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Anna Rawson On Lesbians

Harry Longshanks

Harry Longshanks

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I wonder if this story will have legs?
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25018452-5010360,00.html

Does she need a mouth caddie?
Patrick Smith | February 07, 2009

ANNA Rawson was interviewed by the media yesterday. This not a rare thing, for she is a model and last year voted among the top 10 hottest female athletes in the world by US magazine Sports Illustrated. She was not asked about her golf, which is significant but not surprising even though it is her profession.

She is a member of the European and US tours. Her golf is not that good that she is often asked about it. Yesterday, she shot a second round two-under-par score of 70 in the Ladies Masters at Royal Pines. It is not what she shot on the course but how she shot her mouth off away from the golf that made her a person of interest.

On Adelaide radio on Wednesday night Rawson said this: "The tour has got so much better with so many young stars and great players. But the mentality, unfortunately amongst the media and the industry has not changed. They still think we are at 25 years ago, you know, when the tour was full of, you know, a lot of dykes and unattractive females. Nobody wanted to watch."

It was an offensive remark showing little respect for the women who toiled here in Australia and internationally so the likes of Rawson could make a comfortable living playing the sport professionally. A spokesman for the European tour said her comments would be considered by the tour bosses back in London as to whether they might have brought the game into disrepute.

At the very least they did nothing for Rawson, who is gaining a reputation as a self-promoter. In an interview last year in the magazine Men's Health an article on Rawson began this way: "'I have penis envy,' Anna Rawson lets slip as she sits in the corner lounge of an upscale Manhattan hotel. 'I could never be with a woman, because I'm just fascinated by what men can do with their bodies that we can't.' She says this loudly, as if she's often asked about the lesbian subculture that exists in her line of work - professional golf. Then she leans in conspiratorially, whispering, 'This interview will definitely get me in trouble'."

Confronted by an aggressive media yesterday she found herself in a bunker she could not get out of no matter how many swipes she took in her defence. The bunker just got deeper. Her comments angered officials with the Australian Ladies Professional Association, but because Rawson is not a member she cannot be disciplined by the local authority.

"I wasn't talking about my opinion at all ... That's not how I saw the tour 25 years ago because 25 years ago I was two years old," Rawson said. "I was just making a reference to how society sees women's golf as a whole, not necessarily women's golf in Australia."

Rawson said her comments were directed at the prizemoney which she said was 11-times less than available to the men and 25-times less in endorsement earnings. "It is just annoying how many great young players we have here, yet society and the media here don't really grab on to that and take advantage of that. That's what I was talking about. I wasn't talking about my opinion at all," she said.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have said that. I was just talking about what I'd heard and what people had told me. I like to focus on the fact that our tour is amazing. The ALPG has done a great job. There are so many talented young players who also happen to care about their appearance and I think that's fantastic. I think it's just grown and that's what I want to focus on."

Asked whether she needed to apologise to the women who built the tour on which she now hoped to prosper, Rawson replied: "Well, it wasn't my opinion that I was talking about so I don't know. I was just referring to what society is. It wasn't my opinion. I don't believe that. I don't even know what it was." And thus Rawson took a pick axe to her own credibility.

She blamed the remark on the fact that her interviewers asked her questions, which is a little quirky. "Radio is fast and they were asking questions," she said. Later Rawson said she normally got her questions in advance. Not a bad idea.

She belatedly apologised: "I'm sorry that I said that but I was misunderstood." As for penis envy? "They were asking my opinion on dating and things like that. I do envy men. If I was a man there would be a big difference. It was just a comment. It is silly really but I think the fact that maybe five million people read that and read about me, hopefully they focused on golf and will follow women's golf."

Rawson's remarks were odious. She is right that women's golf in Australia is growing and developing superior talent. But it is only the legacy of the very women she denigrated on radio. Time she let her clubs do her talking. Otherwise she needs a caddy for her mouth. A little help with sentence selection wouldn't go astray.
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A couple of initial thoughts:

(1) Other than the word "dykes" (which, I have been told, is a "reclaimed" word by lesbians), I'm not sure how the comment is "offensive" or lacking in respect. It certainly wasn't polite or complimentary, but I don't see it as derogatory toward the accomplishments of the women who came before Rawson, as the author suggests. It is: (a) a personal opinion about the physical appearance of her predecessors; and (b) a widely accepted belief, whether accurate or not. In other words, she was describing what the public at large believes and wants: attractive women hitting golf balls for money.

(2) I can't help but believe that the author is biased when the fifth sentence of the article starts with "Her golf is not that good ..." Ummm, excuse me, but she has her LPGA card which means that she is one of the best golfers in the world by the best measure available. Additionally, the "penis envy" comment is completely irrelevant to the discussion. It was given as a quote to Men's Health magazine. All that means is that Rawson knows how to appropriately market herself to the media interviewing her. The lesbian subtext of the "penis envy" comment pertaining to the LPGA was completely inferred by the author of the article. It was a salacious comment for a salacious article for a salacious magazine by a woman who, in addition to being a golfer, is a highly paid model who benefits financially from being viewed as a sexy heterosexual.
 
