As some of you know, Psych Central will be shifting gears with much of its content and will no longer be hosting blogs on the website. As such, this will be my last post for psych central.

I wanted to take the time to thank everyone who has joined me on this exploration of the “intersection of celebrity and psychology.” This has been an amazing experience and one for which I am truly grateful for.

Thank you for everyone who took the time to read my articles and for everyone who commented on the topics addressed in the discussions. Special shout out to those of you who challenged me on my opinions and to those of you who shed new light on some of the more controversial topics that I covered.

Though my time at Psych Central has been short, I am thankful to have been a part of such a unique platform. Where else would I have the opportunity to talk about celebrities, pop-culture, neuroscience, psychology, sociology, history, current events, and social justice all in one place!

For any of you who have enjoyed my posts, I will be continuing the discussion on most of these topics at my personal blog Brain Stew. There won’t always be a celebrity spin, but I welcome you to join me at Quayz180.com as I continue exploring the beautifully complicated mess that is humanity and our ever-evolving culture.

I will also be posting excerpts from my upcoming book series, Driftwood which chronicles my journey through the foster system and subsequent adventures as a homeless teen in Metro-Atlanta and my hard-fought battle against the system for access to education. I will also be posting articles about the many challenges faced by the nearly 2-million homeless teenagers in the US. 

I hope you will join me and thank you again so much for joining me here at Celebrity Psychings.

–  Quay

Chadwick Boseman—best known for his role as T’Challa in Marvel’s Black Panther and Avenger series—has died after a four-year battle with colon cancer.

pic.twitter.com/aZ2JzDf5ai

— Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman) August 29, 2020

I don’t usually post about celebrity deaths unless they have something directly to do with psychology. While Boseman’s cause of death isn’t technically psychology-related, the aftermath of his loss is.  From his masterful portrayals of iconic African American historical figures like Jackie Robinson and Thurgood Marshall to his groundbreaking role as the first Black Superhero T’Challa in Black Panther to the fact that he stared in 10 movies while battling a debilitating illness, Chadwick Boseman was a superhero in every sense of the word.

It’s not every day that St. Jude gets a visit from an Avenger! Thank you @ChadwickBoseman for stopping by to bring joy to our patients and learn more about our lifesaving mission! ❤ 🎉 pic.twitter.com/7RwPO7qgPD

— St. Jude (@StJude) September 12, 2018

I still remember my son’s excitement when Black Panther was announced and all of the little black and brown boys who excitedly dressed as T’Challa the year Black Panther first came out. For the first time, they got to see a hero that looked like themselves on the big screen. Not a side character, not a tech guy, not Iron Man’s interchangeable black sidekick… but the hero of his own story. It was an incredibly big deal.

Our hearts are broken and our thoughts are with Chadwick Boseman's family. Your legacy will live on forever. Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/QNvzuZgAbe

— Black Panther (@theblackpanther) August 29, 2020

The role carried a lot of weight beyond just inspiring young black boys. Many viewed a black-led superhero film as a gamble at best. Based on the reaction to Halle Barry’s Catwoman movie, if the film didn’t perform well in the Box Office, it would have probably been another 14 years before Hollywood would greenlight another Black-led superhero film.

As Black Panther smashed box office records, it also smashed tired Hollywood tropes such as “White audiences won’t respond to Black people in that role” and the more recent copout “Blacks don’t sell in Asian Markets.” The success of Black Panther wasn’t just groundbreaking, it was barrier-breaking.

Soon the world was greeted with its first Pac-Islander superhero with the casting of Jason Mamoa as Aquaman. Next came the greenlighting of the first Asian American superhero movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings starring Simu Liu. There’s even talk of a live-Action Miles Morales Spiderman!

I want to be crystal clear: without Chadwick, and what he gave to his character, there is no Shang Chi. Period. My career rides on the coattails of a great man.

I wish I would have had the opportunity to tell him in person – but I'll fight for him always, my Eternal King.

— Simu Liu (@SimuLiu) August 29, 2020

Boseman will not only be remembered for the lasting impact of his roles, but also his charitable heart. From donating hundreds of pounds of fresh produce to Indiana area food banks in 2017 to giving 100,000 dollars to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund in 2019 and the many other charitable organizations that Boseman has contributed to before and since his incredible success in the industry.

His last public act was donating 4.2 million dollars towards medical supplies to help fight COVID 19 early in the pandemic. I cannot emphasize this enough, Boseman was a true-life superhero and he will be missed. #WakandaForever #RIPChadWick

View this post on Instagram

I am hearing stories of desperation from people all over the country, and we know our communities are suffering the most and urgently need help. Celebrating #JackieRobinsonDay with the launch of Thomas Tull’s #Operation42, a donation of 4.2 million dollars in personal protective equipment (PPE) to hospitals that service the African American Communities who have been hit the hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic. Thank you, Jackie, for refusing to accept the world as it is, for showing us that we can make a difference.

