The Sun has attacked a trans couple on their wedding day
The Sun is facing a major backlash after publishing a bigoted front page about a trans couple’s wedding.
The British tabloid had an exclusive with filmmaker Jake Graf and army captain Hannah Winterbourne.
‘Tran and wife,’ screamed the headline. ‘Jake who used to be a woman weds Hannah who was a man.’
Alongside the image of the couple on their wedding day were two pictures from before they transitioned.
The Sun posts front page attacking trans couple on their wedding day
Graf tweeted: ‘Following such a lovely positive article…it’s a real shame that it’s been cheapened by such a sensationalized and misleading headline.
‘[Hannah] was never a man, as I was never a woman.’
Winterbourne said: ‘A shame that our beautiful day and a positive article…has been marred by fairly offensive headlines.
‘I have always been a woman and Jake has always been a man.’
Helen Belcher, of Trans Media Watch, said this headline is very typical for a tabloid like The Sun.
‘The Sun still chooses to make trans people objects,’ she told Gay Star News.
‘The rest of the world has moved on. The Sun has not.’
‘If we don’t talk and engage with what people read, then our message isn’t going to get out.’
Some have questioned on social media why the couple would potentially want to sell their story to the paper.
‘If we don’t talk and engage with what people read, then our message isn’t going to get out,’ Belcher said.
‘That’s what Hannah and Jake were very likely thinking.
‘Trans Media Watch have always promoted caution [with the paper].
‘There’s times when it’s a good thing and there’s times when it isn’t so advisable.’
Social media attacks tabloid for transphobic headline
The front page has faced widespread attacks on social media.
Christopher Clegg wrote: ‘Even if this wasn’t hate and bigotry barely disguised as ‘humour’ it would still be a cringeworthy, painfully unfunny, pathetic, dated headline.
‘Get back to 1984 you backward trash rag @TheSun.’
— Christopher D. Clegg (@chrisdclegg) March 27, 2018
And Peter Tatchell, veteran human rights campaigner said: ‘Congratulations to the happy couple. Here at the Peter Tatchell Foundation we hope you have many special years together!
‘One question – What has it got to with The Sun?
‘Why in 2018 do we still have such narrow-minded and bigoted journalism?’
Gay Star News has reached out to Graf and Winterbourne for comment.
