A couple at the "cross roads" of a "complicated" love story. That's how Diane Sawyer set up the feature on a transgendered Microsoft executive, his/her wife, and their son in the 8:00 half-hour on "Good Morning America."
The socially progressive bent of GMA was evident in the lack of context or perspective given to the family's story. No consideration was given to the glaring social issues raised. It was reported as just another human-interest story.
Video (2:00): Windows (7.31 MB), plus MP3 audio (917 kB)
The five-minute feature, reported by Neal Karlinsky, explained the conflict Michael Wallent had with his identification as a male, his decision to become a female and the ramifications of that decision in his workplace and at home.
Karlinsky: Megan Wallent is a complicated woman. She's a top Microsoft executive. Parent to a newborn and husband. That's right. Husband. Only a few short months ago Megan was Michael. I have to ask and this awkward. I know you're so good about it, so forgive me if it's offensive, but are you a man or a woman?
Wallent: Well, I'm me. And I think most people would perceive me as female these days. And that's the way I present myself to the outside world.
Karlinsky: Megan is transgender, meaning she doesn't relate to the gender she was born with. To say those who have known her for years as Michael were stunned, is an understatement.
Tina Dunn (Wallent's administrative assistant): He's a guy's guy. Super into sports, hiking. I mean, what I consider a guy's guy. He was into all of the things guys are into.
Karlinsky: Going into the new year, Michael Wallent the executive who was once in charge of the entire Internet Explorer program on Windows launched an e-mail to a disbelieving staff of hundreds that he was about to undergo surgery to literally transform himself.
Male co-worker: I got to say, when I got that first e-mail, I was shocked. Not like shocked in a negative way, just shocked in a -- I had no idea.
Karlinsky detailed the surgical procedures Wallent had undergone, including facial feminization surgery, breast implants, removal of the Adam's apple and hormone treatments.
Then Karlinsky introduced Wallent's wife of two years and asked her whether she'd ever suspected anything. Her answer was no.
Before introducing Mrs. Wallent, Karlinsky had set up her reactions with these descriptors: she'd had her "world turned upside down," she was "utterly blindsided."
In his interview with her, during which her husband Megan was sitting beside her, Karlinsky asked personal questions.
Karlinsky: You had no clue until the day he told you?
Anh Wallent: No.
Karlinsky: You had been married how long at that point?
Anh Wallent: About two years.
Karlinsky: Two years. What was your reaction?
Anh Wallent: I was in tears.
Karlinsky: She says she suspected nothing, no hints at all until that moment. The couple has an 11-month-old son together. Michael broke the news last year on Mother's Day. This is a hard question. Would you have married Michael, knowing this was to come?
Anh Wallent: I don't think so. I think it would have been something that would have been hard to deal with. I mean, it's hard now, but I think -- I'm just a different person now than I was then.
Karlinsky: They're sticking together and say their marriage is recovering from the initial shock. But there are challenges. (Question to Megan) Are you attracted to men or women? Or both?
Megan Wallent: Well, I've never been attracted to men, never even one iota. And, you know, all through my transition, one of the questions that Anh and I talked about, are you going to all ever a sudden become attracted to men? Is that going to be an issue? I said no, I can't imagine that.
Karlinsky (to Anh): Are you still attracted to the person you married?
Anh Wallent: I - (she hesitates) yes.
Karlinsky: It's changed a little.
Anh Wallent: A lot.
Karlinsky reported the two are "prepared to deal with the challenges of this very unique relationship" and they "hope to spend the rest of their lives together."
In a follow up conversation with Sawyer, who commented that the story was a "reminder of the complicated nature of human biology ... and the complicated choices people have to make," Karlinsky reported that Megan Wallent has two children from a previous marriage. He said the children still call Megan "dad" and that "she knows it's a challenge for them," "doesn't believe they're being teased" but does worry about it.
And that's where GMA left it. The entire story was treated as just another human-interest story even though the subject matter was provocative, arguably counter-cultural, and has implications dealing with character, responsibility and child welfare.