A post shared by Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman) on Apr 15, 2020 at 6:36pm PDT

Okay… I can’t have the last image of Chadwick in this article be of him near the end of his cancer battle, so here is a clip of a hilarious sketch of him on SNL.

Brendon Urie, singer and frontman of Emo-Pop Rock band Panic At The Disco has been urged to speak up about allegations of sexual misconduct and pedophilia levied by multiple anonymous Twitter Users over the past week.

In a series of now-deleted tweets, Twitter User @Kam02709814 relayed the tale of an alleged encounter with Urie at the Coke Zero Music Festival held in South Africa back in 2009. The user Kam02708914 stated in his initial tweets that the account was created to remain anonymous as he relayed his story.

 “He asked if I was into dudes…I was extremely taken aback by this and told him I was a minor…He tried touching my thigh and at that moment, I was so f*cking creeped out, I remember running out of the area feeling physically sick” – Anonymous Accuser 1

In another series of now-deleted tweets, another Twitter User, @Leah62053062, relayed the story of her alleged encounter with Urie which she claims took place after a 2011 Panic! At the Disco concert in Cleveland Ohio.

“He told me he saw me in the crowd (I was in one of the front rows) and thought I looked beautiful. I thanked him and explained that I was only 15… he started to feel on my inner thighs. He then started to kiss on my neck and trying to move his hand to my ass. At this point, I was stunned and I couldn’t move. After he tried touching on my vagina, I snapped back and ran out of there.” – Anonymous Accuser 2

Both @Leah62053062 and @Kam02709814 gave explanations as to why they didn’t come forward with their stories sooner. Kam said that he did not know that he had not been traumatized by the event nor did he realize that he’d been sexually harassed until now. For Leah, she said she was hesitant to come forward because she didn’t believe anyone would believe her, but now she doesn’t care anymore.

The accounts that sparked the controversy have been deleted.  A few days later, an account with the user name @kam027098145 popped up to claim that they were the culprit behind both @Leah62053062 and @Kam02709814 accounts and that the incidents described were entirely fabricated to smear Urie because they were angry at other allegations against him.  Other Twitter users were quick to note that the accounts were created and active prior to the #BrandenUrieSpeakUP trending topic.

@leah62053062 this you? pic.twitter.com/xESmRceub1

— Average Yeemo (@urie_religion) August 17, 2020

Did you time travel? I mean that’s the only plausible explanation for losing your account in August 2020 and making a new one ‘right after’ in July 2020.

— 𝐅𝐗 ✯ 𝟎𝟖-𝟐𝟏⁷ (@euphoriasvinyl) August 15, 2020

The tweets were originally posted in response to the Twitter Hashtag #BrendonUrieSpeakUp which arose due to fans demanding that the band’s manager, Zack Hall, be fired due to repeat allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct.  The allegations against hall were substantiated by Breezy Weeks, the wife of Dillon Weeks, the Band’s bassist and backup vocalist.

In a reply to a fan’s allegations against Zack Hall,  Breezy responded by apologizing to the fan and stating that she experienced similar harassment from Hall for decades and had no choice but to tolerate it.

I’m so sorry this happened to you, I can relate. I had to put up with sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior from him for almost a decade. I had no choice but to tolerate it and keep my mouth shut so that Dallon could keep his job.

— Breezy Weekes (@BreezyWeekes) July 26, 2020

There has been no official word from the band relating to the allegations of sexual misconduct of Zack Hall or Brendon Urie. No additional accusations have been levied against Urie, and the fact that the original accusations against Urie came from anonymous accounts is highly suspicious.

The entire fiasco is an example of the complexities of addressing sexual assault allegations in the era of the #MeToo movement and #CancelCulture.  On the one hand, as a society, we seek for victims of sexual assault and harassment to have a safe space to come forward to discuss their experiences. On the other hand, this leaves people subject to allegations based on stories that are often decades old to be tried in the court of public opinion rather than a court of law.

#BrendonUrieSpeakUp if you care about your fans. There are people who have looked up to you for years rethinking their entire lives because of all the allegations coming up and you're just staying silent. @brendonurie just *say* something. please.

— ivy | stream stop 🙂 (@clouded_ivy) August 13, 2020

On August 12^th, Melissa Lingafelt, ex-girlfriend of former Nickelodeon star, Drake Bell, took to Tik Tok to share her story of alleged verbal and physical abuse that she endured during the course of their three-year relationship.

