Mae Martin has insisted ‘nobody is denying the power and magic of cis women’ in the wake of Bette Midler’s controversial comments many have deemed ‘transphobic’.
Hocus Pocus actress Midler, 76, had come under fire for wading into a debate about the word ‘women’, after tweeting: ‘WOMEN OF THE WORLD! We are being stripped of our rights over our bodies, our lives and even of our name!’
She went on: ‘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!’
After intense backlash to her comments, which came amid Macy Gray’s controversial appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Midler today clarified her tweet and insisted there was no intention of anything exclusionary or transphobic in what she said.
Fans responded to suggest her phrasing could be seen to be transphobic, while Martin chimed in to share meaningful insight into the conversation.
Feel Good star Martin, 35, who identifies as trans/non-binary, said they had been receiving messages about Midler’s tweet and wanted to share some thoughts ‘in case this is useful to you if you have people in your own life – older feminist icons even – who are perplexed and threatened by inclusive language’.
They wrote in a lengthy statement: ‘These figure heads, like Bette Midler, fought hard for women’s rights and they’re upset when, in the context of reproductive rights, they read phrases like “people with uteruses”. They feel reduced and negated and confused.
‘I would say to them: Nobody is negating the fact that people assigned female at birth have a unique struggle against an oppressive patriarchy. Nobody is denying the power and magic of cis women.
‘But, for instance: I was born female, grew up with all the struggles that entails, but I am trans/non-binary, not a woman. I am medically and culturally transitioning and so “woman” is not an accurate word to use when describing me.
‘The use of inclusive language when talking about abortion rights means that I – with all my shared experience and shared threat of pregnancy as I also sleep with cis men – can participate and be acknowledged in the conversation and fight alongside women. People also panic at the phrase “trans women are women”.’
Martin continued on Instagram: ‘For clarity for people experiencing that pedantic panic: nobody is denying that people have biological differences. But trans women are women, this is undeniable. They have a parallel struggle with cis women.
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‘The effort to stop trans people from having bodily autonomy and receiving the health care they need is of course connected to the organised effort to restrict people with uteruses from having bodily autonomy and access to life saving abortions. We all have the same goal and common enemy.’
The star added they ‘don’t want to be reduced’ to their anatomy and ‘want to be whole people with equal rights’, citing this as ‘a goal that should be familiar to older generations of feminists who fought for the same thing’.
Martin went on: ‘We need each other and we also need cis men to support us and fight for us. It’s a scary time, and progress is tenuous. I hope that people like Bette continue to learn and evolve.
‘I really want to be able to enjoy Hocus Pocus 2, which I’ve been waiting for about twenty years, feeling safe in the knowledge that my idol is on the side of personhood and freedom and unity, and would include me in that fight.
‘I always think about how easy it is for my friends’ kids to operate technology, use neutral pronouns, etc. – it’s second nature for them. One day there will be things that I struggle to understand and operate and I hope that people are patient with me and explain it and teach me and I hope I’m open to listening and learning.
‘The best part of life is continuing to learn and grow. And we have to try to rise above and have open arms and be full of love and respect.’
Be that as it may, many have still threatened to boycott Midler’s upcoming Hocus Pocus sequel, set for release on September 30, with one former fan tweeting: ‘Bette Midler, why did you say that? Now I will and must boycott Hocus Pocus 2 after looking forward to it. What a damn shame. TRANS WOMEN ARE WOMEN.’
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