The Advertising Standards Complaints Board is being accused of political correctness following its ruling that the "There's nothing wrong with Miriam – yeah right" Tui billboard was offensive. Paul "cheeky darkie" Holmes labelled it a "completely dopey PC determination", but described Miriam as a "very beautiful person". The NZ Herald described the ruling as an "offence to free speech" in its editorial today. "...it is a futile attempt to deny the plain truth. It is simply a fact that there is something wrong with transgendered people, as they themselves are the first to recognise. They were born into the body of the wrong sex... taken well, the humour can be a kind of social affirmation. After all, if the misfortune was so bad, people would not joke about it." Agender spokesperson Claudia McKay, whose partner made the complaint, is fully supportive of the decision, saying it's nothing to do with political correctness. "It's about treating people with respect, and it is our view that the transgender community was not treated with respect, they were used as a cheap shot," she says. "Maybe it's difficult for people aren't transgendered to see the point of it, but when you're transgendered and people say there's something wrong with you, you get upset. And the Advertising Standards Complaints Board agreed with that – end of story."
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 18th November 2004 - 12:00pm