You've Got Mail: RuPaul's Drag Race Praised And Attacked For Dropping Phrase From Show

From omgblog.com

        
     As you know, RuPaul's Drag Race has dropped the phrase "You've got she-mail" from the show after complaints poured in from transgender advocates that the popular catchphrase on the hit reality show is transphobic. While many former contestants weighed in saying that the line should be kept on the program, former contestant Carmen Carrera, who is transgender, came out swinging saying that she thought the word "she-male" was inappropriate in any case. While she may hold this opinion, other trans women, including Our Lady J, have come out saying that Logo dropping the term is nothing but scensorship.
  As a cisgender male, I must say that I don't see what the fuss is about. To me, RuPaul never referred to a transgender woman as a "shemale", and I don't know if calling a drag queen a "shemale" qualifies as transphobia at all. After all, I see tons of movies where a straight man calls another straight man "the f word", and I take no offense to it. Now, if they referred to a gay person as that word, it would be a whole different story because that is blatant homophobia. If this is the case, I would not take RuPaul's word as an attack on trans people unless they were directed at a trans person.
   Though I don't find Ru's words to be transphobic, I understand that some people in the transgender community do take offense to the words, and, if it makes them that upset, it's no skin off my teeth that they drop the words from the show. After all, I watch the show for entertainment value, not for one catch phrase. To make such a big fuss over them getting rid of the words only wastes time getting accomplished what we need to as a community. So, let's come together and respect one another's opinions. This way, we can be a united front in fighting for equality for all people regardless of sexual preference or gender identity in the years to come.