In (Social) Media Res(pect)

• Posted by Judith Harmon July 30, 2016 Filed in Society Girl's Personal Blogs 979 views
  click to rate

  This week, one of our members, Kristelle Watkins, launched her new Youtube channel. I strongly urge you to take a look - the first of her videos can be found here:

   

  When I first joined the Gender Society (or Trannyweb as it was then), one of our members, Marsha, strongly expressed her opinion that everyone in our community had a responsibility to be out and visible, because that was the only way that transphobia in the general population could be overcome. I didn't fully agree with this then, arguing that education and social policy were the key drivers to acceptance. We had some spirited debate on the subject, before agreeing to disagree.

   

  I miss Marsha.

   

  Anyway, in the years since then I've come to agree that visibility has a greater effect on how trans people are accepted, and this was reinforced by a study published earlier this year. The researchers found that transphobic prejudice could be significantly reduced by interviews in which cisgender people were invited to find experiences which they had in common with transgender people. The reduction in prejudice was long-lasting, and was even more effective when the person carrying out the interview was trans. You can read more about the study here:

   

  In the light of this realization, I try to interact with people wherever I can to bring them into contact with a real, live transperson, and these interactions have been overwhelmingly positive. I'm out at work, and the hundred or so people in my office have all been supportive and accepting. I've delivered presentations to senior managers throughout my organisation, and once again the feedback has been nothing but positive. However, in all I may have spoken with three or four hundred people. Add in the general population of my home town, and I may have had the opportunity to represent an authentic, transgender life to a thousand or so people.

   

  Which brings me back to Kristelle's channel. Social media have found their way into every aspect of modern life, to the point where many people no longer differentiate between people they 'know' from Facebook and the people they know from work. There's a transwoman named Danni Munro who posts videos to Youtube which are viewed by five thousand or more people. Another trans channel, hosted by a transwoman named Maya, has viewing numbers close to three million. That's three million people who have chosen to hear what an openly transgender person has to say about her life and experiences.

   

  I'm now firmly of the opinion that social media will be where trans acceptance finally makes the progress that we've seen in the arena of sexual orientation. We all have our part to play in letting the people around us see that we all have much more in common than we have differences, but it'll be the media-savvy young people with their fearless and authentic communications that will deliver the cultural paradigm shift that's so long overdue.

   

  So to Kristelle I say"You go, girl, and my sincere thanks for what you're doing for our community". To everyone else, "Watch, subscribe and like. The future starts here".

   

  Hugs to all,

   

  Judith xx