In this day and age, I feel like it’s actually pretty easy to avoid being transphobic? Like, you actually have to go out of your way to throw a tantrum about trans people? Too many people make that effort, whether it’s through outright cruelty or through ignorance. I feel like Bette Midler was transphobic through ignorance. Not that “ignorance” excuses anything. Many celebrity women used the Independence Day holiday to talk about women’s rights and reproductive rights and Bette Midler decided to do the same. Except when Bette did it, she used the kind of TERF language favored by a–holes like JK Rowling.
Bette Midler has come under fire on social media after tweeting about the “erasure” of women in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, comments some people have found to be transphobic.
On Sunday, in what appeared to be a reference to the Roe news, Midler tweeted, “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’! Don’t let them erase you! Every human on earth owes you!”
The tweet set off a storm of controversy, garnering more than 20,000 replies, a significant number of them criticizing Midler for using language that some consider anti-trans as it excluded trans people who need abortion care. The more extreme reaction saw some users accuse Midler of being a “TERF,” or trans exclusionary reactionary feminist, an epithet that has been used against J.K. Rowling. Some even floated the idea of boycotting the upcoming Hocus Pocus sequel on Disney+, in which Midler reprises her role as Winifred.
In amongst the usual extreme reaction on Twitter, author Katie Mack summed up the issue with Midler’s tweet, “The term ‘pregnant people’ includes pregnant women & also people who are pregnant but are not women. It doesn’t in any way erase/deny women; it’s just more inclusive. I am a woman. I have friends who are not women but can get pregnant. Language that includes them doesn’t hurt me.”
On Tuesday, in an attempt to provide context to her original tweet, Midler shared a New York Times opinion piece by Pamela Paul on her Twitter account. Paul’s piece argued that “the far right and the far left have found the one thing they can agree on: Women don’t count.”
In sharing the link, Midler tweeted, “PEOPLE OF THE WORLD! My tweet about women was a response to this fascinating and well-written piece in the NYT on July 3rd. There was no intention of anything exclusionary or transphobic in what I said; it wasn’t about that… It was about the same old sh-t women – ALL WOMEN – have been putting up with since the cavemen. Even then, men got top billing.”
You can read the f–king awful New York Times op-ed Midler cited as her rationale for the original tweets here. If the NYT op-ed was Midler’s inspiration, then that’s a whole other conversation. Because Pamela Paul’s column was beyond transphobic too, and that means Bette Midler read it and thought “wow, she’s making great points!” Paul’s column was basically like “yeah, the right-wing Christofascists want to criminalize women and dismantle women’s rights completely, but the American left-wing uses trans-inclusionary language, therefore the two sides are the same!!!” How could Bette Midler read that piece and think Paul was making points, so much so that Midler decided to tweet out Paul’s main thesis?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Bette Midler attend the 71st Annual Tony Awards on June 11, 2017 at Radio City Music Hall in New York, New York, USA.,Image: 512908483, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Robin Platzer/Twin Images / Twin Images / Avalon
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- Bette Midler in the Press Room at the 71st Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. New York City, NY – Sunday June 11, 2017.,Image: 512944532, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Dennis Van Tine / Avalon
The far right are using WaPo’s article also because she used inflammatory language in her article as a call to arms sort of thing. So of course, Fox and other conservative networks are pulling the most inflammatory and saying, see? They’re crazy. It’s gaslighting at it’s best.
Does no one comprehend what they’re reading anymore?
Yesterday I said she sounded like a terf. Her posting that Op Ed makes me believe she is a terf. She might be Islamophobic too because in another tweet she posted a photoshopped picture of the Republican Supreme Court Justices in Muslim garb. These white feminists are a danger to society.
I think the images of Supreme Court in Muslim garb is to illustrate that there is no difference between Sharia Law and the laws that the Christian right are pushing through. It’s not right to post pics of the Supreme Court like that though.
Pretty ironic given that Christian nationalists in America are even more extreme than the Sharia law of Saudi Arabia.
https://qz.com/1628427/saudi-arabias-abortion-laws-are-more-forgiving-than-alabamas/
And this was in 2019. I leave you to imagine what the comparison would be now. Even the *Taliban* has a broader range of permitted circumstances for abortion than the states where the restrictions are the most right now.
@Northerngirl: Sharia Law is no more extreme than Christian law. People misinterpret both religions to suppress others. Furthermore Islam like Christianity is not anti-abortion.
The white cis male devotees of the xtain right are now actually calling themselves “the christian taliban.” I shit you not.
Oh I know, it’s wrong of course she’s jumping on the Islamaphobia train. I’m just trying to understand where people come from. People need to be more educated. I also think her comments about transgender people are completely taken out of context (I mean she is taking it out of context not everyone else). She’s seeing using the terms “people with a uterus” as dehuminising women – which it isn’t but I think that’s where its coming from. It’s wrong and ignorant and she should have educated herself before repeating it.
