Adele has been labelled “transphobic” after declaring at a gender-neutral awards show that she “loves being a woman”.
The singer made the comment at the Brit Awards while collecting her prize for Artist of the Year, a new category merging the former Best Male and Best Female Artist awards, reports the New York Post.
But when Adele took to the stage to accept the award, she said: “I understand why the name of this award has changed, but I really love being a woman and being a female artist.”
“I do!” she said. “I’m really proud of us, I really, really am.”
While her comments garnered applause in the audience at London’s O2 Arena, the online reaction was quite different, with some calling her comments “anti-trans.”
While her comments garnered applause in the audience at London’s O2 Arena, the online reaction was quite different, with some calling her comments “anti-trans.”
“Please, no, ADELE can’t be a TERF,” one wrote on Twitter.
“Who’d have thought Adele was a transphobe and would use her platform to call for the destruction of the trans community. Especially the confused teenagers,” another Twitter user posted.
Author Jane Symons, instead, took Adele’s defense.
“A decade ago, if someone had said a woman would be criticised for the thought-crime of saying she liked being a woman, I would have laughed at such a ludicrous suggestion,” she wrote.