GMA producers regularly call on psychologists to weigh in on issues that are far less "complicated" than this. There was no follow up on the cost to the children or the cost to the wife. Surely a man's decision to turn his wife's world "upside down," "blindside" her on Mother's Day and create "challenges" for his children merited further analysis.
And what about the marriage issue? The Wallents are now a married couple comprised of two people the state of Washington recognizes as female. That, in and of itself, presents broad social implications which were not addressed.
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This is evidence that they
March 6, 2008 - 18:23 ET by ForeverOnTheRightThis is evidence that they have become jaded and corrupt. They see nothing wrong or perverse about this persons decisions. What was bad is good and what is good is bad. Traditional, tried and true values, Judeo-Christian= bad. New "progressive values", acceptance of the corrupt and perverse= good, in their minds.
I had a discussion once with
March 6, 2008 - 18:59 ET by tracyz20I had a discussion once with my really liberal friend about sex changes and I said although I think that people have the right to have sex changes (although in this situation with a wife and kids I am not too sure), it certainly isn't natural. My friend replied that sometimes nature gets it wrong and that these people really were meant to be of the opposite sex. I stopped the conversation right there, I didn't have the desire to try to reason with that type of argument.
The Evidence
March 7, 2008 - 07:49 ET by Zoe BrainI'm in a <a href="http://aebrain.blogspot.com/2008/03/family.html">similar situation</a> to the one the program is about. I'll give my reactions to some of the comments here later, they're not as important as the facts, the evidence, the science. I'll summarise those, and hope that you can find time to read about the medical situation, even if you reject little-known facts that contradict common sense, and "what everyone knows".
Zhou J.-N, Hofman M.A, Gooren L.J, Swaab D.F (1997)
A Sex Difference in the Human Brain and its Relation to Transsexuality.<a href="http://www.harrybenjaminsyndrome-info.org/pdf/BSTc.pdf">(PDF here)</a>
Kruijver F.P.M, Zhou J.-N, Pool C.W., Swaab D.F. (2000)
Male-to-Female Transsexuals Have Female Neuron Numbers in a Limbic Nucleus <a href="http://www.harrybenjaminsyndrome-info.org/pdf/brainsex1.pdf">(PDF here)</a>
<blockquote>"Radiologists can now confirm what transsexuals report - that they feel “trapped in the wrong body” - on the basis of the activation of the brain when presented with erotic stimuli. There is obviously a biological correlation with the subjective feelings."</blockquote>
That last one's from <i>ArzteZeitung<i>, the original's in German. A Peer-reviewed translation and link to the original is available <a href="http://aebrain.blogspot.com/2007/09/functional-magnetoresonancetomography.html">online</a> so you can check it yourself.
It's an over-simplification to say "woman trapped in a male body", but it's the most accurate sound-bite that summarises the situation. In fact it's usually a somewhat feminised brain in a mostly masculinised body, or the reverse. The condition may affect a large proportion of the brain, or a relatively small proportion.
That's the seat of gender identity, which we *think* involves the hypothalamus and limbic nucleus, but really, we're not sure. Oddly enough, no-one wants to do research on this.
The Leftist Moonbats are afraid that it will contradict their cherished notions - notions not backed by any evidence - about Gender being a Social Construct, and I have to say that many Conservatives share your view that the whole situation isn't worth discussing.
It's a pretty horrid situation to be in. A misgendered brain doesn't work too well with the wrong hormonal mix, and it gets worse with age. You can feel your mind rotting, and no amount of therapy or anti-depressant medication helps. Hormones do, but then, they change the body too, and the relief is so dramatic that "going the whole way" is the only thing humanly possible, regardless of the consequences to family. Many decide that suicide will do less damage to their kids, though the studies that have been conducted indicate otherwise. They take the easy way out - or the slow form of suicide which involves institutionalisation and/or an "honourable" early death from stress-related illness.
About the only upside is the evidenced 2 Standard Deviation (and how appropriate..) increase in IQ, which might explain why so many Transsexual people are into Computer Science. Or not, we really don't know.
