September 2, 2010
Published: 28 Jul 10 09:28 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/28042/20100728/
Transgender people need more protection, the Liberal Party has announced, adding it proposes that the hate crime law be clarified so that it is clear that it also applies to this group, Sveriges Radio's news bulletin Ekot reported on Wednesday.
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Why does the local insist on contacting inappropiate sources for information.
RFSL is an organisation for homosexual and bisexual people.
http://www.foreningenbenjamin.se/ is the registered group in Sweden for transsexual people, ie those who change sex.
Does the Journalists at the Local have a personal issue with transsexual people as a reason to misinform?
Also while I am at it, the law in Sweden is for transsexual and intersex people changing sex. It is nothing to do with any other groups, such as tranvestites. Any indication to the contrary, is a falsehood.
If you are going to report on anything in Sweden, please actually read the law you are referring to and consult the appropiate groups.
The term transgender was invented in the 60's by a transvestite for tranvestites. It later morphed into a term covering transvestites, she males, drag queens and transsexuals. It has no legal standing as a term anywhere in European law. It is purely an American term which has grown to cover so many groups as to become meaningless.
The appropiate term is transsexual. A transsexual person was determined in a European court case which binds Sweden as well, in the European Court of Justice case known as P v S ( Case C-13/94 ) as being someone intending to, undergoing or who has underwent sex reasignment surgery.
Also I would suggest the author of this article reads the Parliamentary Assembly Of The Council Of Europe, Forty First Ordinary Session, Recommendation 1117 (1989) on the condition of transsexuals.
Danielle is right about the -ed thing, though and I think she explained it pretty well. If the paper finds transgender people to be too cumbersome to write, one can also write transfolk.
Nemesis is wrong about RFSL though. RFSL - Riksförbundet för homosexuellas, bisexuellas och transpersoners rättigheter (RFSL—The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights) is a non-profit organization that works with and for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT). It is non-partisan and not affiliated with any religious organization.
And wrong about transgender too. I'm a transsexual and I also identify with the term transgender and think it's a fantastic umbrella term to refer to anyone whose gender presentation and or gender identity is not in line with heternormativity. And you're wrong about it being an American term-- it is widely used in Europe and has been for a long time now.
Advocates of including transgender people in hate crime legislation really do want to use the inclusive term that includes transvestities and people who don't identify with the gender binary at all. They experience hate crimes related to their gender presentation, not their sexuality.
And 'voiceofreason' you need to sit down and shut up.