Feminism not the issue

The Dec. 5 edition of The Diamondback contained an op-ed titled “Promiscuous FACES” written by Abhi Chandrasekhara.

When the models in the show got on stage during the FACES fashion show, Chandrasekhara was disturbed by what he viewed as “indecent” behavior by some of the female models. I didn’t attend the show, but from Chandrasekhara’s perspective, the models essentially had an orgy on stage.

Decency is personal perspective. What Jerry Falwell views as decent is going to differ greatly than from what Ron Jeremy views as decent. Fortunately for Chandrasekhara (and Falwell and Jeremy), we live in a country that affords us great personal choice. Just like those models made the choice to get on stage and “gyrate,” Chandrasekhara could have made the choice to leave the show.

What disturbs me most about the editorial is that, from his perspective, the women were at fault for participating in “simple debauchery.” Why doesn’t the author chastise the audience members for encouraging this debauchery? Are men mindless drones who can’t control their carnal desires every time a woman shakes her hips? Chandrasekhara claims that it “takes a collective effort to eradicate [stereotypes],” yet he only places blame on the female models.

The models’ actions are not an affront to feminism. Those models represent everything that is good about feminism. A person in our society can choose to get up on stage, shake their hips and not be arrested, tortured or otherwise condemned.

I applaud the men and women who participated in the FACES fashion show for having the courage to put themselves on stage, in a place where they could be judged by the entire community.

Molly QuellSeniorGovernment and politics

‘Tranny’ not an acceptable word

Nikkee Porcaro, in her Dec. 5 “Delaying Adulthood” guest column, shared a number of “amusing” anecdotes regarding her quest to shift effectively from college to the working world. Porcaro writes, “As if window treatment shopping wasn’t enough, now I’m playing Spot the Tranny with my mom.”

I know that Porcaro probably has no problem with transgender people. However, especially in light of the fact that Transgender Day of Remembrance, which commemorates those who lost their lives due to anti-transgender prejudice, occurred only a couple of weeks ago, I think it is extremely important to make clear that “tranny” is not an acceptable word; in fact, it is incredibly offensive, and tossing it around the way Porcaro did is beyond problematic.

Although it has to a large extent been reclaimed by much of the transgender community, the word “tranny” can really be placed on the same level as words such as “fag” and “n—-r.” These are words that, to a point, have been reclaimed by the groups of people they target; however, they remain controversial and should never be used by people who are not in those groups. In my opinion, they should not be used at all.

I’m sure Porcaro meant nothing hurtful by her little joke. However, consider Ukea Davis, 18, and Stephanie Thomas, 19, who were shot to death in 2002, just down the street in Washington, for how they chose to express their gender – for being so-called “trannies.”

Fifty-one youths have been murdered since 1995 in hate crimes motivated by gender identity and expression. The use of words like “tranny,” no matter the intent, only fuels the intolerance that makes it difficult for gender variant people to feel or be safe in our community.

Jenna BragerFreshmanJournalism

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