ESPN says it will ‘learn from’ the suicide of a transgender physicist and golf club inventor whose past was being investigated by a journalist. An article in an ESPN publication by Caleb Hannan Dr. V’s Magical Putter, profiled Dr. Essay Anne Vanderbilt, the inventor of the Oracle GXI smart putter club. As he uncovered mistruths about her credentials, he also discovered she was transgender. She took her own life before the piece, which outs her against her wishes, was published. ESPN has told Sports Illustrated it understands and appreciates the wide range of thoughtful reaction the story has generated. “And to the family and friends of Essay Anne Vanderbilt, we express our deepest condolences. “We will use the constructive feedback to continue our ongoing dialogue on these important and sensitive topics. “Ours is a company that values the lgbt community internally and in our storytelling, and we will all learn from this.” Read more about the case at Slate Magazine here If this story raises issues for you and you need to talk, there is help out there. Please call OUTLine on 0800 OUTLINE, or Rainbow Youth on (09) 376 4155. After hours you can call the 24 hour Depression helpline: 0800 111 757.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 22nd January 2014 - 11:36am