Posted on Sep 13, 2012

Anderson Cooper Draws Disappointment From Trans Group For "Sensationalizing" Segment

A segment on Anderson Live linking one person's claimed "hair loss treatment" to a transgender realization has sparked protest.

by Chris Geidner

BuzzFeed News Reporter

Janet Mock, the former People.com editor who came out as transgender in an article in Marie Claire this past year, saw the reports that Anderson Cooper, newly out as a gay man, was going to be running a segment during his daytime show about a claim that a "hair loss treatment" led a straight, married man to begin identifying as a transgender woman.

Mock's response on Twitter last night: "Even Maury wouldn't touch this ratings bait."

Today, on Anderson Live, Cooper did.

The news that the segment was going to be airing led the National Center for Transgender Equality to release a statement on Wednesday and start a campaign about the episode.

In the statement, NCTE executive director Mara Keisling said: "In the past, Anderson Cooper and his team have earned a great deal of respect from trans people for their coverage of our issues. [Today], they’ll throw all of that away. Worst of all, they seem set on misinforming the public about the causality of trans identity."

"This segment is just another case of sensationalizing an already marginalized population plain and simple," she added.

The group then took to Twitter, gaining support from some other organizations and several individuals to no avail. The segment was running today.