Update #1: I wanted to share this article that was brought to my attention. The US Guardian wrote a piece that really gets to the heart of why I'm sounding a warning, while also helping to frame that this isn't directed at the .com Guardian—they seem to have a healthy viewpoint on how trans people should be treated.
@alice@risottobias why do you think the guardian wont be able to find information every trans person can find? This kinda sounds like fear mongering honestly. Im willing to be convinced otherwise
@cibo@alice@risottobias Because The Guardian isn't "looking for information." If any trans person can find it, then reporters can find it too without interviewing minors. They're looking for a story and a scapegoat. They want to feed another fear-mongering narrative about "evil trans coming for your children" which will inevitably lead to violence against trans adults and minors.
@quietmarc@alice@risottobias have they written about "evil trans coming for your children" before, or do you have reason to believe they would? A very cursory search found only articles that were advocating for trans rights.
@cibo@alice@risottobias Maybe do more than a cursory search, then. Queer people have been attacked by media in history, it's well documented. I'm not trans but because I'm connected to the trans community through friendships and acquaintances and being gay/queer myself I am well aware of how often newspapers all over will allow "gender critical" view points to speak over trans people and their allies themselves.
Just, as a little tip, when an oppressed group tells you that someone is oppressing them or is a threat to them, it's good policy to believe them.
@alice It's the rule for all trans folks, in any country. NEVER talk to the press.
No matter how friendly they are, how much they promise they're on your side, even if they say you have veto powers (you don't). They spend all day interviewing people, cosying up to them to get them to say things "off the record' (you are never off the record with press), pressuring people to say things in a not perfectly palatable way. They are very good at it, they have decades of practice. And then their editors will cut your words to support their narrative.
The fact that this sentiment exists and is in some ways legitimate is extremely concerning to me. The free press is one of the most foundational and effective tools of democracy we have, if it's doing a bad enough job for people to write it off entirely, we're in some deep shit.
@alice Oh no! I do not trust The Guardian! Even a place I did trust covering the topic would be suspect, getting this awareness out to the public especially right now seems like a very bad idea, despite how much knowing about it could potentially help trans people. :/ And like, I know there's trans folks who DIY T but like, I generally understand that to be illegal, whereas DIY E is at least in more of a grey area to legal, though that may be more my knowledge of Canada/USA than reflective of the UK.
@alice if anyone really is determined to speak to a journalist, I had the dubious pleasure of getting BBC media training and would be happy to spend some time with them explaining how things work. Basically, what they are getting into.
@alice
>diy hrt for making life changing drugs without doctors approval at home
yeah no.... I can understand if a doctor and parent approves but a diy version where teens can make it at home without any approval seems dangerous. let alone the fact that if something goes wrong
@Hunterrules0_o@alice The real story, for any newpaper that was serious about this would be, "Anti-Trans laws forcing kids into dangerous self-medication"
@alice second time i see those posts on fedi but nobody gives us here a source...
i mean i understand that in some countries people have to treat Press like cops..
but without any reliable source material i "press x to doubt" on everything that attacks the press.
@alice This is an unfair generalisation of 'mainstream media'. I see no reason why to distrust The Guardian, I only know their reporting as fair and balanced. It's my go-to news source for balanced climate change reporting, for example. We don't do decent journalists a favour if we toss them all on the same pile. We need less polarisation, not more.
@alice Don't talk to the cops, don't talk to reporters. Especially not the Grauniad, at least the Daily Heil or the Scum are upfront about their bigotry.
@alice I mean, we're already doing DIY eugenics as public health throughout the West, so that's not at all a far fetched conclusion . It won't be just conservatives, they'll be aided and abetted by moderate centrists, once that gains traction across the pond in the US (which it almost certainly will).
@alice I’m not on HRT and not knowledgeable about it at all but isn’t DIY HRT really risky? I don’t know much about it but that’s what I heard… :blobcatthink:
Would be glad to learn more about it.
@alice not from the UK, so requesting more info, The Guardian is not perceived as anti trans media around here, comparing the guardian and the police sounds alarming, what made you raise the alarm ?
@alice informed by who? I saw the 4chan post about it, but like do people actually have a reliable source for the claim that the guardian is talking to people?
@alice Yeah I mean it's good advice, which is why I wrote my own messages about this without the claim that the guardian was writing about this. It's not far fetched, but also wouldn't be crazy hard to document. So I'm surprised it's not documented anywhere. Something simple like "this journalist is contacting people" or "here is a screenshot of the question they asked someone" wouldn't be hard to show, I imagine.