Then there are those who are Intersexed (neither wholly M nor F) in rare ways, such as those with the 5ARD or 17BHDD mutations. They transition - change apparent sex - without treatment. It's rare, maybe 1 in 150,000 people have 17BHDD, and a similar number with 5ARD. My <a href="http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/1462">own similar condition</a> is thought to be 1 in 3.5 million, for example.
But as this is so outrageous, so completely contrary to all notions of common sense and rationality, you only find mention of it in dry, dusty scientific and medical journals. You don't realise what it means to the people who have it, or the far more common 1 in 3000 (not 30,000) who have HBS - Harry Benjamin Syndrome, commonly known as Transsexuality
So pardon me if I get a little upset at being called a pervert or deviant, a <i>thing</i> that belongs in a circus. Abnormal I'll plead guilty to, and even Freak. I've been called that by my medical team, after all. Just don't assume that I'm a Lefty.
I can appreciate the "data" - but. . .
March 7, 2008 - 11:46 ET by kdizzydazeThe end result of this entire issue is why am I made to feel guilty if I choose not to accept this thing? I am not going to throw stones or harm this thing in any way other than to avoid it. But what about the employees who have no choice but to "accept" the situation? This thing is a supposed executive at Microsoft? Hmmmm, I can see it now, "Johnny, my subordinate, does not accept my decision -- Johnny, can you come to my office for a minute? You're fired!"
Or what about the spouse who was told on her first Mother's day. Great. Or about the kids - specifically the ones from a PREVIOUS MARRIAGE!!!! They still call it dad.
This thing is a selfish thing that instead of choosing to "out" itself and deal with the consequences of the people around, has basically forced itself and its decisions on other's. Additionally, how screwy is it that this thing changes sex from a man to a woman and then still thinks it will be into women? What the hell is that all about?
This story in and of itself is a wee bit shocking, but the MSM bringing it to me is, well, not surprising.
As for the data. I will look at it as I want to see exactly what these scientists have to say and what their research has uncovered. But I have to admit that I am hugely skeptical of these scientists and their findings already. I am truly wondering who is funding them at this point.
Funding
March 7, 2008 - 21:21 ET by Zoe BrainWho's funding them? No-one, at least, no-one in the USA. The subject's too controversial. All the recent data has come from outside, from the Netherlands, Germany, Singapore... George Soros is not involved.
I can't defend the way that this person transitioned, if the reports are correct.
I've not walked a mile in her moccasins, but I wouldn't have done it like that.
Thanks for at least looking at the data, and not dismissing it unread because it's inconvenient. The data's scanty, nowhere near enough for "proof beyond all doubt", though cases like my own are inexplicable otherwise. There's not even a theory as to how some "psychological" condition can cause such dramatic somatic changes, hormone levels, and an effective partial sex change and female puberty at age 47. But all the tests have shown me to be indistinguishable from classic late-onset transsexuals in all other respects. This strongly suggests a biological cause for them too.
I'll quote from the judicial review of the Australian Family Court in 2003, when they looked at the evidence then. Since that time, a mountain of functional MRI ("Brain Scan") data has been accumulated which supports their findings.
As regards Sexual Orientation - about a third of late-transitioning transsexual women are lesbian, it's quite common. About another third change sexual orientation from lesbian to straight, which can be enormously psychologically stressful. Having such a basic part of one's identity change like that is terribly disorientating. The best statistics on this are in Dr Anne Lawrence's paper Sexuality before and after Male-to-Female Sex Reassignment Surgery (PDF). I don't agree with her analysis (or pretty much anything she says), but her data gathering is impeccable.