Ugh. Between her and Margaret Atwood it’s been rough. I’m trans with a uterus – the kind of person this language is attempting to include. There are times when cis women’s knee jerk reaction to the language almost seems reasonable since they are rarely considering the wide range of people who give birth. I always hope it’s because of ignorance and once shown the reasoning they will go “oh shit! Of course! Nevermind. ” Instead they double down. Considering how I was treated by cis women while I was pregnant I guess I should know better.
It is so important to hear your voice right now, because there are a lot of us still learning. I’m sorry about how you were treated by the medical establishment, especially while you were pregnant.
I’m grappling with breaking down old ideas and terminology and understanding the new. For me, it is a huge problem that essentially all the people on the SC who have operated to deny the right of cis women and many trans men and intersex humans to govern their own bodies are cis men. I’ve felt that those who are not of the aforementioned categories can be allies and even have opinions, but they don’t have the same dog in the fight and urgency as the rest of us. Is that wrong? Am I wrong in trying to carve out and elevate the voices of those this impacts directly? I really am looking for help here because I want to get it right. For instance, is thinking that trans women, who have their own very real and very specific and important issues to grapple with, are allies rather than the impacted? I’ll understand if you don’t want to reply.
*and many non-binary people are impacted.
I’m not sure I understand your question. But if you’re asking if trans women are impacted by criminalizing abortion the answer is in a way – indirectly I suppose. My partner is trans-femme so I can become pregnant as a result of our intimacy and if I die or become ill due to a life threatening pregnancy, they are now a single parent. But are they directly impacted in terms of their bodies? I guess the answer is no. Does that mean we don’t let trans women speak up for us? Well, no. Trans women, intersex, and trans feminine people are all a part of our movement and I definitely don’t see any trans women or trans feminine people speaking over us.
Here is my point: on issues of race, which is a social construct too, do we elevate white people speaking for black people or do we acknowledge white people can be allies and should mainly listen and support, but not center themselves in the fight? I’m seeing parallels in this particular fight too. Am I wrong?
A lot of the older generations don’t get it. Like they just can’t wrap their head around a lot of these topics to the point where it literally breaks their brains. If you think about the amount of social change and progress they have witnessed in the last 50 years, it’s not hard to to understand how gender equality, LGBTQ+ matters and topics around inclusivity can be difficult for them to process or grasp . We really should not expect too much from the 60+ crowd. Yes there are many compassionate and socially cognizant folk that do get it, but those are a minority. Others try but fail. (And then there are those who don’t even bother due to stubbornness or are simply shit people regardless of age.) I liken it to my 90 year old grandma trying to use a smartphone or computer, it’s actually beyond her and I don’t hold it against her. Who knows what the world will look like in another 50 years and whether today’s youth are equipped with the right tools and education to handle it well.
It’s not just 55+ I’m afraid. I think we would be surprised at how many people this way.
I disagree. Basic courtesy to other people is not complicated. It’s not like learning how to use a smart phone, because kindness and respect and minding your own business are not new concepts.
What we’re seeing here is the enduring legacy of ‘60s bigoted bourgeois white feminism.
@Elizabeth, critical thinking skills, open-mindedness, tolerance, compassion and yes courtesy and respecting people who are different from you are all things that should be taught from a young age. Because they become increasingly difficult to learn as one gets older, same as tech skills and language skills. So much of this was not the norm in society. It was up to individuals and whether they instilled those values and skills in their children. But schools and workplaces and government institutions did not promote these norms a couple generations ago.
It’s not being of a “certain age” – it’s about a willful refusal to learn, grow, and evolve. It’s a refusal to be inclusive because you derive power (real or imagined) from *excluding* people who aren’t like you or you don’t like. Shrugging our shoulders about the “older generation” not getting it (which again, is a deliberate choice) allows it to continue and causes real harm to real people.
Oh fffs…don’t paint us older female generation with the same brush
For heavens sakes ladies, where did I paint all older generations with the same brush? I fully acknowledged that there are plenty who do get it and that there are others who do try. I’m making a point about critical thinking and open-mindedness around social issues being taught at a young age and becoming harder to acquire as we get older. I don’t have high expectations from that generation for this reason and prefer to save my energy trying to correct or help educate people who are going to be on this earth a lot longer. (Again, not discounting the damage that older folks can and do inflict). Cheers.
White feminists at it again. At this point they just don’t seem to care at all anymore. Debra Messing was yelling about being responsible for getting President Biden elected. They are out of control.
Quite a lot of them are indoctrined to the very system they think they are fighting against – a hierarchy of people where they see all of the gains made (voting, work, etc) as advancement up a pyramid rather than a levelling of all people. So these things threaten their place in the pyramid ABOVE OTHERS and they have the same knee jerk reaction as colonial white men.
Best step to be an ally and not just a feminist – learn how much colonialism is rooted through your beliefs, wrapped around self-worth much like ivy strangles a tree.
