Generally, it's been very pleasing to see increasing discussion of transgender issues in quizbowl questions. I personally am also heartened to see trans representation that does not focus on oppression - CMST's questions on transgender philosophy (packet 9 TU 6) and intersex individuals in ancient history (packet 8 bonus 2) are wonderful examples of this trend.
Not all such representation is welcome, though, and I was deeply disappointed to encounter a question (C++ packet 11, tossup 5) which excessively quotes hate speech against trans people and would likely be distressing for trans players to play. I have attached a screenshot; the full text is pasted below:
You might argue that transphobic thought is important in contemporary perceptions of trans people, and sadly you would be correct; however, this does not justify reading out litanies of transphobic hate speech to rooms full of players (or to anyone). It is unconscionable to make people sit and listen to the moderator stating 'Janice Raymond claimed that these people "rape women's bodies by reducing them to objects"', and it makes the quizzing environment actively hostile to trans quizzers. The question seems to go out of its way to pick the most poisonous and incendiary statement possible here. Cluing this neutrally places it on the same level, within the question, as, say, scholarship by Julia Serano; saying that Raymond and Shrier 'claim' their beliefs to be true is not enough. Asking players to try to guess, in-game, which minority group Raymond is saying this about is, frankly, grotesque.5. Kate Bornstein argued in a 1995 book that these people inspire fear because they are “outlaws” that threaten people's “cognitive systems.” A 2020 book by Abigail Shrier whose cover features a young girl with a hole cut in her stomach is subtitled for these people's “craze” and argued that a certain non-dementia condition is “rapid-onset.” Julia Serano modeled these people by comparing human and animal behavior in “Whipping Girl,” where she claimed that being one of these people is an “innate inclination.” In a book titled for their “empire,” (*) Janice Raymond claimed that these people “rape women's bodies by reducing them to objects.” Major sporting competitions let these people switch categories based on the level of testosterone in their blood. For 10 points, name these people whose gender differs from their sex assigned at birth.
ANSWER: transgender people [accept trans men, trans women, or nonbinary people; accept transsexual people; prompt on LGBTQ+ or queer people; prompt on transvestites or drag performers or crossdressers before “Abigail” is read; do not accept or prompt on “gay people” or other answers to do with sexuality] <FW, Social Science>
Why am I raising this in public? My intention is not to put the writer, or social science editor, on blast here. But more generally, I want this to function as a lesson in what not to do when writing questions about the history (or social science, or philosophy) of discrimination against minorities. Do not legitimise hate speech by treating it as scholarship (no matter how widely-published it might be). Do not presume to characterise, and write questions about, minorities by cluing statements made by those who wish to eradicate them.