We Talked About the Trannies, I Swear!

I noticed that in the build up to the debate, the producers kept plugging the promised inclusion of transgender issues. Now, they do get kudos for realizing that in the greater discourse, transgender issues get lost easily and often. But when push came to shove, the actual debate fell far short of the hype. Unless I missed something, the only direct trans-related question was a complete softball question to Edwards, asking how he would react if someone in his office came out to him as being trans.

Honestly, I'm not surprised at the failure of the debate in this area. Twenty minutes with each candidate just isn't a great deal of time, and while it sucks, the fact still remains that most people in the GLBTQ community have their attention fixed elsewhere. I will be honest and admit that until I began examining my own identity I didn't truly stop to consider the additional issues that face the trans community. So no matter how many times the organizers insisted that trans issues would not be an afterthought, I didn't hold out much hope.

But I really got pretty pissed at the post-debate commentary. They pulled out this ridiculous scripted question-and-answer bit about how we really got to see trans issues addressed with the candidates for the first time ever. Um...was I watching a different debate? Did I miss the discourse on classification of transgendered identity as a medical disorder? On requiring a medical diagnosis in order to undergo transition? On discrimination in the areas of employment, health care, and family law? On the treatment of transgendered people in insitutions such as schools, jails and the military?

Like it or not, I do comprehend the mechanics of how the best intentions of addressing trans concerns fell through in the actual content of the debate. But for crying out loud, do not sit there and insist that these things were finally addressed. Don't insult the viewers' intelligence by insisting on something that is obviously not true. Saying it doesn't make it so.

And by the way, Edwards gets extra bonus points. Not only did he have the privilege of getting the token trannie question, but he answered it without actually spitting out the word "transgender".