I agree on some levels Harry with your thoughts. However the word she chose is wrong. If a minority chooses to use a word themselves, does not give the majority the right to use it as well. This comes up in race quite a bit. I do think the interviewer seemed like he had a bit of an axe to grind.

However I have always seen this particular player as someone that cares little about the tradition and more about self promotion. But that is just my personal opinion of her.
 
Yeah, I agree with your assessment of the yellow journalism here, and the penis envy comment was irrelevant and not particuularly untoward. Nonetheless, the swipe at her ugly lesbian forebearers was pretty outrageous, and based on the anemic explanations she offered up, it seems that pretty head of hers might as well be a box of rocks for all she's able to use what's inside it.
 
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"Dykes" is a horrible word, it's up on my short list of words you just won't hear me say, ever. I'm sensitive, to at least a very basic level, about making people uncomfortable. To me, "lesbian" is fine, but "dyke" is a slur that refers to the worst qualities of some in that community.

As for being reclaimed, that doesn't make it up to us (her). Many black people have reclaimed n***er, but I still won't use it. Not a chance!

Completely agree with JB and WSE's sentiments. Why were you typing with one finger, Worst? :angel:
 
julie_m said:
... Why were you typing with one finger, Worst? :angel:
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Other 9 are on baby duty this a.m.

752-crying-baby-msn-display.jpg

(That ain't her, but the emotional state is a fair facsimile.)
 
worst_shot_ever said:
Other 9 are on baby duty this a.m.

(That ain't her, but the emotional state is a fair facsimile.)
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HAHAHAHA, AW!

More about Anna: golf.com wouldn't even print the word she said.

It is not what Anna Rawson shot on the course but how she shot her mouth off that made her a person of interest. On Adelaide radio on Wednesday night Rawson said this: "The tour has got so much better with so many young stars and great players. But the mentality, unfortunately amongst the media and the industry has not changed. They still think we are at 25 years ago, you know, when the tour was full of, you know, a lot of [derogatory term for lesbians] and unattractive females. Nobody wanted to watch."
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If that helps. :smile:
 
Anna gets paid for her golf and her looks, not her brains. Saying dumb stuff hardly makes her unique.

WSE, you get used to the one-handed typing. It's when she insists on sitting in your lap and helping that it really gets interesting.
 
on a complete side note... they call that writing? wow, standards must be different down under.

Anna is this. Anna is sexy. Her golf is not great. Brutal...
 
DDBowdoin said:
on a complete side note... they call that writing? wow, standards must be different down under.
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Oh I did notice, for certain. The whole article belongs in the Grammar and Usage thread.

This not a rare thing, for she is a model...

...prizemoney which she said was 11-times less than available to the men and 25-times less in endorsement earnings.

Those are the few I noticed, along with the general moratorium on commas. I'm sure I'm missing some.
 
i don't see the big deal here. ok, you PCers are going nuts over the dxxx word. good grief.

we all know what the "L" in LPGA stands for, or at least, stood for.


remember the Dinah Shore tournament(which is now the Kraft Nabisco):

it's this huge lesbian jamboree. Women from all over America—all over the world, even—come to root for their faves and party down. The big hotels throw these massive parties where women get together and dance and drink and have a great time. Some come only for the parties. Last year during tournament week I was talking to a young woman in a hotel lobby. I asked her whether she was going to get out to watch the golf today. She gave me a blank look and said, "There's golf?"
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The big deal is the fact that it is not right to use those terms. Can you imagine if it was about race what would be going on right now? Or could you imagine if it was said by a golfer that is atleast fairly relevant? It would be on every news channel.
 
its not even close to Fuzzy's "fried chicken" comments, which he got away with.
 
He did not get away with it. He was crucified in the media. And times have changed. Being politically correct is another way of being kind to people different from you. Why offend someone if there is no reason to offend them other than they are different than you.
 
I really don't care what she said. It's entirely true. Insensitive, maybe to some; funny, yes. (it takes a whole bunch to offend me)

I also really don't care how she said it, the whole PC movement has really gotten out of control, and softened society to complete woos-dom (this word is trademarked by Gummi Bear, Ltd., and is not to be used without express permission) :D

I don't agree with the hypersensitivity of many folks any more than I agree with the whole "Everybody's a unique snowflake, and gets a blue ribbon" mentality.

All that said, I also believe that folks are free to believe what they like. If trying to be sensitive to everyone is how you choose to honor their individuality, that's your free choice as well. Me, I'll be polite, but I won't kiss their butt.
 
And GB, I really think that was the point. That it does not have to be about being hyper sensitive or anything else. But why offend someone if you do not have to.

It is the same principle as why we do not use certain terms for races or anything else. While some may find it acceptable or funny. Others do not. So why go through the hassle.
 
