Fuck Family Guy!

This post is going to be about Family Guy and their latest episode that makes fun of trans people, specifically transwomyn, in a very tasteless way. Let me start off by saying that A) I couldn't give two shits about being politically correct. I have never really cared about being politically correct honestly, I do however care about being respectful. There is a way to be respectful and make fun of someone. B) As a general rule I don't like the show because I find the jokes stupid and very unfunny, however, I have never once been offend by the things they said. On the whole, they do a good job of making fun of everyone in a respectful way. For example when Peter "turned gay" in a episode, and was acting very stereotypically, they still managed to show some respect for his partner and even gay people everywhere because of that. However, this episode EPICALLY FAILED to be anything close to respect full.

In the episode Quagmires dad, a respected war hero, comes out as being a transwomyn and gets a sex change. The Griffins go with him to the hospital to support him and, of course, to watch the surgery or as Lois calls it "the circus". Where they talk about the penis getting chopped off, btw this is FACTUALLY wrong about the surgery. The dad takes on the name Ida after and goes to the Griffin's place for dinner and brings with her a pie to contribute. Lois tells Meg to throw the pie a way right away, because heaven for bide they eat something made by a transwomyn. At the dinner, Ida is asked if she "misses having a penis" and other dumb and disrespectful comments like that. Later on Ida starts dating Brian, the dog, until he finds out that she is a transwomyn *GASP!* and he starts vomiting right after.

Whats the problem you may ask? Its all in good fun and Family Guy makes fun of everyone right? Since trans people, transwomyn in particular, are often seen as the clowns and NOT taken seriously anyway, this just sets us back. Maybe the point of the episode was to show how dumb these stereotypes are, but when ALL society has to gone on IS the stereotypes you just end up reinforcing them as opposed to challenging them. Before we start challenging the stereotypes, we need to have a good solid trans character on TV.

Right now general society, yes I include LGB people in that, see transwomyn as sexual deviants, showed through the relationship with Brain, our surgeries as something to watch and gawk at, showed through the Griffins and Quagmire watching, and clowns to be made fun of, showed through Lois telling Meg to throw away the pie. THAT IS ALL THAT SOCIETY SEES OF US! Transwomyn aren't seen as people, but as these deviant beings that deserve to be made fun off. Until we are seen as anything else episodes like this will only serve to hurt us.

Part of the reason that Peter's "turning gay" worked so well is because gay people have strong representation that prove those stereotypes wrong. They have people in OUR GOVERNMENT, shows that show them as actual people dealing with everyday issues. Strong characters that show up in shows all the time. TRANWOMYN HAVE NONE OF THAT! The only thing we have to go on is someone in the Obama administration and I'm willing to bet A GRAND majority of Americans DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT. Shes not at all talked about in the news.

What is even more disturbing is the amount of transmen who seem to want to let this slide. A common excuse is that Family Guy makes fun of everyone and why should transwomyn be any different? BECAUSE TRANSWOMYN AREN'T TAKEN SERIOUSLY DUMBASS! If there was some representation of a transwomyn out there that was respectful and not the butt of ALL jokes and show up on regular basis on a prime time TV show, I would agree that we should just let this go. The problem is that there isn't! Instead we get shat on by TV shows like Family Guy and even South Park (still haven't forgiven Matt and Trey for that one) as fucking perverts! I also doubt very seriously if these transmen who are OK with this, would be OK with Family Guy making fun of them and calling them lesbians and commenting on the fact that they have vaginas! The would be arguing the SAME THING I have been through out this entire post.

So once again tranwomyn get shat on. Is it any wonder why SO many don't come out until they are older? Is it any wonder why so many hate crimes are committed against us? Is it any wonder why we OFTEN FEEL ASHAMED, I speak through personal experience, about being trans? Is it any wonder WHY organizations like the HRC throw us under the bus? With a culture that only shows images of tranwomyn being somehow less than human, after all if we aren't human who cares if we die and who cares if we have equal rights, and deserving of being the butt of all jokes WITHOUT any counter point to that, it really isn't any wonder to me. FUCK FAMILY GUY AND ITS "GOOD INTENTIONS"!!!!