A transphobic meme posted to Cardi B’s official Facebook account on Sunday (Sept. 16) included the text, “I hope nobody see this tr—y leave my house,” followed by a series of emojis. The rapper addressed the post on Twitter, claiming that a former associate is the one who controls that account, and that they were the only person with access.
Several fans expressed outrage over the meme, with actresses Laverne Cox and Pose star Angelica Ross shining light on the epidemic of murdered trans women.
“I am a huge advocate for free speech but as long as its socially acceptable to make jokes about trans people, to make and share memes disparaging & demeaning trans folks, trans folks will continue to be murdered &denied civil rights. #TransIsBeautiful #transrightsarehumanrights,” tweeted Cox. She followed with another tweet, “There is an epidemic of violence against trans folks. It’s not new. Lives are on the line,” linking to a blog post from ACLU that points out that the number of transgender and nonbinary people murdered has hit record highs in recent years.
Ross also took to Twitter: “Black trans women are being killed because of jokes like this. These n—-s are killing us to keep women like you @iamcardib from finding out. Cause you’ll make fun of their manhood. This is how you encourage toxic masculinity that only ends up hurting you too sis! Apologize.”
After Cardi tweeted out her claim that the meme was posted by a former associate, Ross shared her appreciation and asked the rapper to be an ally for the transgender community. “I appreciate @iamcardib addressing the issue and taking responsibility like a boss. The next step is taking the opportunity to teach the entire industry why this shit is unacceptable and will not be tolerated any longer. THAT would be allyship in action. Cis solidarity sis,” the actress tweeted.
This controversy comes two days after GLAAD’s national moment of silence for black transgender women. The LGBTQ media organization called attention to the epidemic of black trans women murdered in the United States on their social media.
See the tweets from Angelica Ross, Laverne Cox and GLAAD below.
I am a huge advocate for free speech but as long as its socially acceptable to make jokes about trans people, to make and share memes disparaging & demeaning trans folks, trans folks will continue to be murdered &denied civil rights. #TransIsBeautiful #transrightsarehumanrights
— Laverne Cox (@Lavernecox) September 16, 2018
There is an epidemic of violence against trans folks. It’s not new. Lives are on the line. #TransIsBeautiful #transrightsarehumanrights https://t.co/ZTbH4WoBzq
— Laverne Cox (@Lavernecox) September 16, 2018
I appreciate @iamcardib addressing the issue and taking responsibility like a boss. The next step is taking the opportunity to teach the entire industry why this shit is unacceptable and will not be tolerated any longer. THAT would be allyship in action. Cis solidarity sis. pic.twitter.com/Isweze6D3C
— Angelica Ross (@angelicaross) September 17, 2018
On Friday, September 14, 2018 at 12pm Pacific Time/3pm Eastern Time we are demanding a National Moment of Silence for Black Transgender Women#Time4BlackTransWomen pic.twitter.com/mBujTmXr6d
— GLAAD (@glaad) September 14, 2018