Bette Midler and Macy Gray react to controversy.
After a poorly worded tweet criticising gender inclusive terminology, Bette Midler has addressed the backlash in further messages, while Macy Gray appears to be dealing with it by gaslighting us all.
What a week it’s been and it’s only Wednesday!
After one of the OG gay icons, Bette Midler, appeared to be using transphobic language by castigating the use of inclusive gender terminology, she seems to have taken the backlash to heart and attempted to clarify what she meant.
PEOPLE OF THE WORLD! My tweet about women was a response to this fascinating and well written piece in the NYT on July 3rd. https://t.co/MlsATlrr1r. There was no intention of anything exclusionary or transphobic in what I said; it wasn’t about that.
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) July 5, 2022
I’ve fought for marginalized people for as long as I can remember. Still, if you want to dismiss my 60 years of proven love and concern over a tweet that accidentally angered the very people
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) July 5, 2022
I have always supported and adored, so be it.
But the truth is, Democracy is slipping through our fingers! I’m all in on trying to save Democracy for ALL PEOPLE. We must unite, because, in case you haven’t been paying attention, divided we will definitely fall.
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) July 5, 2022
She clearly does mean to talk about women but one read of the article in question only reveals it to be another deep dive into how trans rights and women’s rights are projected as being in conflict, when when in reality, they are not.
The use of trans inclusive language, as has been broadly explained by many, doesn’t take anything away from anyone’s personal experience – and suggesting that it does simply amplifies anti-trans rhetoric being peddled by those who are seeking to invalidate people.
A lot of transphobia is cloaked to make people who aren’t plugged into it miss it. That piece is specifically transphobic, and its goal is to launder transphobic talking points. Please have a chat with some trans people about it ❤️ (my DMs are open, confidential and chill)
— Katy Montgomerie 🦗 (@KatyMontgomerie) July 6, 2022
Bette, I’m the first transgender Native American elected to a state legislature in the US. People against trans women are using your tweet as proof that even liberals are against the trans community. If that isn’t the case, specifically say trans men and women are men and women
— Representative Stephanie Byers (@ByersForKansas) July 6, 2022
Also complaining about the term ‘pregnant people’ whilst being unduly militant about ‘female only spaces’ basically means neither trans men or trans women have the right to be included. And there’s only one word for that.
Bette is, of course, an icon and perhaps just needs one of her old bath-house pals to school her just a little on the nuances of this ever-changing cultural divide.
Meanwhile, after being egged on by Piers Morgan, singer Macy Gray seems to have been taken aback by the criticism she clearly knew would be coming. In a statement to Rolling Stone, she said:
“I have nothing but love for the LGBTQ+ and transgender community and have been a supporter since Day One. My statement on Piers Morgan was grossly misunderstood. I don’t hate anyone. I respect everyone’s right to feel comfortable in their bodies and live their own truth.”
Unfortunately you only have to watch the clip (below) to see that she knew it would cause offence… and lo and behold it did so it’s hard to believe it could be ‘grossly misunderstood’.
Gray also appears to have deleted tweets made following the Morgan interview, where she initially doubled-down on her sentiments, in a post shared by JK Rowling saying “truth hurts”.
As with Bette, it seems to be another case of not thinking before they spoke. Railing against inclusive terminology makes you look like you’re NOT inclusive but once again collating surgery with womanhood is missing the point entirely.
that trans people are somehow threatening the overall rights of cisgender women. Women and trans people are in a common fight for bodily autonomy and the right to privacy. (2/3)
— Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) July 5, 2022
I cannot think of anything that helps women’s rights less than pinning the blame on trans women. They face so much violence and scrutiny as is. Leave them alone and focus on the real war on women. It’s happening in the courts and legislatures around this country.
— Lynda Carter (@RealLyndaCarter) July 5, 2022