Posting on an account linked to her stage name, @JimiOno, the singer & actress discussed her dark experiences with Bell, beginning with outlining the morally questionable start of their relationship in 2006:

“I was 16 and homeschooled. I moved in with him…It wasn’t until about a year when the verbal abuse started…it then turned to physical—hitting, throwing, everything,” Lingafelt claimed. “At the pinnacle of it, he drug [sic] me down the stairs of our house on Los Feliz. My face hit every step on the way down. I have photos of this.”

Lingafelt didn’t provide photos of the incident, opting to instead share red carpet photos and flip through a photo album containing pictures of herself and Bell.  As for details of the alleged verbal abuse, the singer asked her Tik Tok audience to “imagine the worst type of verbal abuse you could ever imagine and that was what I got.”

so we are all in agreement that drake bell is cancelled ? pic.twitter.com/lGXflL5ota

— ☀︎︎𝚜𝚔𝚢☀︎︎ (@sskyylaar) August 13, 2020

At the end of the video, Lingafelt alluded to Bell being a pedophile stating “I don’t even want to get into the underage girls thing… I mean I will, but I’m scared.”  Bell was 20 years old when he began dating then 16-year-old Melissa.

Fan reaction was swift. Many former bell fans cited his history of bad behavior—which includes DUIs, onstage temper outbursts, and the many many instances of Bell being a general jerk to fans and costars—as evidence that Melissa is telling the truth.

lol throwback to when drake bell got pissed at my high school and violently threw a ball into the crowd pic.twitter.com/g8MNHO1a0S

— 𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖙𝖙☔️ (@21blndie) August 13, 2020

Others cautioned against people rushing to judgment and potentially derailing Bell’s most recent attempt at a career comeback based solely on unsubstantiated claims in a struggling singer’s Tik Tok video.

So people are cancelling Drake Bell because of a short TikTok by his ex? There's no proof of these allegations. I'm gonna sit on the fence and wait for some definitive proof or legal action. Can't tell if this will be another Slazo, Toby Turner, or Johnny Depp thing or naw

— snow ||🌈They⚧️ (@FacelessSnow) August 13, 2020

To the critics of #CancelDrakeBell, the whole situation was too close to the backlash Johnny Depp received after Amber Heard’s op-ed for the Washington post wherein Heard accused Depp of nightmarish spousal abuse. The accusations saw fans and fellow celebs to write Depp off as a drug-addicted woman abuser and cost Depp his role as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean.

A year later, audio clips of a phone conversation between Depp and Heard were leaked online which included recordings of Heard verbally abusing Depp and admitting to physically assaulting him. Depp also accused heard of nearly severing the tip of his middle finger during a violent encounter over a prenuptial agreement, an allegation Heard denies. In the leaked clip, Heard states that couldn’t promise that she wouldn’t get physical again.

“God, I f*cking sometimes get so mad I lose it.”- Amber Heard.

Yesterday, representatives for Bell released a statement denying the accusations of abuse:

“I never abused my ex-girlfriend or did so many of the other things Melissa falsely claimed on her TikTok video. As our relationship ended — more than a decade ago — we, unfortunately, both called each other terrible names, as often happens when couples are breaking up. But that is it. Clearly, Melissa still felt close enough to me just last year that she was comfortable reaching out to ask me to provide her with financial support during a tough time (which I did). I do not know if today’s behavior is some kind of misguided quest for more money or attention. But I cannot and will not allow these offensive and defamatory allegations to go unchallenged and I am reviewing my legal options.”

Tamar Braxton is in stable condition after being rushed to the hospital due to a suspected suicide attempt. The Grammy-nominated singer was found unconscious and unresponsive at her Los Angeles home on June 16^th. According to reports, the Braxton Family Values star is said to have overdosed on a combination of pills and alcohol.

In a statement released to the New York Post, a spokesperson for the Braxton Family confirmed the incident and asked for continued prayers for Tamar.

“Tamar has had a very tough and emotional day – more information will be coming in the next few days. Please pray for her.”

All my prayer warriors who pray let’s pray for our sister TamarBraxton for those who Believe in the Power of Prayer🙏🏾 and prayers for her family… pic.twitter.com/moSIrpEIk0

— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) July 17, 2020

The incident came weeks after Tamar referenced feeling suicidal in a scathing email to WeTV.  Responding to an email sent by the network to express support for the Black Lives Matter movement, Braxton blasted the network for hypocrisy given the unfair portrayal of her family on their hit reality television show, Braxton Family Values, and the strain that the series put on her family’s relationship.

Tamar lambasted the way the show’s producers “coached and cajoled” she and her sisters into ‘finding the worst in each other” to boost ratings rather than showcasing the strong, happy, independent, and successful African American family that they were. She continued that the manipulation turned a once happy African American family into a group of people that “fight and betray each other” and who now physically assault each other.