I guess I'm not disputing the factual accuracy of her comment. Truth is, I don't have any idea about women's golf in the 80s. I'm not a particularly PC guy, but my view is that there are minimum standards concerning the use of certain derogatory epithets, particularly in public broadcast media (admittedly, Adelaide radio isn't exactly NBC). She blew right past those. Also, but I think her statement reveals some serious disrespect for her predecessors and women's sport generally, and fairly or unfairly, I also read in it and her follow ups a pretty clear indication that she's rather dumb and has an immodest fixation on appearance over substance. (I guess you could say that she knows her own strengths and weaknesses, or maybe she's just youung.) Anyway, that disappoints me, as I wanted to like her.
 
So I had never hear of Anna so I went and googled her. This led me to her "official site." On the opening page it actually has a phone number for Anna, with the comment why don't you give her a call and leave a message? Can you imagine the messages she is going to be getting? Why would you do that?

Her use of the word is the problem here. If you look back at her comments and the way she kind of stumbled up to the remark, she knew she shouldn't be saying that. Like JB has said, if you inserted the N word everyone would be going crazy. It is the same thing, just offensive towards a different group. I think people were also upset that she was making that comment about the very women who cleared the path for her to be playing right now. Think of what they had to go through all so that she doesn't have to today.
 
worst_shot_ever said:
Truth is, I don't have any idea about women's golf in the 80s.
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Anna Rawson doesn't, either. :wink:

EDIT: Here's a good one of Jan...I hope! (Even though I know y'all don't like 80s girls.)
U1885467.jpg

Jan Stephenson (Major Winner, Australian)

Solheim76335913_275px.jpg

Betsy King (Major winner. Current picture.)

72461218.jpg

Laura Baugh
 
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She definetly should have chosen her words more wisely. You know that the media is going to crucify you if they get the chance, so why would you even say something like that? Pretty girl, but not very smart.
 
without dignifying anna's comments in any form other than offensive, the women's tour at one time did have an image problem as a lesbian fest which impeded its marketing and which its members themselves objected to and sought to change. rick reilly discusses this in his book, "who's your caddy?"
 
JB said:
However the word she chose is wrong.
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I agree, which is why I started with "other than the word dykes". However, I don't think it is anywhere close to the same level as "the N word". I'm also curious to know if "dyke" has the "offensive" connotation in Australia that it does in the U.S., or if it is used interchangeably with lesbian. Just because a word is accepted as offensive in the U.S. doesn't mean that it has the same definition elsewhere.

julie_m said:
Anna Rawson doesn't, either. :wink:

Danielle_Amiee_2.jpg

Jan Stephenson (Major Winner, Australian)
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That's not Jan Stephenson. That's Danielle Amiee from Big Break III:
danielle3.jpg


This is Jan Stephenson (in the photo that started all the hype):
golf_janstephenson.jpg


And Rawson never said all of the LPGA players were lesbians and/or unattractive. She said "a lot."

Also, Stephenson was pretty much the player who initiated the idea of "sexiness" to the LPGA. She was in a huge minority, and took a lot of grief for it.

Rawson was discussing the perception of women's golf 25 years ago vs. the perception of women's golf now vs. what it will take to get viewers - and I am certain that the reporter knew that, but wanted to write an inflamatory editorial. Had the author wrtten an article on why Rawson's decision to use the word "dyke" was inappropriate in a modern and historical context, I would have no argument. But he didn't. He used the comment as the foundation for a pulpit from which he could bash Rawson.
 
I'm the last person who could ever be accused of being PC, I tend to call it as I see it. Rawson was pretty much dead on with her remarks. Sure she could have been a bit more subtle in her choice of words, but it's not the lesbians have never heard or possibly even used the word Dyke before.

I think everyone needs to quit being so thin skinned & getting upset at every little phrase or word someone uses. There are a lot more important issues in the world other than someone using the word dyke.
 
She clearly shouldn't have used the word, but there is a difference between using the word lesbian and the word she chose. Her chosen word describes a certain cross-section of the lesbian community, just as "flaming" describes a certain group of homosexuals. It wasn't terribly smart, I agree.

I'll give her the benefit of the doubt, mainly because it's ANNA!

Spoiler
"I've always thought of becoming a golf club"
u1340p6t64d17304f1323dt8fz.jpg
 
Harry Longshanks said:
That's not Jan Stephenson. That's Danielle Amiee

Also, Stephenson was pretty much the player who initiated the idea of "sexiness" to the LPGA. She was in a huge minority, and took a lot of grief for it.
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Darn "Google Images" - guess you can't trust em. (I wanted a picture of her golfing so we could maybe make it thru the thread without a bikini shot...pipe dream.)

My point is that she's (Stephenson) a 16 time winner, 3x major winner. Some women are talented and beautiful. I have no problem with sexy athletes, so long as they're admirable athletes (and people) first.

I know I'm never considered part of the public at large, but I don't like to see pretty girls hit balls for money. I like to see talented athletes, men or women, perform to their best with awesome and smart athletics and skill, in competition that is fun and captivating. That's the best I could describe it, anyway. :smile:
 
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