In Less Than Three Days, ABC Devotes 24 Minutes to 'Transgendered Beauty Queen'
In less than three days, over three programs, ABC devoted 24 minutes to the not-exactly pressing topic of a transgendered beauty contestant. Jenna Talackova appeared on Friday's 20/20, Monday's Good Morning America and The View. GMA's George Stephanopoulos talked to Talackova and her left-wing lawyer Gloria Allred, offering no tough questions. On The View, Barbara Walters introduced Allred as "the great women's rights lawyer."
Despite insisting that the story created a "firestorm," Stephanopoulos fawned, "What is it like, all of a sudden, to be seen not simply as a contestant for Ms. Universe...but also as a spokesperson for the trangendered community?" Stephanopoulos gushed, "It's gotta be something you welcome, because you know you're going to help an awful lot of people who have been maybe struggling in the shadows."
Rather than ask any serious questions, the former Democratic operative turned journalist gossiped, "And you've got a boyfriend now?...How does that work at the beginning?"
On The View, Walters made no mention of Allred's liberal leanings. Instead, she enthused, "And with Jenna is the great women's rights lawyer, whom I hope I never need because I don't want that kind of a case, Gloria Allred."
Comedienne Whoopi Goldberg proved tougher than Stephanopoulos, noting that if the rule calling for only "natural born" women to be allowed is removed, "...How do you make sure you don't have folks that shouldn't be competing? You know, drag queens, for instance?"
Walters did announce she would "stick up" for her friend, Miss Universe pageant owner Donald Trump, who initially banned Talackova, but then reversed himself. On Friday's 20/20, she interviewed Trump, as well as Talackova and Allred.
In 2008, ABC devoted 64 minutes to hyping a so-called "pregnant man."
A sampling of George Stephanopoulos' questions from Monday's GMA can be found below:
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Now to the story behind the firestorm that rocked the Ms. Universe pageant. Jenn Talackova was kicked out of the contest in Canada because she was born a boy. But pageant owner Donald Trump reversed the decision and will let her go for the global crown.
...
STEPHANOPOULOS: And I can only imagine the pressure you're under. Your story has just exploded, become a global story. You couldn't have been ready for that.
...
STEPHANOPOULOS: What is it like, all of a sudden, to be seen not simply as a contestant for Ms. Universe- when you'll be competing in Canada on May 19th, but also as a spokesperson for the trangendered community?
...
STEPHANOPOULOS: It's gotta be something you welcome, because you know you're going to help an awful lot of people who have been maybe struggling in the shadows.
...
STEPHANOPOULOS: Take us back to your young life. You said you knew from the very beginning, as soon as you were conscious that you were meant to be a woman. But in school, you had to face a fair amount of bullying, a fair amount of trouble.
...
STEPHANOPOULOS: And how have your fellow contestants been treating you? Are they encouraging you? Have they been nice? Anything happening behind the scenes?
STEPHANOPOULOS: And you've got a boyfriend now?
...
STEPHANOPOULOS: How does that work at the beginning? When you meet someone, is it something you talk about right away? As time?...
STEPHANOPOULOS: And one day you want to have children?
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Comments
Back in the day....
Submitted by Kingfish17 on Mon, 04/09/2012 - 4:25pm.
Back in my youth, when the traveling carnival came to town, I would always, without fail, shell out 25 or 50 cents to see the "two headed baby" or the "alligator woman" or the "world's smallest man eating glass". It was always a rip-off, I would swear I learned my lesson, but next summer I just couldn't resist to see the "freak show" again.
I'm not saying this person is a freak. If someone wants to change their sex then more power to them, as long as it's not on the taxpayer's dime. But people will tune in to see the "freak show", and '"men having babies" is going to get the eyeballs.
"You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas...on the taxpayer’s dime." Barack Obama
Steph: "So do you ever have the urge to feel yourself up?"
Submitted by SickofLibs on Mon, 04/09/2012 - 4:31pm.
Little Georgie obviously finds himself strangely mesmerized by the whole thing.
In fairness to Georgie
Submitted by Kevin Groenhagen on Mon, 04/09/2012 - 7:29pm.
Talackova is much better looking than Georgie's wife.
When it comes to Stephanopolous...
Submitted by KyWriter on Mon, 04/09/2012 - 4:43pm.
...the issue is not transgenderism as much as it is prostitution. He may not be able to speak to the former, but considering how he prostitutes himself for Obama, I'm certain he is an expert on the latter.
He knew from his first moment of being
Submitted by Radical1979 on Mon, 04/09/2012 - 4:49pm.
that he was meant to be a woman? Good grief that's ridiculous. This is what ABC considers news?
Always reassuring to see that Donald Trump bows to pressure from the left. NEVER would I vote that man into any political office. No surprise, but the man has no morals.
are these morning shows declining in popularity at all
Submitted by Lipton on Mon, 04/09/2012 - 4:50pm.
I just don't understand why anyone would be that interested in a beauty contest, trangendered or not.
This is so laughable!!!
Submitted by FistsforLiberty on Mon, 04/09/2012 - 6:01pm.
Just cause you chop off your dick does not make you a woman. WHO is going to watch a woman's beauty contest, with a dude with cut off junk prancing around on stage in a bikini. Expect for the shear freak value of watching.
pre-op transgendered people
Submitted by redfish on Mon, 04/09/2012 - 7:17pm.
pre-op transgendered people should be allowed in, and once that bar is lowered, any men who wants to wear women's clothing, whether they have gender identity issues or not, should be allowed in, then once that bar is lowered, anyone should be allowed in regardless of what they wear.
Yay!
Ouch!
Submitted by thestalkinghorse on Mon, 04/09/2012 - 11:42pm.
Is that a pun on "shear"?
If this contest
Submitted by Shreve on Mon, 04/09/2012 - 7:04pm.
is about beauty, she hopefully won't be winning it.
Are they speaking of John
Submitted by the struggler on Mon, 04/09/2012 - 7:49pm.
Are they speaking of John Edwards?
Talackova is a more
Submitted by eaglescout1998 on Mon, 04/09/2012 - 8:23pm.
Talackova is a more attractive than Helen Thomas.
"On The View, Barbara Walters
Submitted by LaVallette on Tue, 04/10/2012 - 6:08am.
"On The View, Barbara Walters introduced Allred as "the great women's rights lawyer."
And one of the primary rights of women is to legally permit mutilated men to pass themslves as women. A chromosome test lays all such arguments to rest.! An XX will never become an XY!!!