According to the email, first released by Page 6 and The Blast, the tipping point for Tamar, was when [the producers of the show] “dug up” the fact that Tamar had been repeatedly sexually assaulted from age 6-16. They then revealed that secret in front of her family and 100 crew members during a “family therapy” session filmed for the series. Tamar says she had to then go on Wendy Williams before the show aired to share the details of her molestation which was “a story [she] wasn’t ready to tell” so that WeTV couldn’t exploit her childhood trauma for their own profit.

“You broke me that day and I considered taking my own life then for the shame I felt. I was so powerless and hurt” – Tamar Braxton

In the letter to the WeTV execs, Tamar likened them to “cruel white slave masters who once chained our forefathers and the oppressive police forces that now terrorize our communities” and went on to address the fact that she and her family are paid less than their white cohorts (who the Braxtons outperformed in ratings) and that the family was forced to work under “slave-like conditions” with contracts that were choking them to death and constant threats of aggression.

Tamar went on to change her name to Tamar “Slave” Braxton on Twitter and directly addressed the drama and strain Braxton Family Values put on her family as well as the Angry Black People narrative often put on display on reality shows.

& STILL more DRAMA till this day! but that’s what happens when it’s all white executives having all the power & telling your black family stories🤷🏽‍♀️ I WILL get justice for my family and all other black reality shows with the narrative of ABP & negativity. it’s TERRIBLE& I’m tired https://t.co/8k5TA2AOuz

— TAMAR "SLAVE” BRAXTON (@TamarBraxtonHer) July 13, 2020

Besides the Twitter name change, there were few public signs that Tamar was struggling. She continued to promote her new hair product line on social media and vocally support the #BlackLivesMatter movement as well as highlight other black female entrepreneurs.

Fellow reality tv star and bestselling author, NeNe Leakes address the fact that her best friend had been silently struggling. In the Instagram post, NeNe stated that: People tend to judge the outside strength on the inside abilities to cope! A lot of strong people cry in the dark and hurt alone. NeNe then urged her followers to “check on [their] strong friends.”

View this post on Instagram

When you are a strong person, you manage stress differently! People tend to judge the outside Strength on the inside abilities to cope! A lot of strong people cry in the dark and hurt alone. I talk to Tamar often! Spoke to her yesterday and tried to pull her thru this moment. Spoke to her and David today! I say that to say this…check on your strong friends! Try not to judge so much! know that there are people being treated wrong for real and It’s really painful. I know Tamar is gonna get thru this but please pray for her strength 🙌🏾

A post shared by Nene Leakes (@neneleakes) on Jul 17, 2020 at 4:15pm PDT

NeNe again went on Instagram the following day to give an additional update on Tamar’s mental health. In the post, Leakes revealed that both she and Tamar had been “going through some things” and coming to terms about how they have been negatively treated.  They’d been each other’s support system, but now Tamar is now getting the proper help that she needs.

Since Tamar’s hospitalization, her sisters have taken to social media to ask their fans to pray for their family.

View this post on Instagram

🙏🏾.

A post shared by Towanda Braxton (@itowandabraxton) on Jul 17, 2020 at 6:08pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Traci Braxton (@therealtracibraxton) on Jul 17, 2020 at 7:26am PDT

Though well-known as the outspoken baby sister of Toni Braxton, Tamar has been relatively silent over the years about her mental health. Tamar’s journey and quiet struggles with overwhelming stress and childhood trauma are reflective of the struggles many black women face in managing their mental health while being expected to perpetuate the damaging trope of  the”strong black woman.”  Speaking from personal experience, I have to admit that sometimes…you just get sick of having to be strong all the time.

There have been no official updates on Tamar’s condition aside from reports that she is now stable. Here’s to hoping for a full recovery.

On July 12^th, Benjamin Keough—son of Lisa Marie Pressley and her ex-husband Danny Keough—died as a result of suicide at Lisa’s home in Calabasas, California. The 27-year-old’s tragic death was first reported by TMZ on Sunday, citing confirmation by a rep for the L.A. County Medical Examiner.

Roger Widynowski, manager for Lisa Marie’s Manager, confirmed Benjamin’s death in a statement to Associated Press:

“She is completely heartbroken, inconsolable and beyond devastated but trying to stay strong for her 11-year-old twins and her oldest daughter Riley,” Widynowski said. “She adored that boy. He was the love of her life.” – R. W

The family has not released any statements since Widynowski’s confirmation of Benjamins Death. Since learning the news, fans, friends, and other celebs have taken to social media to express their shared grief and offer support to Lisa Marie and her family.

