VickyT(ransphobe) Master Post
If you’re a fan of Victoria Asher but you don’t have twitter or you haven’t been caught up with whats happening, here’s an update. On December 20th 2015, Vicky shared this joke on twitter:
For a few few months, Vicky ignored the backlash of this tweet, but this week she finally jumped to her own defense and tried to fight for her unfunny, transphobic joke. She claims that she originally shared the joke in 2009, and that everyone thought it was “funny” and “understood it.” She goes on to say that 6 years later people are too sensitive and only apologizes to the people who she responded to, which was not a public apology to everyone she offended.
I’ve seen posts all over social media websites calling her out, fans that were offended and hurt by this tweet. Other fans and friends of Vicky jumped in to say that people “shouldn’t take jokes seriously” and that “jokes aren’t hate.” Except they are hate, and people did take it seriously. Trans people have struggled for AGES with being taken seriously and being able to have the freedom to be themselves. When a public figure posts a joke that targets a group of people and makes fun of them, it is most definitely hate and bullying, and is extremely hurtful and offensive to fans who struggle with said joke or are targeted by said joke.
Yes, Vicky retweeted these. Along with that, Vicky started using the “I have trans friends so I’m allowed to make these jokes” excuse on instagram and twitter.
Btw, the person Vicky replied to saying “I don’t think you understand” is actually trans. SO yes Vicky, I think they do understand. Having trans friends does not give you the right to crack jokes about trans people, and especially while using a slur. If a trans person, such as Eddie Izzard, uses that slur regarding themselves, that is their business. It doesn’t mean you get to use it too. Yes Victoria, transvestite is a slur, just because google dictionary doesn’t mention that it is a slur does not mean it isn’t and most definitely does not give you the right to use it.
But of course, knowing Vicky, this whole thing was a big joke to her.
Heterophobic? What? That isn’t a thing. Heterophobia doesn’t exist. Glad to know, though, that you think upsetting your trans fans is funny. She also thinks the people calling her out are “just haters.”
She also reached out to people as her own way of “calling people out” which, to say the least, didn’t work in her favor.
TransANYTHING. Really Vicky? Nice one. But my favorite part is in her instagram/twitter video where she not only avoids apologizing, but she incorrectly says “LGBTQ.” Here’s the video dialogue, because my computer wouldn’t upload it. You can find the video on her instagram and twitter.
“Hi guys, VickT here. I wanted to address something that has been haunting my twitter feed for the last several months. Um, many of you are under the impression that I’m transphobic, and that is, um, entirely not true. I have always been supportive of the “LBGTQ” community, and I have many trans friends, and um… I’m hoping to squash this today. I love all of you and uh, bye!”
Again, no apology, and still using “I have trans friends” as an excuse. You can have black friends and still be racist. You can have gay friends and still be homophobic. You can have trans friends and sill be transphobic. It is that simple.
So finally, after all of this went down, Vicky gave the weakest apology I have ever heard, still defending herself.
“The hatred and offense from some of u far surpasses anything I’ve ever said in my life.” I would just like to make it COMPLETELY clear that in all of the tweets I’ve seen in response to her transphobic joke, no one has been openly hateful or offensive to her. There were tweets that were mean and rude, but they were not directed to her, she was not tagged, and when she saw them, it was because she searched through people’s twitters to find them. Her name was not mentioned. No one was hateful to her, no one attacked her, she brought the offended responses apon herself when she decided that she was going to tweet something offensive.
Now, I know there are going to be responses to this post that think the joke wasn’t harmful, that it was kind-hearted and not meant to be mean. When you make a joke that targets a group of people, it is mean whether you think so or not.
To finish this post off, Vicky may not be a transphobic person at heart, but her tweets and comments show otherwise. Thinking this was funny, using her friends as a scapegoat to make herself seem less transphobic, messaging fans with offensive terms to defend herself, that doesn’t sit right with a lot of people, including me.
Photos provided by: @kidquizene @thephrasethatgays @andysambergular @aromanticbeckett @xenu6
