Beloved actor Bette Midler has sparked backlash after publishing a seemingly anti-Trans tweet. Queer and ally fans have been left disappointed by the Hocus Pocus star who criticised inclusive language in a post published on Monday, July 4.
“WOMEN OF THE WORLD! We are being stripped of our rights over our bodies, our lives and even of our name!” she wrote.
“They don’t call us ‘women’ anymore; they call us ‘birthing people’ or ‘menstruators’, and even ‘people with vaginas’! Don’t let them erase you! Every human on earth owes you!” Midler continued.
Many prominent queer figures have spoken out against the tweet from the actor who is known as somewhat of a gay icon, including Ireland’s own Panti Bliss who wrote: “Oh God. Not Bette Midler falling for the anti-trans panic nonsense”.
In another post, the legendary drag queen added: “Don’t fall for the anti-trans panic fake nonsense. No one is erasing women. In a few small healthcare cases where appropriate they are using trans inclusive language. That’s all.”
No. Don’t fall for the anti-trans panic fake nonsense. No one is erasing women. In a few small healthcare cases where appropriate they are using trans inclusive language. That’s all.
— Dr Panti Bliss-Cabrera (@PantiBliss) July 4, 2022
Derry Girls actor Siobhán McSweeney also responded to the tweet simply saying: “This isn’t true. xxx”.
Crystal from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 1 wrote: “The fight for women’s rights INCLUDES trans people – trans rights do not erode women’s rights. We’re all fighting this together and this trans-exclusionary rhetoric does NOTHING to help that.
Bette Midler is a woman. Some other people who give birth are not women. That’s ok!” she concluded.
The fight for women’s rights INCLUDES trans people – trans rights do not erode women’s rights. We’re all fighting this together and this trans-exclusionary rhetoric does NOTHING to help that.
Bette Midler is a woman. Some other people who give birth are not women. That’s ok! https://t.co/i4IUzNpcTh
— Crystal (@crystalwillseeu) July 4, 2022
The anti-Trans tweet from Bette Midler comes just weeks after a similar ‘debate’ broke out in Ireland in the lead-up to Pride in June. A group opposing the removal of the word ‘woman’ from maternity legislation called into the RTÉ Radio 1 Liveline programme, sparking “hateful” discussions spanning several days.
During the height of the incident, a gender-fluid, non-binary person, Catriona, appeared on the show, expressing: “It’s not about the erasure of the word ‘woman’ and it’s not about the erasure of women as a state of being, it’s about including other people who wish to be parents, who wish to give birth to a child but feel dysphoric or don’t identify with the word ‘woman’ anymore.”
Even with this seemingly simple explanation, it appears that many are maintaining that inclusive language is harmful to women’s rights.
© 2022 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
Support GCN
GCN has been a vital, free-of-charge information service for Ireland’s LGBTQ+ community since 1988.
During this global COVID pandemic, we like many other organisations have been impacted greatly in the way we can do business and produce. This means a temporary pause to our print publication and live events and so now more than ever we need your help to continue providing this community resource digitally.
GCN is a registered charity with a not-for-profit business model and we need your support. If you value having an independent LGBTQ+ media in Ireland, you can help from as little as €1.99 per month. Support Ireland’s free, independent LGBTQ+ media.
comments. Please sign in to comment.