Really sad today to hear of the death of Benjamin Keough, My heart goes out to @LisaPresley and her family at this devastating time 💔

— Liz Jones Goddess (@LizJonesGoddess) July 16, 2020

Everybody please pray for Elvis Presley’s family. They have had another terrible tragedy today.#Elvis #ElvisPresley #LisaMariePresley #BenjaminKeough

— Roy Orbison Jr (@Royorbisonjr) July 13, 2020

View this post on Instagram

Benjamin Storm, YOU. Always happy in the sun and water. And a laugh that made everyone happier. You gave love to anyone who needed it. You were wise like a thousand year old man, but silly as a 5 year old. You always said your favorite tarot card was the hermit, cause you could relate. You made the best jokes, and always broke the rules. You were my favorite person from the moment I met you. I wish we could’ve kept you forever Ben Ben. I hope you’re having all the delicious sushi in paradise💙words will never be enough

A post shared by Alexa Rohde (@findalexa_) on Jul 13, 2020 at 5:48pm PDT

 Known for his striking resemblance to his grandfather, Elvis Presley, Benjamin was Lisa Marie’s only son. His older sister, Riley, has pursued a successful career in acting. Benjamin, however, has mostly stayed out of the spotlight over the years. In 2009, it was announced that Benjamin signed a 5-million-dollar record deal with Universal, but no albums were released.  In a social media post from 2015, Benjamin shared that he’d purchased Elvis’s peacock jumpsuit from a collector and that having it made him feel closer to his grandfather.

View this post on Instagram

Flashback!!!! Backstage with Ben @opry on 8/21/12❤️

A post shared by Lisa Marie Presley (@lisampresley) on Jun 20, 2018 at 6:34pm PDT

Brandon Howard, son of acclaimed R&B singer Miki Howard and life-long friend of Benjamin Keough, opened up to People Magazine about his friendship with Benjamin. In the interview, Howard discussed the pressure of trying to “live up” to a famous family name and how that pressure contributed to Benjamin’s ongoing struggles with depression.

“It’s a tough thing when you have a lot of pressure with your family and living up to a name and an image. It’s a lot of pressure. It’s almost like you’re pressured into having to be a musician, having to be an actor” – B. Howard

💔 pic.twitter.com/kkcM6L7L07

— B. HOWARD (@BHowardOfficial) July 13, 2020

Benjamin is the latest victim of a growing trend in mental health…the alarming and ever-rising and incredibly alarming rate of suicides among young men.

Can we PLEASE make it ok for men to reach out for help?? Suicide is the second leading cause of death among men below the age of 50. Too many people are losing the battle with depression in our country…We need to make it ok to ask for help #benjaminkeough @Active_Minds

— Kevin Finkler (@KevinFinklerNV) July 13, 2020

 It’s unclear the role that the stress of being a “Presley,” a recent break-up, or even COVID-19 isolation may have played in Benjamin’s decision to take his life. There are conflicting reports from different media outlets regarding the events of that evening. Out of respect for Benjamin’s family, I’m not going to expand on those rumors. I will update this article with additional information if and when the family releases it.

Update: Riley Keough posted a heartfelt tribute to her brother Benjamin yesterday on Instagram. In the post, the actress expressed the heartache she feels now that her little brother is gone:  “Mornings are the hardest. I forget you’re gone. I can’t cry because of the fear that I will never stop”

View this post on Instagram

Mornings are the hardest. I forget you’re gone. I can’t cry because of the fear that I will never stop. A pain that’s new to me. You. There are no words for you. Angel is the closest I could think of. Pure light. Baby brother. Best friend. Wild man. Intellectual. Witness to my life. Twin soul. Protector. Too sensitive for this harsh world. I hope you give me strength to endure the giant hole you’ve left in my heart. I hope you give me the strength to eat. I hope you’re cradled in love. I hope you feel my love. I hope you feel god. You are god. I can’t believe you’ve left me. Not you sweet Ben Ben. Anyone but you. I guess this is true heartbreak. I hope we meet again.

A post shared by Riley Keough (@rileykeough) on Jul 18, 2020 at 8:28am PDT

#RIPBenjaminKeough

JK Rowling broke out medical science to defend her controversial stance on trans women. Responding to twitter attacks—which included people falsely attributing anti-mental health quotes to Rowling—the author posted a series of tweets with links to articles that show her opinions are shared by some medical professionals.

In the thread, Rowling stressed the growing amount of scientific literature that raises concern over the use of “puberty-blocking” medications on trans children and adolescents. She reasserted her support and admiration of the trans community but emphasized that society was pushing young people struggling with their mental health to hormones and medications that have deleterious side effects which are often ignored by trans activists.

