Kelly Osbourne Apologizes For Use Of Transgender Slurs, Says She'll Never Use The Word 'Tranny' Again
LatestKelly Osbourne, who was recently slammed for comments she made to Glamour UK about her discovery that former fiance Luke Worrall had an affair with a transgender person, now says she will never use the word ‘tranny’ again.
The quote that started it all was as follows:
“Having to tell them my fiance had cheated on me with a tranny who sold his/her story to the press [was the most uncomfortable moment]. It was so humiliating,” she is quoted as saying. “Everyone kept telling me that Luke was cheating on me, but I never believed them. It’s hard enough to get your head around someone cheating on you, but when someone is a chick with a d**k? Up until then, I’d always thought that the worst way to get cheated on would be with an ugly girl. Don’t you think?”
I’m going to ignore the comment about ugly girls and move right along. SO. Now, after speaking with representatives at GLAAD and in light of tomorrow’s Transgender Day of Remembrance, Kelly says she has since “gained a lot of knowledge, and I now feel the urgency to speak out and teach others.” She writes:
As a lifelong LGBT ally and friend, I feel it is my duty to not only apologize for my wrong but to also correct it. The word “tr*nny” is a derogatory and hurtful word. I was completely ignorant to this and soon came to realize most of my peers and LGBT friends are, too. This is a word I will no longer use or allow. It wasn’t until I googled it after speaking with GLAAD that I found out just how unbelievably offensive it was. When friends jokingly called me that in the past, I took it as a compliment or a joke, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Transgender people are some of the bravest people on Earth and among the LGBT community. I cannot imagine the courage it takes to live your life openly and honestly, reflecting who you truly are, or the hurt that comes from having to hide who you are because others may not support and accept you. Due to the fact that it is Transgender Day of Remembrance on Nov. 20, I would like to raise awareness of this injustice in society. It is a day to remember those who have lost their lives due to anti-transgender violence and speak out against the fact that transgender people face disproportionate amounts of discrimination and harassment every day. The lack of knowledge about transgender people contributes to the unparalleled number of violent acts against them every day.
I think there are plenty of people out there who are unaware of certain LGBT slurs, so I agree with Kelly’s statement that she is somewhat glad she made the mistake, because she can “use this as a platform to help speak out against the use of such hurtful and dehumanizing words” which, coming from people who are in the media spotlight, can be a very powerful thing.
You can read the entire article, penned by Osbourne herself, here.