ANALYSIS: Editors blame ‘politicized news outlet’ for backlash
The University of Florida student newspaper edited its article on a fat and nude drawing workshop organized by an LGBT professor at the behest of the organizers of the events.
The Alligator blamed “politicized news outlets who picked up the story” for the need to rewrite the story. The College Fix was the first to report on the story, which was then picked up by Young America’s Foundation and HotAir.com, which reposted the original Fix article.
Angela DeCarlis’ “Figure on Diversity” workshop “features diverse models who are people of color, fat, disabled or members of the LGBTQ community,” according to the student newspaper, as The Fix previously reported. The campus art museum has also hosted DeCarlis’ workshops
“It’s really important for the models who have been oppressed on the basis of their appearance to have the opportunity to be seen,” DeCarlis (pictured) told the Alligator. “Not just stared at, right? Really seen and valued.”
The three editors explained:
The group requested we change four things in the story: removing “buzz words” from the headline, removing the workshop’s name from the headline, removing the models’ names from the photo’s caption and alerting Alligator reporters and editors of the negative circulation of the story.
Understandably, this group is worried about their members’ general safety. But it shouldn’t have to be this way.
We’re proud to highlight LGBTQ stories during Pride Month and beyond. We’re committed to serving Gainesville — despite a polarized, political climate that attempts to villainize some of its residents.
The three editors who wrote the piece were Jackson Reyes, Jiselle Lee and Kristine Villaroel. Lee is the editor-in-chief.
Archived versions of the story exist. The headline originally said, “Figure on Diversity seeks to build confidence for transgender youth” but now reads “Local art organization builds confidence with summer events.”
“Models pose together during a Museum Days event held at the Harn Museum of Art in April 2023,” the new photo caption reads. “Carolina Cotten (left) and Mel Hernandez (right) pose together during a Museum Days event held at the Harn Museum of Art in April 2023,” the original caption stated.
The newspaper also scrubbed the last names of other models involved in the workshops. “Brooke Hull, a 24-year-old model for Figure on Diversity, has seen their confidence grow through modeling,” became just “Brooke” in the sanitized version.
Carolina Cotten became just “Carolina.”
The editorial finished off by detailing what the editors saw as victories and setbacks for LGBT activism.
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IMAGE: AngelaDeCarlis.com
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