Many health professionals are concerned that young people struggling with their mental health are being shunted towards hormones and surgery when this may not be in their best interests. 4/11

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 5, 2020

I am not one to disagree with very valid concerns about medicating children. I also agree that the potential side effects of puberty blockers cannot be ignored when discussing transitioning prepubescent trans kids. But it feels that Rowling’s self-described “extensive” research to understand issues faced by the trans community consists of combing through articles to find ones that support her positions.

Had Rowling dug a little deeper, she would have come across the myriad of articles about the severe depression, anxiety, and suicidality experienced by transgender individuals, which is largely linked to the stigma and discrimination that they experience.

She would have also come across articles on the ongoing psychological torment experienced by trans individuals who are forced to live as their biological sex and stories of trans tweens who are terrified of undergoing puberty because of the added stigma they will face from having their external physical makeup being a complete mix-match of who they are inside.

She would have also come across information about the substantial financial investment needed to undergo the many plastic surgeries needed to change the gender of trans people post-puberty. These surgeries consist of far more than just genital reassignment (breast removal, adam’s apple, and jaw shaving, vocal chord surgery).

She would have also come across articles about how the cost of these additional surgeries puts trans youth of color and from disenfranchised backgrounds at a significant disadvantage to being accepted as their “chosen” gender in society.

She would have certainly read about the continued psychological stress of people who could afford gender reassignment surgeries in adulthood but were stuck with permanent body changes that cannot be surgically altered (broad shoulders, fat distribution, muscle tone).

Many, myself included, believe we are watching a new kind of conversion therapy for young gay people, who are being set on a lifelong path of medicalisation that may result in the loss of their fertility and/or full sexual function. 5/11

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 5, 2020

In the tweet thread, Rowling claimed that transitioning teens as a new type of conversion therapy being forced on young gay kids.  This statement is particularly interesting as she’s previously shown support for “gender acceptance” therapy which is little more than trying to force trans children to deny themselves and live life in a way that society views as acceptable (the definition of conversion therapy). Given her “extensive research” Rowling must have come across articles linking  “gender acceptance” therapies and increased suicidality among trans youth.

If as Rowlings says, her concerns are for the safety and wellbeing of trans children and their long-term mental health, why would she promote such damaging ideas to the public? Surely, she must have come across the many stories of the positive impact that families who support trans youth in transitioning have on the long term mental wellbeing of the kids.

Furthermore,  in referencing trans youth as “gay” kids,  Rowling is intentionally ignoring the existence of the many trans people whose sexuality would be considered straight based on their biological sex. If not intentionally ignoring this fact, Rowling is showing that despite her “extensive research”, her understanding of transgender people is still fundamentally flawed.

More Than Gender

Perhaps the disconnect/confusion for (probably) well-meaning people like JK Rowling is that at present, transgender individuals are viewed as having Gender Dysphoria, “a psychiatric condition where there is a conflict between a person’s physical gender and the one which he or she identifies.”

Both transgender and gender dysphoria emphasize the disconnect of the individual’s physical sex traits to the gender that they identify with. The problem with this labeling is that gender is a social construct, not a biological reality.

Gender norms vary culture to culture and are greatly dependent on the fashions of the time period.  Thirty years ago, it was normal for macho cisgender men to wear cropped top shirts, in the 17^th century European men wore heels, and women wearing pants in the Victorian era risked being confined to mental wards.

The emphasis on gender allows the general public to see trans adults as essentially just really committed “cross-dressers,” and reduce trans kids as tomboys and “boys who like to wear sparkly things” but it’s so much more complicated than that…

In all her misguided research, Rowling was right about one thing, looking to medical science may be the key to understanding the trans community.

This is especially true when one understands the role of neuroendocrinology in fetal development as well as the role it plays in another “gender” related phenomena that is gaining greater visibility…Intersex, the I in LGBTQI.

I am no longer afraid to say it.

I’m a proud hermaphrodite. #IntersexStoriesNotSurgeries

— #EndIntersexSurgery (@Pidgejen) July 1, 2020

Sexual Determination in Utero Is A Complicated Process & A lot can go Awry

Note: For the purpose of clarity, the following definitions and associated terms will be used:

Gender:  A social construct defining an individual existing on a continuum of Masculine or Feminine traits as defined by culture and society at any given point in history. This includes gender labels Cis, Trans, Two-Spirit, etc.

Sex: A biological phenomenon resulting from chromosomal makeup of an individual (XX/XY/XXX/XYY/XXY etc) and the phenotypical expression of sexual dimorphisms which can be defined as male (testes, penis, skeletal muscle build) or female (vagina, ovaries, skeletal muscular build). Labels: Man, Woman, Intersex.

