‘I Try’ hitmaker Macy Gray is trying her hardest to clean up a PR disaster after taking to an interview with Piers Morgan to reveal she believed that ‘just because you go change your parts, doesn’t make you a woman’ (as we reported here).
Even doubling down on the notion by asserting her belief that transwomen have no place in sports, the comment got tongues wagging with many critics pointing out the untimeliness of her message (in relation to the end of Pride month) and the fact Gray herself is a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
As the backlash swelled, the 54-year-old has taken to social media and to press to suggest her statements were taken out of context.
Look inside to read her defense.
Tuesday (July 5), after the GRAMMY winner was the center of backlash for the comments seen in the video above), she took to ‘Rolling Stone’ to reiterate her love for the LGBTQ+ community.
“I have nothing but love for the LGBTQ+ and transgender community and have been a supporter since Day One,” she said. “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,” she added later.
The backtracking has done little to quell the detraction.
As of time reported, Gray’s name remains a trending topic on Twitter with thousands of users weighing in on and debating about her initial comments.
The controversy comes the same weekend that music legend Bette Midler was slammed for what was perceived as transphobic commentary as well. Taking to Twitter over the holiday, Midler was accused of not being transinclusive when she said:
“WOMEN OF THE WORLD!” Midler wrote on Twitter. “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.'”
She finished her rant by saying:
“Don’t let them erase you! Every human on earth [sic] owes you!”