Re: Transgender Letter

If you are going to write a letter to the editor about a topic of public interest, you need to know correct terminology and what you are talking about. Recently, one writer wrote a piece about transgender women, whom she referred to as ‘’transgender males.’’’ A transgender male is a person who was assigned female at birth and transitioned to male. That’s a transgender male. Transgender females are people who were assigned male at birth and transitioned to female. The writer used incorrect terminology throughout her letter. Also, a recent writer wrote that he does not want his teenage daughter sharing a locker room or dressing room with a transgender female. He said he based this on fact, and not on fear. But where’s the facts? He did not present a single fact about why his little girl should not be in the same room with a transgender female. Unless you clearly document your writing with proven facts or correct terminology, you are misleading the public. Fact or fear? Which is it? Or is it plain ingnorance? These people are using the same type of innuendo that hate groups have used over the years against Jews, Muslims, African-Americans, Asians, immigrants and other marginalized people. If you want to write op-ed pieces, ground your writing in fact, please. For the sake of the public being able to understand the issue.

–Angela Shipp, Castro Valley