In fetal development, the masculinizing and feminizing processes of the brain and body occur in separate stages. It involves multiple chromosome-dependent hormonal surges at various stages throughout fetal development. As such, gonadal (ovaries/testes) development occurs separately from external gender-specific sex characteristics (penis/vulva) and brain chemistry changes occur separately from both.

Simply put,  becoming a “boy” or  “girl” is a complicated multi-step process.

In normal development, this leads to people with XX & XXX chromosomes having characteristically female physical traits and people with XY & XXY chromosomes with characteristic male traits.  It also explains the physical, neurological, and behavioral symptoms seen in conditions with other variants of these chromosomes such as Turner Syndrome (XO) and Klinefelter syndrome (XXY).

When the hormonal changes in utero do not occur as scheduled (for whatever reasons), this can lead to an otherwise healthy infant having physical sex characteristics that don’t match their chromosomal makeup and/or having ambiguous genitalia. The associated syndromes are collectively referred to as Intersex.  Below are a few (very oversimplified) examples for your reference.

• Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH): XX females who develop penis-like phalluses/elongated clitorises due to adrenal androgen surges in utero.
• Congenital Androgen Insensitivity (CAI/AIS): XY Males who develop external female genitalia and female-typical phenotypes due to a lack of or insensitivity to androgen surges in utero. Because their bodies are insensitive to androgens, in some cases they can go their entire lives without knowing they are genetically XY.
• Guevedoce/ 5 Alpha Reductase deficiency syndrome: XY males who, and this is super simplifying the issue, have external female sexual makeup due to the absence of the hormone 5 Alpha Reductase in fetal development. At puberty, the increases of other male sex hormones lead to affected individuals developing male sex characteristics including the development/maturation of male external genitalia. Again, this is all completely oversimplified but in essence, they literally transform from female to male naturally and without medical intervention.

What Does being Intersex Have to Do with Being Trans? 

While “medical treatment” of the intersex community has ranged from controversial to cruel and amoral(#EndIntersexSurgery), the fact that medical science has identified, studied, and thoroughly documented the existence of a number of syndromes that produce external genitalia that “don’t match” chromosomal makeup means that when introduced to the topic, the average person is forced to view Intersex non-negatable non-debatable biological phenomena.

If a person is born intersex, arbitrarily surgically assigned a sex in infancy, and goes on to live their lives as the gender that they identify with rather than the sex that their body resembles, there’s no question about if that choice is rooted in mental illness. Their sense of self was not defined by their external physical makeup, their brains told a different story than their bodies. Their choice is them making a choice to correct an error and be their true selves.

Trans people should be viewed under this same lens.

View this post on Instagram

2020 Vision. Staying present, letting go, detaching, disidentifying from the past, old belief systems, stories and hardwiring that no longer serve my enlightenment, consciousness, optimal health, well being, healing and love. Letting go a present moment at a time. This is my prayer. … #TransIsBeautiful #love #consciousness #presentmoment

A post shared by laverne cox (@lavernecox) on Jan 4, 2020 at 12:36pm PST

As I mentioned, sexual differentiation occurs separately in the brain and body. Given the clear and undeniable cases of people’s external physical makeup not matching their chromosomal makeup. Why then is the potential of a person’s neuronal makeup (brain chemistry) not matching their chromosomal makeup even up for debate?

Current neurobiological research shows that the chemistry and physical makeup of the brains of trans individuals more closely match that of the sex they identify with rather than the one they physically resemble at birth. In simpler terms: There is scientific evidence to support the idea that the brains of trans women are female. The brains of trans men are male.

These differences are more than just the result of “brain rewiring” caused by living as a different gender. If such complete “rewiring” was possible, then the medically unnecessary sex assignments of Intersex individuals (and the rare cases of sexual reassignment due to botched circumcisions) done infancy wouldn’t have such traumatic effects on individuals who were assigned “the wrong sex.”

For people who were assigned the wrong sex, the internal frustration and emotional struggles throughout childhood, adolescence, and continuing through adulthood are almost identical to those reported by trans men and women.

Normalizing Acceptance

It’d take multiple large and extensive longitudinal studies, all beginning at conception and lasting well into adulthood, for medical science to fully understand the likely many components contributing to the trans phenomenon. Its possible science will never fully be able to explain it. But looking at it from a medical lens rather than a psychiatric or political one can help people outside the trans community to accept trans individuals for who they are, not who society thinks they should be.

Contrary to what Rowling and other trans-exclusionary feminists argue, accepting trans women as women (and conversely trans men as men) does not in any way take away from the “shared experience” of “womanhood” or the identities of biological women.

It just involves understanding that trans women are women. And as women, they share many of the same experiences of cis women (sexual violence, marginalization, etc) but also have unique struggles of their own.

