Macy Gray has told her critics to ‘f**k off’ after coming under fire for saying that ‘changing your parts doesn’t make you a woman’.
The singer, 54, said she does not believe that transgender women should be allowed to compete against biological women in sports in a no-hold-barred interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored on Monday night.
She has since tried to backtrack on her statement by tweeting that her comments were ‘grossly misunderstood’, before then later deleting it.
Criticism: Macy Gray has told her critics to ‘f**k off’ after coming under fire for saying that ‘changing your parts doesn’t make you a woman’ on Piers Morgan Uncensored
Now, Gray has told her critics to ‘f**k off’ as she took to Twitter on Wednesday to slam people who are ‘threatening’ her for saying something they disagreed with.
She penned: ‘All of you coming on my page, threatening me and calling me names – just becuz I said something you don’t agree with – be whatever you wana be, and fk off.’ (sic)
On Piers Morgan Uncensored, Gray had said ‘changing your parts doesn’t make you a woman’ as she spoke about whether transgender women should be allowed to compete against biological women in sports.
‘Just because you go and change your parts doesn’t make you a woman, sorry,’ she told Morgan during the interview.
Opinion: The singer (pictured in February), 54, said she doesn’t believe transgender women should be allowed to compete against biological women in sports but then tried to backtrack
Hitting back: Gray (pictured on stage in February) took to Twitter on Wednesday to slam people who are ‘threatening’ her for saying something they disagreed with
Governing body FINA has recently passed a new policy that bans transgender women who have gone through male puberty from competing in swimming races.
The ruling was imposed by swimming body FINA in response to UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas’ victories at college swim meets, which sparked claims the transgender athlete had an advantage as a result of going through male puberty.
After her comments, Gray faced fierce backlash online, and on Tuesday tweeted: ‘I got nothing but love for LGBTQIA+ communities.
‘I’ve been a supporter since day one and never a fake one. my statement on piers morgan was GROSSLY misunderstood. i respect everyone’s right to be whoever they wana be.’
The tweet was soon deleted, but she also told another user: ‘I wasn’t defining trans women. just women. Because I know what it means to be one. I don’t know what it means to be a trans woman and I never said I did. But that goes both ways.’
Earlier in the day, Gray retweeted support from JK Rowling who said: ‘Today feels like a good day to ensure I’ve bought Macy Gray’s entire back catalogue.’
‘Misunderstood’: She has tried to backtrack on her statement by tweeting that her comments were ‘grossly misunderstood’, before then later deleting it
Support: JK Rowling, who herself has sparked outrage for anti-transgender statements, backed Gray as the singer was facing accusations of ‘transphobia’ following her comments
JK Rowling, who herself has sparked outrage for anti-transgender statements, backed Gray as the singer was facing accusations of ‘transphobia’ following her comments on the show.
Rowling lent her support to the singer, tweeting a screengrab of Gray’s tweet saying the ‘truth hurts’ after broadcaster India Willoughby accused the singer of ‘killing what’s left of her career’ after the Piers Morgan Uncensored interview.
In the interview, Gray told Morgan: ‘If you want me to call you a her, I will, because that’s what you want but that doesn’t make you a woman just because I call you a her and just because you got a surgery .’
Morgan said most public figures were too terrified to say ‘what a woman is’.
The singer agreed, saying: ‘I know!.. I would say a human being with boobs. How about you start there? And a vagina.’
The duo discussed the issue of transgender women in sports as the host said: ‘I support all trans rights to fairness and equality.’
Morgan then went on to add how he doesn’t support transgender people with ‘physical superior bodies’ that thrash on women in their sports.
Interview: Macy said she does not believe that transgender women should be allowed to compete against biological women in sports on Piers Morgan Uncensored on Monday night
Gray added: ‘I totally agree… if you want me to call you a “her,” I will, because that’s what you want, but that doesn’t make you a woman just because I call you a “her” and just because you got a surgery.’
She went on to say: ‘A woman goes through a completely unique experience and surgery and finding yourself doesn’t change that. Being a little girl is a whole epic book, you know? You can’t have that just because you want to be a woman.’
When Piers pointed out that Harry Potter author JK Rowling had been for her views on trans women, Gray said: ‘But it’s the truth.’
Adding: ‘I don’t think you should be called transphobic just because you don’t agree… there is a lot of judgement and throwing stones at people for just saying what it is, do you know what I mean?’
However, social media users were quick to brand the singer a Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist (TERF).
One Twitter user said: ‘Did not have ‘Macy Gray is a terf’ on my bingo card. That f****** sucks.’
Trans journalist Imara Jones wrote: ‘Oh no! [Macy Gray] has gone full transphobic on [Piers Morgan] on 4 July no less! Her selective freedom for some is a ‘no’ from me. We have so much work to do [to] help everyone see that patriarchy is a universal problem. This is sad.’
Criticism: Twitter users branded Macy Gray a TERF after she said ‘just because you go and change your parts doesn’t make you a woman’
Meanwhile, journalist Ernest Ownes tweeted: ‘SAD NEWS: Macy Gray & Bette Midler have come out as TERFs. Unfollow, un-support, and unsubscribe.’
Gray was also quizzed by Morgan about the backlash she received for saying that the American flag should be changed, and she said she was ‘excited to bring it [the subject] up again’.
The singer insists that the flag should reflect ‘diversity and culture.’
She received backlash for her comments on the flag in June 2021 – claiming it needs to be redesigned to represent all Americans and is currently ‘tattered, dated, divisive, and incorrect’.
‘My idea was to make the stars the colors of all of us. So there would be a star representing you, one representing me, one representing everybody in the room, right. So that way you look up to the flag, you feel welcome, you feel included, you feel like you belong there.’
Criticized: When Piers pointed out that Harry Potter author JK Rowling had been for her views on trans women, Gray said: ‘But it’s the truth’
Controversial: During the no-holds-barred interview the singer, 54, also spoke about her recent controversial comments about changing the American flag (pictured earlier this year)
Gray claimed ‘the flag was conceptualized’ and created to reflect what was occurring at the time – which was war.
‘That was not a thing we celebrate, a flag that represents war,’ she said.
She added: ‘It’s not that it’s about white people, it’s just that everything is different then when Lincoln was President. Whoever designed that flag designed it for that day. I’m just saying what’s wrong with a new flag and what’s wrong with representing where we are now?’
Republicans were quick to slam the singer claiming it symbolized ‘liberty’ and ‘justice.’
Gray argued she didn’t expect the backlash and figured people would agree with the idea of a new flag.
The interview with Gray comes after it was reported that Morgan will take a month off from his show later in the summer, as the program struggles to attract the same audiences that tuned in when it first launched.
The former Good Morning Britain star, averaged more than 300,000 viewers for his debut episode on April 25 in which he interviewed the former US president Donald Trump, and which aired on Fox Nation in the US.
But since then the viewing figures have plunged, with recent episodes getting about 30,000 viewers.
It has emerged that the presenter will not be on the channel for about four weeks in late summer, as result of pre-scheduled holiday along with filming commitments for a true crime documentary series he is making.
For the full interview, watch Piers Morgan Uncensored on TalkTV, which also airs on Fox Nation in the US
Holiday: It comes after it was reported that Piers will have about a month off from his Talk TV show in the summer, as the show struggles to attract the same audiences from its launch
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