Dear Argus,
Every semester I am more and more shocked and appalled at your inability to check the “facts” you put forth in each of your many articles. As far as I understand, Ezra Silk, author of the article entitled “University ’bends’ Foss Cross” (August 29, 2008, Volume CXLIV, Number 1), had no previous knowledge about any of the issues ze wrote about. Several students informed me that hir interviewing and information-gathering processes were appalling and extremely offensive.
This is not surprising, having finally gathered the courage to read hir article. First of all, the quote ze used from me is from the Trans/Gender group listserv, not, as ze states, “the transgender e-mailing list, ’Endless Acronym.’” Endless Acronym is the campus’ LGBTQ… listserv, while the Trans/Gender group listserv is a listserv only for those in Trans/Gender group. There is no, as ze states, “transgender e-mailing list.”
Ezra refers to Bend it at Beckham as a “cross-dressing party.” This is the EXACT reason that the name was changed, because the idea of cross-dressing implies that there are clothes meant only for men and clothes meant only for women and that for one “fabulous” day men can wear women’s clothes and vice versa and this can be very silly and fun. Instead, the event should be a radical celebration of the performance of gender, gender identity, and gender expression.
Thus, Ezra’s reference to Smith’s outfit as “neither ’male’ nor ’female’” is incredibly offensive. What is ze saying? That certain clothes ARE male while others ARE female?
Argus, I plead you, I implore you: Before I graduate in the spring, can I just once open the Argus and not be incredibly horrified and offended?
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