“I Kissed A Girl” Singer Katy Perry Ridicules Transgender Community on Twitter
December 21, 2009 by Taj Paxton, GLAAD's Director of Entertainment Media
On December 6th, singer Katy Perry (“I Kissed a Girl”) posted a nude picture on her Twitter page of what appears to be a transgender man. She tweeted: “http://twitpic.com/sdf45 – NSFW! I knew those little white last week of the birth control pills would still have an effect on your body! FU.”
The photo posted on Twitpic (photo blurred by GLAAD):
Perry is referring to the last week of birth control pills that are typically taken as a placebo but largely thought to not have any effect on the body.
Making fun of transgender people’s bodies is deeply offensive. Perry’s ridicule dehumanizes this person and ignores the courage and resolve it takes to live within a transphobic society.
Some of Perry’s transphobic fans responded immediately with more crude jokes at the expense of the transgender community. On Sunday, the LGBT community began its response, calling Perry out for her exploitation.
While it appears the pic was removed this morning, we urge those offended to tweet Katy Perry directly and educate her about how jokes like this contribute to a climate that puts transgender people in harms way. If you’re on Twitter, please post this tweet to Katy Perry:
@katyperry Ridiculing a photo of a #transgender person is never OK. Pls educate yourself. (Pls RT!)
Katy Perry offends LGBT people in a bout of twitterrhea…
Singer Katy Perry, who is no stranger to controversy with both the religious right and the LGBT community, is at it again. Now, instead of crooning about promiscuous lesbian fantasies or insulting an ex-boyfriend by insinuating he’s gay, she seems to …