[UPDATED] SiriusXM Broadcasts ClearChannel Support for Trans Murder

6/6/13, 1:10 PM UPDATE: Sign the petition demanding that Clear Channel issue a public apology!


6/5/13, 8:30 PM UPDATE: I’ve spoken with Senior Vice President of Communications at SiriusXM and he has made it clear that they do not support the comments of the Lex and Terry show and have taken steps, via an official statement (see below), to distance SiriusXM from the show.


Sirius satellite radio, founded by out transwoman Martine Rothblatt, bought XM satellite radio in 2008 and is now known as SiriusXM. Just days into Pride Month, the SiriusXM Clear Channel talk show, Lex and Terry came out in support of murdering trans people in a cases of gay/trans-panic. On Friday (06/03/2013), the Lex and Terry show began discussing this issue saying, There’s a teen that shot a tranny after finding out that it was a man after they had a little sexual encounter. A co-host responded, I don’t blame him. I would have shot his ass too.

Recent LA victim
Recent LA victim

The so-called gay and trans “panic” defense is when a jury is asked to find that a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity is to blame for the defendant’s violent reaction. The perpetrator claims that the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity not only explain – but excuse – their loss of self-control and subsequent assault of an LGBT individual. By fully or partially acquitting the perpetrators of crimes against LGBT victims, these defenses imply that LGBT lives are worth less than others.

This conversation, broadcasted by SiriusXM, happened days after an LA transwoman was brutally beaten and left for dead. The SiriusXM Clear Channel show was discussing yet another incident whereby another transwoman, Coco McDonald, was lured into an abandoned house and shot twice. McDonald went on to say: I tell anyone, whether its platonic, intimate, I let everybody know because I’m not ashamed of who I am. I’m very confident about my sexuality… I’m transgender, if you really don’t want to have any dealings with me I understand, but I’m just letting you know so there’s no confusion.

The same day that Lex and Terry were voicing their support of murdering trans people in cases of  trans/gay-panic, the National LGBT Bar Association announced that the American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section recently passed a resolution banning this as a defense. This tactic was used in the Matthew ShepardAngie ZapataBrandon Teena and Larry King cases. This practice will become officially banned in August should the American Bar Association’s House Of Delegates approve it at that time.

GTD
See notes below

I encourage you in contacting SiriusXM Clear Channel and request that they issue a formal written apology to the trans population.

Their SiriusXM contact information is below:

On Twitter: @SXM_Help

On FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/siriusxm

IRL:  1-866-528-7474

Let them Clear Channel know that supporting the murder of trans people is unacceptable. Let them know that they need to make it right by making a stand against anti-trans murder.


Official SiriusXM statement:

We apologize for this programming and don’t in any way condone it. The Extreme Talk channel and the Lex and Terry show are programming providing to us by Clear Channel. The channel and all the shows on it are under the control of Clear Channel. We are required to carry the channel based on pre-existing agreement with Clear Channel. We have made Clear Channel aware of this issue and the complaints from listeners.

Patrick Reilly
Senior Vice President, Communications


The Lex and Terry show’s wiki states that the show is produced at KEGL studios (a Clear Channel station) and is distributed through Clear Channel’s IHeartRadio network. Obviously SiriusXM has taken a stand against the support of trans murder, but I think that Clear Channel – the company that produces the show – should take a stand too.

Clear Channel boasts that it has a, ZERO TOLERANCE (their caps, not mine) policy that prohibits discrimination extends beyond our employees, into each and every market in which we conduct business. 

I wonder if their “ZERO TOLERANCE” policy covers the promotion of murdering trans people. Since their show took a public stand in support of trans murder, please contact Clear Channel and ask them to take a stand public against murdering trans people.

On Twitter: @clearchannel

On FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/clearchannel

Email:  wendygoldberg@clearchannel.com

That the trans community must now take steps during Pride Month (!!!) to ensure that media companies understand that promoting trans murder is wrong is beyond absurd!


NOTES:

On Trans Homicide:

“Hate crimes against transgender people tend to be particularly violent. Our best estimates indicate that one out of every 1,000 homicides in the U.S. is an anti-transgender hate crime. This estimation is based on data collected by the national organizers of the Transgender Day of Remembrance and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Organizers of the Transgender Day of Remembrance track the number of transgender people killed each year in hate-based attacks using media articles, community reports and other publicly available data. By this count, they estimate that at least 15 transgender people are killed each year in hate-based attacks, although we believe the number to be higher based on transgender people’s common fear of going to the police and widespread misreporting. The Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates approximately 14,000 homicides in the country each year. Based on these figures, we can estimate that approximately one out of every 1000 homicides in the U.S. is an anti-transgender hate-based crime.” – HRC

1/2 trans folks raped:

  • 50%: Courvant, D., & Cook-Daniels, L., 1998. Transgender and intersex survivors of domestic violence: Defining terms, barriers and responsibilities
  • 59%: Clements, K. SF Department of Public Health, Department of Public Health. (1999). The transgender community health project: Descriptive results. San Francisco: San Francisco.
  • 54%: Kenagy, G. (2005). The health and social service needs of transgender people in Philadelphia. International Journal of Transgenderism, 8(2/3), 45-56. doi: 10.1300/J485v08n02_05
  • 46%: Kenagy, G., & Bostwick, W. (2005). The health and social service needs of transgender people in Chicago. International Journal of Transgenderism, 8(2/3), 57-66. doi: 10.1300/J485v08n02_06

1/4 trans folks beaten:

  • 37%: Clements, K. SF Department of Public Health, Department of Public Health. (1999). The transgender community health project: Descriptive results. San Francisco: San Francisco.
  • 43%: Kenagy, G. (2005). The health and social service needs of transgender people in Philadelphia. International Journal of Transgenderism, 8(2/3), 45-56. doi: 10.1300/J485v08n02_05
  • 37%: Transgender Law and Policy Institute’s “Transgender Issues: Fact Sheet”
Cristan Williams is a trans historian and pioneer in addressing the practical needs of underserved communities. She started the first trans homeless shelter in Texas and co-founded the first federally funded housing-first homeless program, pioneered affordable health care for trans people in the Houston area, won the right for trans people to change their gender on Texas ID prior to surgery, started numerous trans social service programs and founded the Transgender Center as well as the Transgender Archives. She has published short stories, academic chapters and papers, and numerous articles for both print and digital magazines. She received numerous awards for her advocacy and has presented at universities throughout the nation, served on several governmental committees and CBO boards, is the Editor of the TransAdvocate, and is a founding board member of the Transgender Foundation of America and the Bee Busy Wellness Center.