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On Oct. 13th, 2020, days removed from National Coming Out Day, 24 hours removed since the Queer Community’s observance of the 22-year anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard and all during LGBT History Month, the Toronto Star and over 120 print media published an inappropriate comic perpetuating themes of transphobia.
The comic depicts two people meeting for a first date in a coffee shop. One of the characters is wearing a blue floral dress and a necklace, also sporting tied up blonde hair, facial and chest hair, muscular arms. The only piece of dialogue is from this character that reads “Sorry, Luv, but I did not lie. My personal profile clearly stated that I had been a broad in London the past two years.”
The comic perpetuates stereotypes and discriminatory thoughts toward trans folks by depicting them as individuals who are deceptive, who hide in plain sight, all of which couldn’t be further from the truth. Trans folks do have great difficulty in dating and finding a partner for those who wish to do so. In some situations where cisgender folks take their personal safety for granted, it is almost always top of mind for trans folks and the comic depicts this moment of “coming out” as a joke. Trans lived experiences are yet to be widely accepted in our culture. Trans folks face higher rates of suicide, are more likely to struggle with housing and food insecurity, and live in lower socio-economic brackets.
Transgender individuals are real, trans men are men, trans women are women, and one of the many reasons trans folks continue face resistance in living their truth is when messaging shared with the masses perpetuate these discriminatory perspectives. The Toronto Star and 120 other forms of media who published this comic exposed millions of potential readers to this comic.
We call on an apology not just from Toronto Star and StarMedia, but from all media organizations who published this transphobic content. The Toronto Star and news media across the country has a long history of perpetuating negative messaging about LGBTQ2 people in Canada, we hope the publication of this article was a gross miscalculation in judgment and nothing more.
Trans lived experiences are no joke.
Tristan Coolman
President, Pflag York Region