Yes. Well said! You are apart of a system that you were born into and have benefited from. Now, step back, listen and LEARN from those around you.
It is wild to witness but somehow unsurprising. I don’t know how some people struggle to see that working toward everyone’s liberation is better for all. Freedom isn’t cookies, we don’t have a finite amount to share.
Also this whole thing is a reminder of the constant work we need to do both in learning and unlearning as a part of advancing change. Like if your opinions and understandings are exactly the same as they were 10 or 20 years ago, I’d find that worrying.
I hate this idea that inclusive language erases women. What a complete load of $hit. I really just cannot stand it.
It’s so incredibly ignorant, but OTOH, it is a stance they happily adopt. Internalized misogyny, anyone? Ugh.
EXACTLY. Defining people by their genital appearance at birth is inherently sexist and misogynist, which TERFs both weaponize and seem ignorant of.
You don’t have to understand gender identity to not be a jerk about it. It’s not hard.
This is really disappointing from Bette.
Also, using “women” excludes children from the people who can get pregnant.
I am confused. I am not keeping up with half of this. I think I’m an old now. (Sigh)
I want to keep up with my liberal world. (Bigger sigh).
I am not comfortable with the amount of “white feminist” hate lately. For what it is worth, I am biracial and identify as both. It is just so easy for us women to be divided. This remains constant.
White feminism in itself sows division as it does not consider the concerns of non-white women.
White feminism doesn’t mean all white people who identify as feminist. It’s referring to a particularly myopic view that does not consider the intersectional nature of oppression while centering the white cis-women-of-means experience and ignoring other folks’ very different realities.
My dad is a lifelong activist and was among the white people who joined CORE back in the early ’60s and participated a Freedom Ride, and was also an early straight supporter of gay rights. Which is to say, he’s always been progressive and there’s nothing hateful about him. But he’s 81 now, and he does get a little confused when it comes to current terminology. Like, if I say someone is “queer”, I get a sharp “MIRANDA!” from him because that’s still a degrading word in his mind. And it’s taken a couple of patient explanations for him to understand that “colored people” and “people of color” are not exactly interchangeable. But if he slips up, he apologizes.
Given Bette Midler’s status as a LGBTQ icon, I was desperately hoping that this whole thing was like that, just an example of an older person who meant well but couldn’t keep up with terminology. After skimming through the article she double-downed on and shared, I’m so incredibly disappointed.
“Given Bette Midler’s status as a LGBTQ icon, I was desperately hoping that this whole thing was like that, just an example of an older person who meant well but couldn’t keep up with terminology. After skimming through the article she double-downed on and shared, I’m so incredibly disappointed.”
YES! I hoped the same, at first. I am a cis woman, and admittedly, terms like “uterus-having people” or “birthing people” at first DID come across to me as reducing me to JUST my ability to bear a child. (taken out of the inclusive context, it sounds like one is discussing like, dairy cows or breeding horses or something) But when one realizes that is NOT the point of those terms, and that they are actually meant to be inclusive, that changes things. Bette doubled down and it’s pretty clear she knew what she was doing. Gross.
I’m an intersex woman. I have Turner’s Syndrome, which is an intersex chromosomal condition. I have X instead of XX. Otherwise, I’m a typical woman in appearance. It’s tragic to see gender reduced to chromosome makeup. What am I if we look at gender through chromosome makeup? I see them banning trans athletes or wanting to bam trans people from their bathroom of choice. It’s absurd because their standard for that is chromosomes. But that leaves out not just trans individuals but intersex folks who can’t get any label if chromosomes are the standard.
It’s just so dumb. Why does it bother people so much?
Thank you for sharing this nuance and perspective.
It’s very disappointing to hear this from Bette Midler.
It seems that even today, many people who developed their views of feminism during the second wave find the fact that sex and gender are two different things to be very threatening to their project. It seems like second wave feminists were very invested in “women” as a category, and very intent on defining that category of “women” definitively as a basis for increasing the political power of that definite category of “women.” The “woman” category in second wave feminism was defined in opposition to “men,” so it actually reinforced the gender binary. Ultimately the second wave feminist project relies on a very rigid, narrow definition of women that is clearly opposite to a category of men. This very limited view of feminism is not grounded in reality.
Another problem is that it was usually only a very narrow group of women that second wave feminists were including in the discussion, ie white women. So, at best, they were always very limited in the extent to which they could include the concerns of racialized women. So, again that leaves them with a very limited view and they find intersectionality of gender with race threatening to their project.
Also, as Lulu suggests, there are still younger people who hold these attitudes.
Yes. They’re so wedded to the concept of gender as binary that they’re willing to overlook the fact that the same folks trying to advance anti-trans laws are also vehemently opposed to abortion rights. And the gender binary is a hop, skip & a jump away from biological determinism, which is an old favorite of white supremacy.
I get the feeling that Bette, like JK Rowling, will keep doubling down on this just to be an asshole.