As I've said in a science magazine It is confusing. And it’s upsetting, and it’s embarrassing and it’s not suitable for children and it’s not safe for work — so people don’t want to talk about it.. I can understand that. I'm not real keen on revealing my medical history, exposing my child to possible persecution, and generally living in a goldfish bowl myself. But I know of so many kids, so many children who are Intersexed or Transsexual, and I don't want them to go through the seven kinds of hell I had to endure. Just look at the comments on this thread to see the kind of thing people like me have to go through, not from Fanatics or Loonies, but from normal, good people whose politics I share. People who, like me, have a deep and abiding distrust of Faddish Junk Science, of Leftist Lunacy, and who see our very social fabric under threat from "political activists".
twigs and berries
March 6, 2008 - 21:46 ET by WesenMicrosoft represents a real trail mix of people. This guy earned enough money to live in a mega-house then shame himself with disfiguring surgery... and we're supposed to approve? He was probably standing next to the Juggler on a unicycle with the red jester's hat outside the Microsoft Offices in Redmond. What a drive-by.
this tool was in charge of IE?
March 6, 2008 - 19:19 ET by UndercoverConservativenever bothered to check with his wife, and never bothered to check with the *entire freaking web world* on a little thing called "standards".
I hope that they cover the divorce and the child's trauma with as much "openness" as this load of crap.
I can wrap my brain around the concept that there are people out there who want to do such a thing. Fine, do it. Pay for it yourself, but don't expect special treatment. You have a history that you chose, so if people are uncomfortable and shun you, that's their choice they should be free to make as well. Or not. But don't expect that everyone has to be forced to "accept" this *choice* you made. Just like I won't trust a felon who *chose* to commit a crime, nor would I like someone in my circle of friends who acts like a rap star in his relationships.
But to top of this selfish git's true crime-betraying his wife and child. being so short sighted that he never bothered to make sure it was okay with her first. Or giving her a chance for a dignified graceful divorce. Noooo. He's gotta have *his* way and too bad if anyone else is affected. Typical sociopathic executive type. Explains a lot about MS's attitude towards IE standards and their response to all the necessary and unaddressed security flaws.
Is it rape now that he's forced his wife into a lesbian (non sexual we assume) relationship against her will?
This putz took a social and possibly religious contract when the marriage vows were exchanged, and he blatantly broke them. I hope she takes him/her/it to the cleaners for that.
"to call an illegal immigrant an "undocumented alien" is the same as calling a streetcorner drug dealer an "unlicensed pharmacist".
Ya know it's not much different
March 6, 2008 - 22:50 ET by gailannrYa know it's not much different then how a wife (or husband) must feel (like in my daughter's case) when the homosexual partner comes home after 10 years of marriage where most of that 10 years was spent making my daughter feel like something was wrong with her. Not to mention what this has done to their two sons. I remember him telling her he knew he was gay since he was 11-12 years old. This is betrayal at it's best folks! He took ten years of her life a way and she has never gotten over it and neither have their children. If you wonder why some of us suffer from homophobia, that might be a good reason.
Do you hear anyone crying out about teaching these young gay people during sex education classes that if they realize they are gay that it is not nice to deceive someone into thinking you are straight because of your own selfishness. It must be that animal drive to want to father something that lets them deceive people. What else could it be? Oh I know, it's their shame! Well what the hell!!!
Well, at last the MSM is
March 6, 2008 - 19:24 ET by SMGalbraithWell, at last the MSM is proving us the news that we need to have to be better and more informed citizens in our representative democracy.
Sheesh.
This comes on the heels of
March 6, 2008 - 19:53 ET by msh1973This comes on the heels of the story about Cynthia Nixon (Sex in the City) stating that she is in love with her partner of nearly five years. She states that her 11 year old daughter and 6 year old son are "fine with it". She continues by stating that they are use to it because her daughter has a gay uncle and several godmothers that are lesbians. What?
The good news...
March 6, 2008 - 19:59 ET by NavyBuckeyethis family's blood line will die out eventually. With this many gay/lesbians in the family there is no way they can carry it on.
“Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter” - Thomas Jefferson
????
March 6, 2008 - 20:02 ET by NavyBuckeyeHOW DARE YOU PEOPLE JUDGE HIM,,,,HOW DARE YOU!!!!!!
Just kidding, this guy deserves to go t hell or worse. Wasn't there a time where this kind of stuff wasn't acceptable? Sometimes I feel I was born three or four generations to late. What has happened to the world where this is broadcast on tv and accepted like it is no big deal. What a disgrace. I feel sorry for his wife and kid.
“Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter” - Thomas Jefferson
4 generations
March 6, 2008 - 21:51 ET by WesenFour generations puts you back to about 1930. You meant to say 100 years ago... but the fellow doesn't deserve to go to hell any more than anyone else.
Defining Deviancy Down
March 6, 2008 - 20:04 ET by Barker"Michael broke the news last year on Mother's Day"
What a man. What a sick, sick man.
they should line up a
March 6, 2008 - 20:21 ET by TruthMongerthey should line up a therapist for the kid now - block out about a decade of time - maybe get a volume discount - not that they need it...
»→ TruthMonger
March 6, 2008 - 20:28 ET by Cool ArrowA little off the path, but who is this "they" of which you speak?
And who pays for the therapy given "they" decree it?
♣ a seal
re:Barker
March 6, 2008 - 21:51 ET by PrairieSkyAs if that whole sordid story isn't enough to deal with, the fact that this creep/creepette (take your pick), decided to share this heartwarming bit of info with his/her apparently clueless wife on the occasion of her very first Mother's Day, just blows me away. That decision alone tells me volumes about what kind of person he/she is. His/her wife needs to get a good divorce lawyer and fast. And with the amount of money that this guy/girl undoubtedly makes at Microsoft, if I were the wife, I'd take him/her for every penney I could get.
Freak-show...
March 6, 2008 - 20:06 ET by thebronzeFreak-show...
Step right up.....
March 6, 2008 - 20:12 ET by BarkerYeah, it used to cost a quarter at the circus to see this kind of stuff.
What's next on GMA, the world's smallest bisexual?
hhmmmm...... he/she seems
March 6, 2008 - 20:15 ET by MidAmericahhmmmm...... he/she seems more like a crossdresser that just wants to dress as a woman all the time.
He/She ...
March 6, 2008 - 20:28 ET by drillanwrMakes a really bad Christian Bale look-alike.
When you men get home and face an anti-war protestor, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend because she knows she’s dating a pussy… ~ Attributed to General Tommy Franks
So how should the media
March 6, 2008 - 20:57 ET by mandrakeSo how should the media have treated this story, since it is rather unusual?
1) Ignore it? No wait that's bias
2) Condemn it? No wait that's a form of bias too.
3) Balance it with story of she->he transformation? Female wreslting perhaps?
A middle aged man that
March 7, 2008 - 03:44 ET by jdhawkA middle aged man that becomes a pathetic, ugly, middle aged man that wears a dress trying to pass as a woman . . .
Meanwhile, over at the National Enquirer they have those new alien photos at Area 51 . . .
So, the question is which one of the above is the freak show?
Maybe this is why IE is getting the crap beat out of it by Firefox. We are a Microsoft shop, but our programmers use Firefox with the add-in Fire Bug when web programming for our web sites. It is a far superior combination than anything Microsoft has come up with.
All I gotta say, is this
March 7, 2008 - 04:32 ET by tracheostomyAll I gotta say, is this marriage was doomed at the outset, even before the decision to go through with surgery.
It's almost like you need to go on a first date with a comprehensive interview or something.
-PJ
"Trake: Your lofty convictions are another blemish on the rump of congregational sectarianism." -Tumbler 5/15/07
What a loser
March 7, 2008 - 05:50 ET by ROTORHEAD77And SHAME ON ABC for airing this garbage!I have to admit that, of the "Big 3", I enjoy Charlie Gibson's broadcasts the most, but this just made me want to go to the wc and hurl up my guts!
Just so you know, this is not normal. I sure hope that the people of the country for whom I have dedicated my life, do not feel that this behavior should be glamorized.
It is unacceptable, and a disgrace. May god, and his wife and children, have mercy on his pitiful soul!
Yes, it'a all about him/her/it!
March 7, 2008 - 10:06 ET by Seabeach4348<<He said the children [his from previous marriage] still call Megan "dad" and that "she knows it's a challenge for them," "doesn't believe they're being teased" but does worry about it.>>
All I get from that statement is a supreme degree of irresponsibility and total selfishness, and what a mind f**k for these unfortunate kids and the wife. The fact that they still refer "Megan" as dad shows how confused they are.
