To Whom it May Concern,
On Feb. 6, [The Scout] included a piece about the performance of Athens Boys Choir in Marty Theater on Feb. 4. The article, titled “Athens Boys Choir falls short of expectations,” not only included some unacceptable phrasing in reference to the performer Harvey Katz but wrongly framed the event as a pyrrhic victory, as opposed to the grand success, with a few bumps in the road, that it was.
I do understand that honest mistakes happen, and I do not believe that these mistakes were intended maliciously. Similarly, I hope that this message may be taken not as angry slander but as a well-meant critique.
The following portion of the article specifically irked me: “A crowd favorite seemed to be Katz’s music video ‘Fagette,’ which features him in a rap video explaining that he may look like a man, but he does not have a penis.”
My problem is that the phrasing, “…he may look like a man…,” comes with the implication that he is, well, not really a man. It is common for Transgender folk to have to deal with language which implies an incompleteness to their identity.
I was not alone in considering the event a success, and even the article acknowledges that students were pleased. It is fair and accurate to say that there were imperfections in the performance, but to act as though they dominated the event and caused it to “fall short of expectations” is a misrepresentation.
I find it a bit disturbing that the article was able to spin the event as a failure, while still acknowledging that the majority felt happy about their experience. Again, even the article noted that, “…students said they enjoyed the show and the message it provided.”
Overall, the article felt like a backhanded compliment. I hope that you will be more careful in the future when handling a sensitive topic such as this one. A great opportunity to express the achievement of Bradley hosting its first Transgender performer has been swept aside, effectively downplaying the event’s success and harming future attempts to foster diversity and acceptance on campus.
Colin Allpow
Sophomore Journalism major
Feminists at Bradley member
