Festival For Men Who Dance PAGES

Everitt Rosen

BBC News recently published a piece titled “We’re being pressured into sex by some trans women.” Since its publication, the article has been condemned for claiming trans lesbians habitually pressurize cis lesbians into sex based on a survey of 80 participants.

The BBC responded to the criticism by saying the item was about a “complex subject” that it “went through our rigorous editorial process” before being published, adding that the article provides appropriate context, according to PinkNews.

But, this isn’t the first instance of the BBC being criticized for its coverage of transgender people, as media outlets is being condemned for giving anti-trans groups a platform.

After this controversial article was published Oct. 26, more than 10,000 people have signed an open letter to BBC upper management and editorial staff, criticizing the piece for implying that trans women generally pose a risk to cisgender lesbians in sufficient numbers to be newsworthy, but instead these are incredibly rare occurrences.

This letter was organized by the grassroots group Trans Activism UK and went on to criticize BBC, saying that the group the article was based on was a self-selected survey of individuals from “Get The L Out,” which is a group that is united by anti-trans views.

“The article uses a deeply flawed study that doesn’t meet BBC guidelines, and anecdotal accounts from known transphobic hate groups who actively campaign for transgender people to lose their legal recognition as their gender,” the letter states.

Get The L Out is an anti-trans organization,

previously cited by BBC News, that hijacked Pride in London in 2018 with signs reading “trans activists erase lesbians,” flyers opposing trans-friendly gender recognition revisions, and calls for trans women to be barred from women’s areas. In response to the open letter, a BBC spokesperson stated that the article takes a complex subject and looks at it from another perspective, acknowledging that it is difficult to assess the full extent of the issue. “It includes testimony from a range of different sources and provides appropriate context. It went through our rigorous editorial processes,” “IRRESPONSIBLE the spokesperson stated. Trans Media Watch,

REPORTING a charity dedicated to improving the media LIKE THIS IS DANGEROUS. IT coverage of trans and intersex issues, stated it was “shocked” by the BBC report. SIGNIFICANTLY “We are shocked, too, to note the incredibly poor AND ADVERSELY IMPACTS TRANS standard of BBC journalism in this piece,” the TMW statement stated.” PEOPLE’S DAY- Unfortunately, this BBC article is not the only TO-DAY LIVES.” instance of anti-transgender media. Similarly, FOX News - Helen Belcher has featured a recordTRANS MEDIA WATCH breaking number of antitrans segments, according to Dame Magazine. Media leaders who act as a conduit to the violent extreme right, such as Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, and Charlie Kirk, have increasingly warned their viewers that trans persons pose an existential threat to U.S.

BBC New Broadcasting House in London, U.K. Photo via Adobe.

national security, Western civilization, and the species’ survival.

Groups such as “Get The L Out” are often self-proclaimed “gender critical” and are a part of the “Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist” (TERF) movement.

The religious right and the neo-fascist extreme right are closely intertwined in the TERF movement. They all believe that the ideal number of transgender persons is zero, and they’re ready to employ government authority as well as crowd-sourced persecution to get there.

According to Dame, this year has seen a record amount of anti-trans measures proposed, with more passing than in the previous 10 years combined.

One current legal battle is that the religious right and gender critics claim that they have a protected right to misgender their students and coworkers.

“Irresponsible reporting like this is dangerous. It significantly and adversely impacts trans people’s day-to-day lives,” stated Helen Belcher, a trustee of Trans Media Watch.

VOLUME 8 • ISSUE 23 NOVEMBER 18, 2021

By Marc Gave

“Friends” is the title of the exhibit that opened Nov. 13 at Art Gallery 21, 600 NE 21st Court, in Wilton Manors. While it shares its name with the nostalgic TV series in perpetual reruns, it is a totally contemporary show.

Organized by photographer Steven Shires and impeccably curated by Matthew Dreger, “Friends” comprises works of Shires and those of photographers who are friends of his: Wilton Manors resident Sharron Demarest and the Hallandale Beach–based triumvirate known as MarcMartin Publishing: cousins Albert Barg, Jeff Weisberg, and Brandon Quarters.

Gallery owner Constance Ruppender remarked, “We are honored to have been chosen to exhibit this show. This is the first of its kind for us. It was originally timed to coincide with the Wilton Manors Art Walk on Nov. 20. When that event was moved up a week so as not to conflict with Fort Lauderdale Pride on the Beach, we revised our opening schedule.”

Shires’s work reflects an eclectic approach to photography. While he has taken thousands of shots for community events and continues to work as a commercial photographer, it is his fine-art side that is highlighted in this exhibit. He says, “I shoot what captures my eye. I want my audience to see what I see through the camera, and as a result, I’m a big fan of cropping.” Because he prints his fine-art photos on watercolor paper,

Organized by people often mistake them for paintings. Shires’s portfolio can photographer Steven Shires and be viewed at www.stevenshires. com. Demarest combines impeccably curated by Matthew masterful, colorful still-life and urban scenes with poignant color and black-and-white portraits. Dreger, “Friends” comprises She says, “I owe my photography career to Steven Shires, whom I met while I was shooting an works of Shires assignment for SAGE of South Florida, where I was editor and and those of photographer of the newsletter. photographers Steve encouraged me to enter gallery shows. who are friends “I expand the boundaries of of his. traditional photography with Photoshop. The three pillars of my work are observing people, getting close-up to nature, and doodling on the computer.” You can see more of Sharron Demarest’s work online at scd-photographics. com. The Marc-Martin artists, Albert Barg, Jeff Weisberg, and Brandon Quarters, are wellknown individually and collectively for their

All five photographers in the show, headlined by Steven Shires (right). Photo via Art Gallery 21, Facebook.

photos of National Parks. At Art Gallery 21, they selected a few images from those sites along with scenes of Miami Beach.

Weisberg says, “This barely scratches the surface of what all three of us do. We wanted to sample what we do around the country but also show our local stuff. Close to home, we love taking photos of the beach, the Everglades, and other natural areas like the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge and Green Cay Wetlands.” You can see more of their work at www.marcmartinpublishing. com.

If you are a lover of fine photography, watch the show at Art Gallery 21 through Dec. 11. The gallery is open Fridays and Saturdays from 5-7 p.m. and by appointment: 954-2255488. Include a visit in your dinner plans and enjoy another aspect of what the Wilton Manors community is all about.