8:59 pm - 11/09/2012
Blogger writes open letter to Roseanne Barr about Transphobic tweets - Roseanne responds angrily
Ariel Silvera, an LGBTQ activist and blogger based in Ireland and the UK has written an open letter - entitled An Open Letter to Roseanne Barr, From a Feminist Sister - to Roseanne Barr, in response to transphobic tweets which the actress posted in October.
In the open letter - seen HERE - Silvera, who is a feminist trans woman from Argentina, calls attention to Barr's offensive, sweeping statements, and her announcement that "women do not want your penises forced in their faces or in our private bathrooms. respect that FACT".
Silvera points out that "Given the violent misogyny prevalent in American society today, that if someone perceived as ‘a man dressed as a woman’, or someone simply perceived as female or feminine, entered a male-dominated space, do you honestly believe they would not face violence? Did you know that there were 17 recorded murders of trans people in America alone in 2011?"
In the open letter - seen HERE - Silvera, who is a feminist trans woman from Argentina, calls attention to Barr's offensive, sweeping statements, and her announcement that "women do not want your penises forced in their faces or in our private bathrooms. respect that FACT".
Silvera points out that "Given the violent misogyny prevalent in American society today, that if someone perceived as ‘a man dressed as a woman’, or someone simply perceived as female or feminine, entered a male-dominated space, do you honestly believe they would not face violence? Did you know that there were 17 recorded murders of trans people in America alone in 2011?"
On the subject of Barr's perceived threat of trans women in women's changing rooms, Silvera notes: "You are asking us to face real violence because of the fact that a small percentage of us (just like a small percentage of ANY GROUP IN SOCIETY) may be rapists or paedophiles. There’s probably paedophiles or rapists in your own party, Roseanne, statistically speaking. By your own logic, we shouldn’t let members of the Peace and Freedom party into women’s bathrooms either."
The open letter written today, November 9th, has already prompted a reaction on Twitter from Barr, after a link to the letter was posted to her by a follower. The angry tweets have been regarded as unwarranted, considering the calm tone of both Silvera's letter and Siren Magazine's tweets.
The open letter written today, November 9th, has already prompted a reaction on Twitter from Barr, after a link to the letter was posted to her by a follower. The angry tweets have been regarded as unwarranted, considering the calm tone of both Silvera's letter and Siren Magazine's tweets.