Alyssa Milano gets backlash for tweet saying, ‘I’m trans. I’m a person of color.’ – By Carly Mallenbaum (USA Today) March 11 2019
She had the right intentions, but Alyssa Milano’s tweet on International Women’s Day rubbed some people the wrong way.
On Friday, after sending a message of support to her “transgender sisters,” the actress and advocate responded to a question about whether she is trans by saying, “I’m trans. I’m a person of color. I’m an immigrant. I’m a lesbian. I’m a gay man. I’m the disabled.”
However, because Milano is a straight white woman, people on Twitter called her out for “being none of those things,” having a “fake experience” and using the term “the disabled.” Her ill-advised message of inclusion was compared to an “I don’t see color” approach.
I’m trans. I’m a person of color. I’m an immigrant. I’m a lesbian. I’m a gay man. I’m the disabled.
I’m everything. And so are you, Kirk.
Don’t be afraid of what you don’t know or understand. No one wants to hurt you. We are all just looking for our happily ever after. https://t.co/znkQizV37k
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) March 9, 2019
After reading some of the objections to her tweet, Milano followed up.
“I’m glad this tweet invoked conversation. I’m so sorry it offended some. I see you and hear you,” she said, adding that she intended to invoke the 13th century Persian poet Jalaluddin Rumi, who said, “This is a subtle truth. Whatever you love, you are.”
To that, she got some supporters, but also more backlash, with followers telling her to “read the whole poem” and “Oppression and intersectionality isn’t an outfit that you decide to put on whenever you like.”
In all, it seemed Milano’s intended message of empathy was not well-received. But Milano neither deleted it nor backed down from posting more tweets.
“I try to remember the mission is more important than my hurt feelings,” she said.
By Monday, she was sharing a video of herself advocating for the Equal Rights Amendment.
This #MondayMorning I have a message for you. #ERAYesAZ pic.twitter.com/HDIBzr4mc6
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) March 11, 2019
