Actress Bette Midler, star of Disney’s upcoming movie Hocus Pocus 2, responded to attacks from the woke mob, insisting that she had “no intention of anything exclusionary” after she was accused of being transphobic for slamming terms like “birthing people” and “menstruators.”
In her tweet that sparked outrage from the woke mob, Midler proclaimed that women are being erased, as they are now being referred to as “birthing people,” “menstruators,” and even “people with vaginas.”
“WOMEN OF THE WORLD! We are being stripped of our rights over our bodies, our lives and even of our name!” Midler 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!”
The actress’ tweet was quickly met with backlash by social media users who accused her of not being inclusive of people who think they are the opposite sex.
“Bette, this is disappointing to see from you,” one Twitter user wrote. “These are terms we use to include trans men and non-binary people who can get pregnant. It is absurd and dangerous to be lumping attempts at trans inclusivity in with right wing attempts to control our bodies as threats.”
“NO ONE IS SAYING YOU’RE NOT A WOMAN OR THAT YOU CAN’T CALL YOURSELF THAT,” one outraged Twitter user declared, with clapping hands emojis between every word. “YOU ARE BEING ASKED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT NOT EVERYONE WITH A VAGINA CALLS THEMSELVES A WOMAN.”
“As a woman without a uterus, I support inclusive language to normalize that trans men need reproductive healthcare too, 100%,” another responded. “It’s not trans people who are taking away my right to bodily [autonomy]. We’re all fighting the same fight.”
“Please don’t do this,” another begged. “Sex and gender have never, ever been binary and enforcing an arbitrary binary harms everyone – especially intersex, trans and nonbinary folk. Patriarchy benefits from a rigid binary, not women.”
Midler responded by explaining that her initial tweet was in reference to a New York Times op-ed, which had been published in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overruling Roe v. Wade. In the piece, columnist Pamela Paul blasted the use of terms such as “birthing people” and “menstruators.”
“Planned Parenthood, once a stalwart defender of women’s rights, omits the word ‘women’ from its home page,” Paul wrote. “NARAL Pro-Choice America has used ‘birthing people’ in lieu of ‘women.'”
Elsewhere in the piece, Paul also noted that “even the word ‘women’ has become verboten.”
“Previously a commonly understood term for half the world’s population, the word had a specific meaning tied to genetics, biology, history, politics and culture. No longer,” she added. “In its place are unwieldy terms like ‘pregnant people,’ ‘menstruators’ and ‘bodies with vaginas.'”
But in today’s irascible society, women who talk that way face the wrath of the woke mob and transgender activists.
One Twitter user reacted by claiming that Midler had become “radicalized” by the New York Times op-ed.
“I regret to inform you, Bette Midler did indeed get radicalized by Pamela Paul’s bullshit transphobic NYT op-ed,” the Twitter user said.
In a Twitter thread, Midler said “There was no intention of anything exclusionary or transphobic in what I said; it wasn’t about that.”
“But seriously, folks, if anyone who read that tweet thinks I have anything but love for any marginalized people, go to Wikipedia and type in my name,” the actress added in another tweet.
In another follow-up tweet, Midler continued: “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.”
“I have always supported and adored, so be it,” she added in a fourth tweet. “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.”
“Bette Midler and Macy Gray can do one with their transphobic behaviour. Honestly fuck ’em,” one Twitter user wrote.
Similarly, singer Macy Gray also fell under fire Monday for simply stating the biological truth that “just because you go change your parts doesn’t make you a woman.”
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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