Rant of the Times №5
Et Tu, Tambor?
Wait.
Jeff Tambor?
Another day, another public accusation of sexual misconduct by a high-profile figure. They come from all walks of live but if we just restrict ourselves to the world of entertainment, the revelations still flow fast and furious (excuse the blatant Hollywood reference) — Cosby, Weinstein, Trump, Spacey, Westwick, Louis C.K., etc.
And now, Jeffrey Tambor?
Known for his depiction of quirky, gentle giants (The Larry Sanders Show) and emasculated patriarchs (Arrested Development), Jeff is a cisgender male whose career-defining role is playing a transgender woman, Maura Pfefferman, on the Amazon series Transparent.
And now he is accused of inappropriate conduct by a former assistant, who is herself a transgender woman and who started as a consultant for the show.
For what it’s worth, Tambor has embraced the role of advocate for the transgender community, and has done a credible job of it, as in his acceptance speech at the 2016 Emmy awards:
Please give transgender talent a chance. Give them auditions. Give them their story … I would not be unhappy were I the last cisgender male playing a female transgender on television.
I am torn.
We are supposed to believe the accounts of victims of sexual assault. Then there is also that whole innocent until proven guilty thing. Lately I have been applying the standard of a pattern of suspicious behavior: if you are accused by two or more victims, you are most likely guilty.
In the meantime, I think I will pick on this public statement that was likely run through the legalese meat grinder:
I am aware that a former disgruntled assistant of mine has made a private post implying that I had acted in an improper manner toward her. I adamantly and vehemently reject and deny …
What does former disgruntled assistant mean? If she is both “former” and “disgruntled” then there should be a comma in between the adjectives. Or, if the “former” is an adverb qualifying “disgruntled”, then the proper form should be formerly disgruntled. The grammar is atrocious.
There. Glad I got that off my chest.
(Nina Mehta, Papa, Patsy, what do you think?)
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