“don’t ask me to call a castrated man a woman”
Katie Hopkins is under fire after saying that trans women are nothing more than castrated men. The controversial former columnist, former radio presenter, former TV talk show host and former Apprentice candidate was tweeting during launch show of this year’s Celebrity Big Brother.
On Twitter using the Celebrity Big Brother hashtag, she insisted that she wasn’t transphobic by writing, “I am not transphobic. Live your life how you damn well please. Just don’t ask me to call a castrated man a woman”.
During the launch show, one of the new housemates was revealed to be the trans journalist, India Willoughby.
Hopkins went on to Tweet that removing a person’s penis does not make them a woman “A man who castrates his penis is not a women. Just as a cat with no legs is not a slug”
The outburst from Hopkins who was branded “awful” by some on social media, was liked 5,400 times and retweeted nearly 1,500 times within a few hours.
One user responded that Hopkins’ Tweet was the “definition of transphobia.”
That is the definition of transphobia.
— Nicky McElhatton (@nickelhatton) January 2, 2018
Another warned that refusing to use the pronouns of a person was transphobic,
just so you know, refusing to use the right pronouns of a trans person is being transphobic
— Calico Cat (@DandelionReins) January 2, 2018
Year of the woman
This series of Celebrity Big Brother is focusing on women, with the launch show featuring a solely female audience and an all-female line up of celebrities entering the house to celebrate that women have had the right to vote for 100 years.
The lineup included former Conservative politician Ann Widdecombe, American TV personality Malika Haqq, writer Rachel Johnson, “Social influencer” Ashley James, Channel 5 newsreader India Willoughby, Whistle-blower Maggie Oliver, Glamour model Jess Impiazzi and Corrie Legend Amanda Barrie.
