With a federal election campaign thrust upon Canadians in the dog days of summer — when most people are not in the least interested in politics — many media outlets are looking for different out-of-the-ordinary angles to draw readers/viewers in to their campaign coverage.

Never mind that some of those angles might be less than ethical or professional. Never mind if they sacrifice the very people they are writing about, and possibly ruin their chances of being elected.

And with transgender Hollywood celebrities like Caitlyn Jenner and Jazz Jennings being the flavour of the moment for media outlets, I suppose it is no surprise that some media outlets in Canada are trumpeting the fact that one of the people running for federal office in Canada is a transgender person.

Never mind that they would not play up an individual’s sexual orientation or physical disability or religious beliefs or so many other personal things about candidates — unless those things are particularly relevant. As far as many in the media are concerned, outing a transgender candidate with big headlines and articles that focus on that fact rather than the candidate’s platform is perfectly OK.

Of course, it is not OK. It is sheer hypocrisy, and as I pointed out in an on the LGBT Perspectives magazine site, it could cost the candidate dearly.

If you want to read more, click on this link.

— Jillian