No Phobias Here, Please

Those who regularly read my personal facebook page will know that, when in the wrong mood, I can be a chronic complainer. Wobetide if your company has failed somewhere along the line; you'll be hearing from me! It's actually become worse over the past year, a sign, I believe, that I'm getting old.

For those of you who are inflicted with my often long winded complaints (You are allowed to "unfriend" me, you know!!) will know that yesterday I really lost the plot.

If you didn't catch it, I was complaining about an article published on the Observer newspaper website (the offending article has now been removed, thankfully). It was written by a writer (and I use that in the loosest sense of the term) who decided to take it upon herself to write what, in essence, was a hate speech against transgender people.

I HIT the roof! I don't, and will never, tolerate any kind of "phobias" (I'm arachnophobia but that's a different story). We're not in the 1500's any more and people should be allowed to live their lives however they want. I don't care if you're pink, blue, black, yellow, green or rainbow coloured. If you're happy, you're happy. You will always have an ally in me and safe place on this blog.

As much as I'd hate to see anyone loose their job during times like this, the author of that piece (Julie Burchill, for the curious) really does need firing. No one, and I mean no one, should be allowed to get away with what she wrote. I don't care if they're a columnist for a supposedly upmarket newspaper. She should be promptly sacked and then handed over to the police for prosecution regarding hate speech and inciting violence. If any one of us had said what

And, if the Google News search is anything to go by, I'm not the only one.

It's time we stood up to these bigots. Time to stand up to the ones who think they're immune to any kind of retribution because they have the protection of an editor and newspaper. Time to wipe out this so called "news" and create something new and beautiful. Are you will me?

Well, are you?!?!?!

For those who didn't catch it, here's my complaint to the Observer in full:

To Whom It May Concern:

As a regular reader of your newspaper I find it utterly atrocious that you allow Julie Burchill to spout unwarranted, and quite frankly offensive, views. I would like to point out that we live in the 21st Century and, while freedom of speech must be maintained, so should the dignity of those who for so long have been pushed in to the minorities.

While I'm sure your editor allowed this piece through to no doubt "improve circulation and readership", all you are doing is lowering yourselves to the standards of the red top rags and the lowest of the low of news services. How about actually standing up for the people who find themselves regularly beaten and harassed because they are different? How about speaking to the people Burchill chooses to vilify and writing an honest, open article on their lives? (and not sensationalising it at all. Have you people learned nothing from the phone hacking and Saville scandals?) In fact, how about finally getting rid of Burchill and her outdated and vile views and replacing her with one of those people she so enjoys attacking?

How about you don't follow the "norm" and actually do something different? You would win yourselves a lot more friends that way than making even more enemies just by trying to improve your circulation with the mindless, outdated, and unresearched views. We in society have to think before we speak, and will suffer the consequences if we don't. Burchill should not be exempt from these rules and should be made aware that her words can lead her to be prosecuted.

While we need to protect our freedom of speech (which I'm sure you'll cite that article as), we also need to be aware of what we are doing and saying and how it can make others feel.

I do hope you take the complaints you're receiving about this article seriously and actually think about what you're putting out in to the world. This world is a bad enough place as it is without you allowing people like Burchill to whip up even more hate and prejudice.

This complaint will also be sent to the Press Complaints Commission.

Yours,
Rae Gee