Kelli Anne Busey Would Rather Keep Her Mouth In The Grass…


A transgender specialized digital only magazine, named Frock, recently promoted somewhere their latest free issue. Not knowing of its existence I was curious to check it although I dislike digital magazines unimaginatively emulating the format of paper, instead of applying proper world wide web specific flexibility in design,
and their design I must say is quiet unoriginal with all its digital clichés and by providing cisnormative influenced aesthetics on what glamorous style should be.

It also appear to have poor editorial choice, show lack of insight and prefer displaying thousand times already seen 'transsexual icons' and their voiceless concurrent, contrasting this with a few cross-dressers interviews and no much space for anyone in between, if not a few more casually mentioned by mainstream media.
Added to that you can learn from in-depth studies about breast-forms instead of finding article addressing more crucial topics affecting transgender lives.

Maybe that mag could be pleasing enough for a few readers totally disconnected from the more insightful, assertive, aware or opinionated trans blogosphere.
It seem to consider and mainly target closeted privileged white-middle class readership anyway.

That said I had to write this post because I was literally shocked when on page 62 I was hit by the headline title of a Kelli Anne Busey article about a relatively well known study report in numbers of transphobic murders around the world.

First I couldn't, and still cannot condone its article headline statement,
which I couldn't believe from the instant I had read:

" Trans Visibility Leads To Trans Murder "

The article is under the 'Grass Roots' section of the magazine!
For the few who ignore it, any grassroots movement is driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures. Grassroots movements are often at the local level.

How can this pseudo 'journalist' claim grassroot entitlement while all that was done was cut-paste numbers and maps sourced from the Trans Murder Monitoring project while spicing it up such data snippets with dubious affirmations, short remarks, a bit of contextualization and an awful conclusion led by its disturbing title.

The data gathered in the article itself is nothing detrimental to transgender peoples;
but the awful headline is, as much as its conclusion.




The short article would fit two third of a web-page if it wasn't for Frock magazine's taste for clumsy approach to digital media 'design'.
A full page of pasted maps nevertheless provides readers with an idea of what is reported in all details on the TVT Project section of the Transgender Europe web-site, a fine research project that examines the human rights situation of trans people and monitors trans targeting murders in numbers worldwide.

The factual data in Kelli Anne Busey's writing is admittedly sourced out from the TVT Project but her article cannot be considered fine journalistic practice for all she add to TG Europe data, aside of just a few comments about contextualization as a way to explain specific world part discrepancy in numbers; is the main idea advanced that the cause of these crimes are to be blamed to transgender people existence and visibility!

I wonder if Kelli Anne Busey statements based on the above research has considered the decency of her affirmations.

Nearly as awful as the article headline : " Trans Visibility Leads To Trans Murder "
is Kelli Anne Busey conclusion which 'reveals' that although there are various factors leading to high numbers of trans murders depending on the socio-geo-political context
the main cause of these is above all our existence, our visibility, us trans being out.
And nothing else!

Her view is totally biased by not recognising that if the level of social acceptance of trans-identities in any given nations depends on its specific judicial and social climate, the main motive for murder of trans peoples is most of the time caused by equally the same anywhere in whole world.
Indeed the deceiving article does not at any moment gives even a slight hint at what is the root cause of probably 97% of transphobic murders, simply put: Transphobia and more often than not Trans-misogyny.

Any murder perpetrators aren't less perpetrating trans-hate motivated crimes if these take place in Sweden, Argentina, any part of the US of A or the world.
Context of course is to consider but nothing 'contributes' as strongly has a factor of crime against a person just being but hate.

Blaming the potential victims own existences as the "number one" cause of crimes affecting them is a shame, specially infuriating when such conclusion is coming from a so-called grassroots trans rights journalist.


When I realize this can be allowed publication in a transgender dedicated publication, I wouldnt' be surprised if some would accuse me of overreacting when here I am merely reacting.


Now, worst, K.A. Busey came to conclude that the main cause of trans murders in itself and above all possibilities is transgender individuals willingness to come-out and taking the risk of living a life outside, just like any other humans beings!






She congratulate our "willingness to take the risk" and our bravery in "putting our lives on the line so that our next generations may thrive" of course as a " none more so " cause of transgender murderings; yet thanks us for our good "rebellious" work,
which by our visibility as potential victim of crimes will give a space for trans peoples in the future!

How many death in numbers does she want to count before allowing trans individuals, the general public and even herself to educates about the main motivational factor for transgender targeting crimes which when you simply think cannot just be cause simply by our visibility? Unless of course you would have internalized a truckload of shame.

Telling trans sisters and brother out there, and eventually so to genderqueer, bi-gender, a-gender and intersex peoples to be rebellious; although what such peoples often need is to prioritize and secure social human acceptance (and not just tolerance) and identical to cisgender treatment for all matters (instead of prejudiced moves and dehumanizing protocols) is specially doubtful when such call for rebellion paradoxically admit that being out and visible is the root cause of an unnatural death awaiting you at every turn.


But past the headlines, she directly from start of the article justify as number one cause of trans murders worldwide to be trans peoples themselves! 

The screen-shots have been scaled small but have a second look,
She state "the number one reason is us":






In other words, her conclusion on what essentially cause murders of transgender individuals worldwide is the taken risk by these people to simply dare facing daylight.
Thanks for the empowerment feeling your provided to trans people madam Busey! 

And if the number have jumped it's not solely because there is probably more trans visibility,
and there is an increase of peoples on earth but that study istelf with its task of counting victims by regions and numbers is quiet new, it still has to improve its own methods, proceeding and connections. Some crimes by the way never get mentioned or reported.
Think about that Ms Busey.

