Published On: Tue, Jul 5th, 2022

Bette Midler, Macy Gray hit back on inclusive phrasing: Why it’s deemed transphobic

The Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade has ignited heavier discussions around women’s bodies, but they affect a wider range of people than just cisgender women. 

Bette Midler voiced her displeasure with language that includes all people who can get pregnant rather than simplifying the definition to women. 

Her comments fall in line with that of Macy Gray and J.K. Rowling, who have been accused of being transphobic by suggesting women other than cisgender do not belong to the same classification.

While Midler, Gray and Rowling have all voiced support for the women’s rights movement, it has not been intersectional.

Bette Midler said trans-inclusive language will ‘erase’ women

WOMEN OF THE WORLD! We are being stripped of our rights over our bodies, our lives and even of our name! They don’t call us ‘women’ anymore; they call us ‘birthing people’ or ‘menstruators,’ and even ‘people with vaginas’!” Midler tweeted Monday. 

The “Hocus Pocus” star added: “Don’t let them erase you! Every human on earth owes you!”

Midler enforced the “rigid binary,” according to critics.

“Don’t fall for the anti-trans panic fake nonsense. No one is erasing women,” Irish drag queen and gay rights activist Panti Bliss responded. “In a few small healthcare cases where appropriate they are using trans inclusive language. That’s all.”

“Bad Feminist” author Roxane Gay added: “No one is trying to erase women with inclusive language about people who need abortion care. No one is calling you anything but what you prefer. You should extend that courtesy in return.”

USA Today provided this article. For more articles like this please visit www.usatoday.com

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