It would be one thing if this guy wasn't married, didn't have children or anyone else who would be directly adversely effected by his decision to undergo this "change". The guy's still a messed-up freak in my eyes, but at least it impacts no one.
But this pervert low-life doesn't bother to consult his/her/its wife or his/her/its children and just goes ahead with his/her/its plans without regard for the devastating psychological, emotional, and social impact on the family! And, of course, the rest of us are supposed to be progressively naive and sophisticated enough to be OK with this "choice".
I hope that his/her/its wife (the genuine woman) once the shock is over and she can think clearly divorces this self-important bastard and takes him/her/it for all she can get. And I hope that she keeps the kids as far away from him/her/it as possible.
And shame on the doctors who perform this type of mutilation.
I agree, seabeach4348
March 7, 2008 - 10:21 ET by Mica the MagnificentI knew someone who was married with kids and decided to change their sex.
The kids, who were in their early teens, were devastated.
The wife was so humiliated she became a recluse and everyone is in therapy.
The rest of the family won't talk about him. The pictures his mom has displayed on her living room wall of him and her grand kids and daughter-in-law are from years ago.
It is an un-natural event that happened in their lives. I don't know how you are supposed to deal with it.
Somehow, the entire animal kingdom can make due
March 7, 2008 - 11:01 ET by YahooWatcherwith the genital package either Jesus or Darwin (depending on what magnetic fish is on your car) has bestowed on them, but some humans, and I use the word humans reluctantly, have problems with their original equipment. I will never buy into any excuse for this sex-change behavior other than some extreme left wing progressive garbage that these people have had planted in their minds.
It happens to animals too
March 7, 2008 - 22:02 ET by Zoe BrainThis condition isn't just a human thing, the evidence is that it happens to all the higher mammals to various degrees.
To see just how problematic the situation is with some people's original equipment, see http://www.isna.org/ , http://www.ukia.co.u... , http://www.intersexu... - the Intersex Society of North America, the UK Intersex Association, and the Organisation Intersex International.
Page through medical journals, and you'll see chromosomally male (46xy) women who have given birth, people with both 46xx (Female) and 46xy (male) chromosomes, peopel with 47xxy chromosomes, some of whom have fathered children, others who have borne them... even people who experienced a natural "sex change" from one appearance to another due to various mutations.
To give you an idea of just how awful having congenital neurological intersex feels - and I only had a relatively mild case of it before my body started changing - read what a medical specialist had to say:
Been there, done that. And as has been proven repeatedly, neither analysis, nor therapy, nor shock treatment, nor anti-depressants provide anything more than temporary symptomatic relief, and often not even that.
Transition cures it, having the right hormone balance gives relief within days. Once the initial endocrinal chaos is over, IQ goes up, and for the first time in decades, the patient is no longer fighting chronic misery.
The problems in transitioning from one gender to another are immense. Just the legal situation is daunting, but the biggest problems are the effects on one's family. It's possible for marriages to continue, but usually they don't. Children between ages of 0-5 are unaffected, at 6 there are some gender formation issues so transition is not recommended then, at ages 7-12 things are good, but after that it's usually a train-wreck. Well, so say the medical studies.
But despite the problems, the situation is still a massive improvement. When the situation becomes dire, then the choice is death, institutionalisation, or transition. There is no fourth choice. Transition is usually a disaster, losing friends, family, employment, pretty much everything, and usually there's no chance of ever having any form of love life. Dating for straight Transsexual women is positively dangerous, there's always the chance that any guy will go berserk and beat you to a pulp (or worse) when you reveal your medical past. Or someone reveals it to him. It's best to reveal on the phone, and even before the first date. That usually stops the first date from happening of course, but the odds of the prospective date doing a torture/murder gig on you are reduced to near zero. For most not already in a relationship pre-op, celibacy is their lot in life.
It's still better than the alternative. Trust me.