We shouldn't' forget, as she took time to mention in her article,
while choosing to refuse to even just evoke transphobia as possible cause,
that she's is a courageous ex-cold war soldier.
Good to know I've never met one, or was she humorous?

Because if such kind of soldiers ever existed outside of the narrow circles of various governments representative strategists, a few nuclear-bomb military teams or intelligence professionals into dissuasive proxy war missions at task between 1947 and 1991, I don't know where we should be looking at to find her as 'cold-war soldier'.
The cold war being pursued primarily through economic and political actions, propaganda, acts of espionage and proxy wars waged by surrogates.

Obviously she has a no longer so secret agenda against trans visibility; even congratulating first in line trans combatants, who help so out and alive at being easy target to her bull-proof mentality. If she had a bit of an auto-critical mind she probably may have hit herself first, but she lives in a closet bunker.


Anyway if she spoke for herself in that article I perceived it as a scandalous lower than low kind of pseudo journalism, with little respect towards any transgender individuals validity, plus it only managed to belittle her role as a 'trans voice' which foster empowerment.

Her article in Frock is a shame,
as much for the ones who aren't closeted but out and about;
facing society in their gender presentation of choice, suggesting that such way of being is justifying hate, attracting murders and provocative of crimes
but is also
an anxiety and fear amplifying piece for the many who didn't made their 'coming-out' yet, postponing further away, maybe for ever so by fear of being killed,
the day itself at which an 'anxious' trans person would take the liberating move to permanently step 'out of the closet'.

" Trans Visibility Leads To Trans Murder " as title directly implies that being out,
and so being -socially visible and participating- is simply what cause to transphobic aggression and crimes!

So trans visibility in the twisted mind of Kelli Anne Busey is the essential motivational factor of all trans murders though the world!

It is revealing to note that the author (unconsciously?) suggest to trans peoples to stay closeted by fear of societal 'reprisal' while she paradoxically gives 'the rebel' mission to the others who dare visibility.

The possibly remaining fraction of non-less trans-phobic (and in most times trans-misogynist) case counts similar to the -rapist blaming victim- rhetoric, which too often wins approval among dicks, is when the trans victim of an abuse or murder is a person which was read as 'a trap' the moment itself the predator 'suddenly discover' and react in 'discomfort' to an 'unexpected' genitalia which in his mind is enough to legitimize perpetration of crime committed to an individual he supposedly had been 'dangerously trapped' by, in which case -trans panic defense- is often invoked when it reach court or even when justification of the act is questioned by peers. Every 'real men' may have learned how hard it is to defends one's own against any individuals bearing same-sex genitalia yet are under œstrogen and androgen blockers regimen, right? Best to kill 'the monster' immediately, why use our brain or intuitiveness anyway?

To quote Zinnia Jones from her analogy series: "Not disclosing that you're trans is rape!" is the "atheists are teaching children to become amoral killers" of trans stuff.


It would have been more constructive for a self-appointed 'grassroots' activist, ex-cold-war-soldier, amateur 'journalist' such as Kelli Anne Busey to take that chance to write in that magazine as an opportunity to educate on why many transphobic mindsets or/and many trans-misogynist attitudes are more often than not the above all other possible reasons worldwide, which leads to crimes and murders of transgender individuals.

She did mention why some numbers for some part of the world are obviously unreliable but never did she brought any light about what could motivates transphobic hate crimes;
aside of, again, of course: yourself, trans peoples.

The grassroots nature of that section seem untrustworthy so let's read one of Frock extensive breast-forms comparitive study instead of an insightful article about the (lack of or abuse of) human-rights situation of any gender-variant and trans people.

I assume Kelli Anne Busey has found a cheap way to comfort herself as an helpful public enemy, while not moving a flap from an inch from her mind to her screen. I admit she is probably open-minded but that's not needed, what we need is active minds.

By the way, there is also no single article in that mag about transgender men, nothing, nada, trans men: you don't exist, well at least not in Frocks.

Most and many personal post in the transgender blogosphere is way more 'grassroots' (without pretending to the name) than Kelli Anne Busey amateurish pseudo activist pseudo analytical pseudo confidential 'journalistic' style, which for the last was obviously simply based on borrowing data from reliable source while complementing its data with suicidal or exclusiveness motivating affirmations and an headline choice to comfort trans to vomit.


Telling that the " number one reason (for the rise in trans murders) is us (trans people) " may simply disclose a probably long standing internalized feeling of self-hatred from the so-called journalist and reveal her need to project it into others who do not bear it.

Telling that " Trans Visibility Leads To Trans Murder " is no less the same rhetoric as telling women who wear heels and skirts that they don't express elegance but instead call for abuse, for in fact are 'just sluts' and so demand to be raped, and this written by one who is assumed to be an activist for the transgender cause, only display internalized shame!

And telling such things at a most likely to be predominantly trans audience is even more consternating.


Farewell Frock magazine.

For more complete and better learning of transgender affecting issue please visit "Transrespect versus Transphobia Worldwide" research project instead of Frock, unless your sense of self and concern as a trans individual could be just to watch another photographic portrait of Miss Lepore and read more about breast-form and related ads.


Editors Note:
This writing was sent to us by a trans woman requesting us to post it, wishing to express her reaction and maybe to show the world than not all trans peoples are fear and shame carrying dangerously biased self-hatring individuals, favoring self-shaming discourse such as K.A. Busey. instead of taking the chance to educate a bit. Adding her wish to spread around her words, specially allowing the trans blogosphere to repost.