UPDATE: See the clip from the show here.
MSNBC’s morning show called Morning Joe has crossed a line and I demand an apology. Morning Joe is a news show hosted by a failed republican congressman named Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, and Willie Geist.
The show is virtually useless. Mika spends most of her time babysitting Joe Scarborough and telling him how wrong he is, meanwhile Joe is too busy talking just to hear himself talk or throwing temper tantrums on air. Willie spends his time joining in with Joe to treat Mika like a piece of shit and having to speak over Joe to deliver his own portion of the news. Basically the show is a fucking mess.
Why do I watch it? I am a political junkie as of late. And I like seeing some of the guests they bring on to talk politics. I can deal with their bullshit most of the times. But not today.
Today though they crossed a line. They reported on Thomas Beatie, the transgendered male who is having a baby. I admit that this is an unusual story. But they put the story in what they call an useless news category “News You Can’t Use” and proceeded to make fun of them and call the couple “disgusting” and make “ewww” sounds. They did this is more than once on the show. The also called it “garbage” and saying “people don’t want to wake up to this crap.” That was quoted by Mika Brzezinski. Joe used the story to lead into the next story by saying “this is probably why 81% of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction.” A poll reported by the New York Times.
I understand that people are entitled to their opinions because this is a controversial story. But not when it’s the news and they cross the line of hate and bigotry. Especially today as they remember the 40 year anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Praise for civil rights out of one corner of their mouths, but words of hate and bullshit out of the other side of their mouths. It’s despicable. It’s 2008 and we still have media making these kinds of remarks and juvenile comments about a transgendered couple. I don’t care if you are opposed to the story or not. If you are in the news and media, you need to be responsible about what you report and what you say. Just because they are a trasngendered couple does not mean this should go ignored.
I urge my fans and readers to take action.
This is a letter I sent to the Morning Joe show and to the editors of MSNBC.
I am outraged over what I just saw on Morning Joe 4/4/08 over the story of Thomas Beatie. Mika, Joe, and Willie calling a transgendered couple “Disgusting” has sent me over the edge. I realize that it is an unusual story, but they are supposed to be delivering the news in a some what unbiased fashion. Making fun of a happy couple and calling them “disgusting” crosses the line.
It’s bigotry, it’s foul, and frankly it’s juvenile. Joe wouldn’t even look at it and was disgusted. Mika was laughing about it and saying “eww.” We’re not in junior high school. I am completely offended and I am going to alert GLAAD to you’re total insensitivity over the matter if you don’t have them apologize for it.
Thomas Beatie and his wife are a transgendered couple, they have a right to do with their lives and their bodies as they want. It’s not the media’s job to make fun of a happy couple just because they don’t personally approve of their life style.
People are entitled to their opinions but not when it comes to the media.
Make them apologize or I will contact every gay organization I can think of and maybe even stage a protest.
I want my news read responsibly. Not by a bunch of children who are not grown up enough to handle these types of stories.
I demand an apology from Mika, Joe, and Willie.
I have contacted GLADD, Perez Hilton, and DListed. I will be contacting every single organization I can until they apologize for their intolerance. I hope that you all will do the same.
Write to Morning Joe
Write to the Editors
Awesome Queer Blogs.
There are many more organizations to look into. Here are 2 major ones.
You can also read comments here on The Huffington Post. They are pretty vile and it shows just how far behind we are in humanity and human decency. The title of the piece is ridiculous as well.
The Huffington Post: Pregnant Man On Oprah: I Have Intercourse With My Wife
UPDATE:
The awesome blog Queerty posted about my outrage on their blog. It’s very cool of them to do that.
Joe Scarborough’s Trans Comments Spark Protest
Towleroad just posted about this as well.
Morning Joe Hosts Disgusted by ‘Pregnant Dude’ Thomas Beatie
Tags: Anti-Gay, Ignorance, Morning Joe, Protest, Thomas Beatie, Transgendered
April 4, 2008 at 8:24 am |
[...] MSNBC show, Morning Joe when he derided pregnant trans man Thomas Beatie. A blogger by the name of Scandalous Candice passes on her account of the incident: [Joe and his colleagues, Mika Brzezinski and Wilie Geist] [...]
April 4, 2008 at 9:37 am |
hey thanks for this great post, i have posted on my blog about it as well and have given you credit for breaking the story
http://www.queersunited.blogspot.com
April 4, 2008 at 9:49 am |
Joe Scarborough is a murderer. While a politican, he beat his secretary/mistress to death with a baseball bat in his office and he never spent a day in jail, nor faced any sort of investigation. His opinion on ANYTHING is as meaningless as the opinions of his anti-trans listners.
http://www.larryflynt.com/notebook.php?id=17
April 4, 2008 at 9:58 am |
I second that, this is an amazing post! Well done
April 4, 2008 at 3:06 pm |
I am NOT surprised that these fools said this stuff on their show. I am NOT surprised that the information about this televised ridiculousness is passing around the US Queer community. What WOULD surprise me is if the Queer community actually did anything aside from talk amongst themselves. There are roughly 300,000,000 people in the US, leaving one to conclude that there are roughly 30,000,000 Queers here. The problem with the Queer US is not intolerance toward us, it’s apathy from us. Don’t think about forming a protest. FORM A PROTEST! Don’t consider contacting Queer groups around the nation. DO IT! For Fucks’ SAKE!!! Fewer people have changed larger countries. Until WE do something to stop it, actively, this crap will continue. And we will just sit there and allow it. As we do.
April 4, 2008 at 3:14 pm |
If they don’t apologize in some form or another I am thinking about going down there and protesting. My blog sadly doesn’t reach as many people as I would like it to. So if you want to join help spread the word and I will surely go down there.
September 4, 2009 at 6:15 am |
Joe is just like most of the Republicans, he can’t shut his mouth long enough to listen to his guests. Why Mika puts up with his shit I’ll never understand. His sexest remarks to Mika this morning were unbelievable. Mika should have her own show! I would much rather watch and listen to her inteligent commentary.