It has become almost impossible to ignore that the Namibian media coverage of transgender individuals, as well as others who are gender non-conforming, has been insensitive, dehumanising, and dangerous across the board.
I will focus on the most recent example, surrounding a person sought for allegedly defrauding the bank they worked at. A variety of newspapers made serious errors of judgment in writing about this case. Perhaps most egregiously, just about every Namibian daily made the conscious decision to out a person who may or may not be trans.
Let us be clear: this is a terribly dangerous thing to do. In Namibia, as just about everywhere in the world, being trans can get you killed. To cavalierly discuss whether or not a person is cisgender completely disregards this danger. This is highly irresponsible.
(Cisgender is a term for someone who has a gender identity that aligns with what they were assigned at birth. The term was created for referring to «non-transgender» people without alienating transgender people. – Ed)
What exactly is the relevance of the alleged perpetrator’s gender identity and/or presentation to a fraud case?
Usually the gender of a suspect is mentioned in passing at most, but now all of a sudden this question became a burning issue, requiring extensive discussion. This is intrusive gossip at best and has nothing to do with the case.
This is also problematic, because through this extensive discussion, the public is led to associate being transgender – or a cross-dresser, or whatever else the newspapers speculated on – with criminality. In a society that already severely stigmatises people who are nonconforming in regards to their gender or sexuality, this is harmful to the cause of promoting equal rights. Through sensationalistic and callous coverage, Namibian media have repeatedly undermined the dignity of Namibian citizens, contrary to provisions of Article 8 of the Constitution.
Max Weylandt