John Cleese has been slammed for firing off a series of transphobic tweets that reinforced his support for J.K. Rowling. The "Monty Python" actor has been criticized for signing a letter in solidarity with Rowling, who posted several controversial tweets about transgender people, and now he faces a second round of backlash after passing several remarks that have been deemed offensive on social media.
When asked what his thoughts were on the Rowling ordeal, Cleese tweeted that he was "not interested in trans folks" and was more focused on "threats to democracy in America, the rampant corruption in the UK, the appalling British Press, the revelations about police brutality."
In a separate tweet, Cleese stated he wanted to be a "Cambodian police woman" in reply to a commenter asking why he could not "just let people be who they want to be." Cleese sparked further outrage when, in response to a tweet asking him to admit that Rowling made "rather indelicate statements regarding those people who identify differently," he stated: "That depends who I identify with today..."
When accused of having a superficial understanding on what transgenderism is, Cleese sarcastically agreed.
"Yes, my understanding is superficial," he replied. "One thing: When a woman who was once a man is competing against women who have always been women, I think she has an advantage, because she inherited a man's body, which is usually bigger and stronger than a woman's. Does that prove phobia?"
"It's so sad that the final act of your life is transphobia. You could have just had your legacy," one Twitter user replied to Cleese's tirade while another accused him of "actively promoting prejudice."
"Trans people are being attacked & invalidated from every angle, & instead of being supportive & uplifting? You say this," a third follower responded to Cleese.
"It's sad when an old comedian whose work I loved back in the day can no longer come up with decent material and instead regurgitates a variant of the same old unfunny joke endlessly repeated by anti-trans bigots," another added.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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