who are in favor of the change, and who are offended. Plus, making the change doesn't hurt those who aren't offended in any way.

[entj.livejournal.com]

I agree with you about the show having been a platform. I am much more aware of transgender issues because of it.

I understand where the objections are coming from, and I really do get the sentiment that some things shouldn't be joked about, but this ... this seems a bit like biting the hand that's fed you, especially in Carmen's case (would she have been chosen for "What Would You Do (http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/05/patrons-defend-transgender-waitress-at-n-j-diner/)?" without the exposure from RPDR, I wonder?).

The problem for Logo is that they are kind of damned if they do and damned if they don't at this point. They did what made them look best in terms of not appearing dismissive of these concerns, but as you pointed out by sharing the Our Lady J article (and thank you for sharing that), pretty much nobody can speak for all people identifying as any specific group.

Honestly? The show is heavily satirical and plays with all sorts of gender norms/stereotypes. It's a conversation starter, and one of the conversations it has helped to start in mainstream America has to do with respect for transgendered individuals. If I were one, personally, I'd be very appreciative of what RuPaul has done in this regard.

I agree with you that the show is opposite of transphobic. It educates on various issues while keeping it witty. I really appreciated the show including Trinity's comment about "Playing ghetto. Yeah, that's original," pointing out the racism inherent in expecting that element as part of a person of color's comedy.

I understand and genuinely respect the various points of view involved; I'm just sorry that the dialogue about this subject couldn't have been more positive overall ... more proactive than reactive, as it were.

[myswtghst.livejournal.com]

Speaking as a cis woman, I'm glad they're doing this. While I understand some people are concerned about being "hypersensitive", my feeling is that if people are hurt / offended and it really costs so little (changing a few words) to reduce / relieve that hurt, there's no reason not to do it.

Overall, RPDR has done a lot to raise awareness and acceptance for trans women (with a lot of help from Carmen, Monica, Porkchop, and Sonique), but that doesn't mean they get a free pass. I think it's really great that RuPaul & co are taking the opportunity to continue moving forward.

Also, from everything I've seen, while Carmen did launch herself with RPDR, she's done just fine since then. Hell, Naomi Campbell referenced her in a recent speech, recognizing her activism. Carmen has really put herself out there and risked a lot of scrutiny (and worse) by being so outspoken, so I doubt she's speaking out about this "just to get attention", especially given how likely it is she's being asked about this at every opportunity.

[kapvik.livejournal.com]

But why are people suddenly offended over *this*, and why now? Why weren't they offended back in Season 2 when RuPaul was promoting her "Tranny Chaser" single, which one would think would be even more offensive? Or any of the other countless things the show and RuPaul have done similar to this?

I'm all for apologizing and reducing hurt *if* someone is actually hurt as opposed to simply butthurt. This whole thing looks less and less about righting a wrong and more and more about shady apes being shady.

[myswtghst.livejournal.com]

Maybe they were offended, but didn't feel they had the support / platform to speak up. Maybe they were offended, but felt silenced or shamed or were concerned about exactly the response they're getting now. Maybe they were offended, but felt it wasn't worth having their motives questioned or alienating their fans.

Maybe they weren't offended, but they thought about it more, or spoke to other people who are trans and changed their minds. Maybe they weren't offended, but when they began transitioning they realized how hurtful it could be.

Maybe they were offended, and they did speak up, and they were silenced, or no one listened.

With the growing popularity of transgender stars like Candis Cayne, Laverne Cox, and (yes) Carmen, and the rise in LGBT acceptance in general, it is easier to speak up about these things. You're more likely to have people standing behind you, and people who are willing to listen and make changes, just like Ru & co did, than you would have even a few years ago.

Plus, contrary to what you're intimating, this isn't just about Carmen and Monica speaking up and "being shady". This was a much larger issue that they were going to have to weigh in on as the most recent transgender contestants from the show. There were plenty of people in the community who spoke out about this, including GLAAD (https://www.glaad.org/blog/dialogue-makes-difference-update-rupauls-drag-race), and this isn't the first time (http://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2014/03/18/rupaul-stokes-anger-use-transphobic-slur) there's been controversy around Ru and RPDR for derogatory / offensive language.

There will always be "reasons" to justify doing oppressive shit, and "well, they weren't offended at the right time / in the right way" will probably always be one of those "reasons". There will always be people who look to the oppressed and say "well, they say tr*nny / n*gga / c*nt, so why can't I?" Even if I'm being overly cautious, even if my language is being "policed", I'd still rather err on the side of not hurting people who are already shit on by the majority of society.

[kapvik.livejournal.com]

And what's more, what people are so "offended" about in this case is not even close to fitting the definition of the word. None of this is anti-trans rhetoric or defamation. It's people with nothing better to do stirring the pot so they can feel important.

It's because of things like this that I really applaud people like Kathy Griffin who have a No Apologies policy.

No offense, but none of this even comes close to "oppression." You want to hear about real oppression and when things were seriously bad for LGBT minorities, ask some older gays, etc. about what they used to have to deal with not even 20 years ago. *That* is shit to complain about. This is just butthurt nonsense fuckery.

[keeper-of-stars.livejournal.com]

On the topic of LGBT oppression, have you read Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/139569.Stone_Butch_Blues?from_search=true)? If you're interested in leaning more about what people went through pre-Stonewall, this is a great place to start. I had to read it for a gay and lesbian studies class in college and it has stuck with me ever since. Among other things, it deals with the idea of gender and "she-male." If you do decide to read it, be prepared, it's very heavy.

[myswtghst.livejournal.com]

"Don't you have more important issues to think about?" (http://birdofparadox.wordpress.com/derailing-for-dummies-google-cache-reconstruction/#moreimportantly) is a pretty classic derailing technique. There are always going to be "more important" issues than whatever it is people are currently speaking out about, and pointing this out is just another way of shutting down a discussion. Not to mention, discussing this doesn't in any way prevent us from fighting oppression in other ways / other forms.

Yes, oppression has been (and still is) a lot more than just language, and language isn't comparable to the violence the LGBT community has faced (and continues to face). But language contributes to that violence. There's a really great Toni Morrison quote that I think applies here - "Oppressive language does more than represent violence; it is violence; does more than represent the limits of knowledge; it limits knowledge." Our language shapes our thoughts and our reality; using derogatory terms (even in a "fun" or "funny" way) normalizes the mindset that a group is other, which in turn makes it easier to believe a group is lesser, more deserving of oppression. The intent of "she-mail" might be entirely without malice, but it's built on the "joke" that being a "fake woman" is something to laugh at.

On top of all that, trans* individuals have an incredibly high suicide rate - a whopping 41% of people who are transgender or gender-nonconforming have attempted suicide sometime in their lives, nearly nine times the national average (http://articles.latimes.com/2014/jan/28/local/la-me-ln-suicide-attempts-alarming-transgender-20140127). That isn't just happening because of the extreme violence and prejudice they face, but also because of the daily micro-aggressions which reaffirm the world sees them as "other". And that isn't just limited to verbal abuse and deliberate misgendering, but includes "jokes" like this from people who are supposed to be supporting them, rather than undermining their existence.

[10101110.livejournal.com]

People get so worked up over labels, I'm trans and not at all offended by Female or She-male as long as it's coming from fellow LGBT+ people.

[blacktonguedevi.livejournal.com]

Jayne County rocks my socks !!!

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/5169324