It’s no different than understanding and acknowledging the fact that the experiences of cis women can be drastically different based on race, religion, physical ability, fertility, reproductive health, sexuality, and socioeconomic status. Our experiences are all unique but do not negate the underlying fact that we are still women.

Then again, feminists like Rowling have long-struggled with ignoring/ dismissing the experiences of “certain types” of women in their fight for equality.

I presented all of this info in hopes of enlightening people on information that I never hear brought up in the discussion of trans rights. Usually, these arguments are all about feelings and opinions and theories rooted in what I honestly feel is the result of poor nomenclature. Rarely does anyone in the general public look at the potential biological basis for transgenderism. If biology is brought up it’s usually to argue against accepting trans men & women as men/women.

I won’t lie and pretend that I don’t sometimes struggle with more complicated issues related to trans rights or have opinions that are less-than “woke”  (ex: is a sexual preference for cis-gender partners transphobia? I don’t think so #CancelMe).  Still, I firmly feel that the “gender” identities of trans men and women should not be under constant scrutiny, especially by people they will never interact with and who are in no way impacted by trans people living as their authentic selves.

As for Rowling’s latest round of gender-critical grandstanding? At the end of the day, the potential long-term implications of transitioning trans children and the use of “puberty blockers” are issues that should be discussed between trans children, their parents, and their physicians. Not included in this mix? Their ex-favorite children’s book author.

It doesn’t take a thorough understanding of neuroscience or fetal development to accept people and understand their struggles. It also doesn’t take any effort just mind your own business…which is probably what Rowling should do the next time she feels the need to speak out about the trans community.  Maybe then she won’t have to worry petitioning against “cancel culture.”

“None of us are free until we are all free, remember that.” #TransIsBeautiful #TransLivesMatter ❤️ pic.twitter.com/kx6qhLGMNi

— Isis King (@MsIsisKing) July 4, 2020

JK Rowling is usually one to go toe-to-toe with critics regarding her opinion on the role of biological sex in Feminism and Women’s Rights. Today, however, I guess she wasn’t feeling quite up to it (she got it anyway).

It began with Rowling tweeting her an acceptance of an apology from the British Labour Party’s MP, Lloyd Russell-Moyle,  who previously accused Rowling of using her experiences with domestic violence to promote discrimination against trans women.  In the series of tweets, Rowling quoted feminist author Andrea Dawkin’s statement about how men who treat women’s opinions as if they were acts of violence sometimes respond to them with violence.

Andrea Dworkin wrote: ‘Men often react to women’s words—speaking and writing—as if they were acts of violence; sometimes men react to women’s words with violence.’ It isn't hateful for women speak about their own experiences, nor do they deserve shaming for doing so. 8/9

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 28, 2020

Stephen King retweeted this, which prompted Rowling to excitedly tweet words of praise and thanks to King for his support of women. After a fan in the tweet thread prodded King on his position on trans issues, King responded by saying “Yes, Trans Women are Women.” Rowling promptly deleted the tweet, but not before fans were able to snag screenshots of the exchange. Rowling then unfollowed King, which sparked even more criticism and reinforced the opinion of many that she is transphobic.

Jk Rowling said jk pic.twitter.com/iSw8AxBZh7

— 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗼 (@Nicholas_DeOrio) June 29, 2020

This exchange is the latest chapter in JK Rowling’s “I’m not transphobic but I say and do things that make people think that I am” saga.

Yesterday, Rowling was criticized after she “liked” a tweet posted by a gender-critical Canadian Women’s rights group which thanked her for providing a voice to biological women…and called for blocking a bill in Canada which would prevent therapists from counseling trans children to accept their biological bodies which many see as a form of conversion therapy.

.@jk_rowling A big thank you from Canada where women's rights to privacy were flushed down the toilet with Bill C16, & now Bill C8 will criminalize a therapist who counsels a child to accept the body they were born in. You have given us hope. #IStandWithJKRowling #StopBillC8

— We The Females (@wethefemalescan) June 29, 2020

She has also been catching a lot of heat the past couple of weeks after again taking a stance on the need for recognizing biological sex differences between cis & trans women and how that distinction relates to women’s rights. Earlier in June, the author posted a link to an article which referred to “people who menstruate,” she was clearly irritated by the headline.

‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?

Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate https://t.co/cVpZxG7gaA

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020

The backlash was swift, with many people accusing the author of being a Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist (aka TERF). Many critics stated that women are not defined by having periods and questioned if the author thought post-menopausal or women afflicted with amenorrhea were also not women or if trans gender men were now to be robbed of their identity as men because many of them still menstruate.

Within hours, #Hermione and #ChoChang were trending alongside TERF as Twitter users pointed out other instances of Rowling’s broken woke-ness. These include

• Conveniently outing Dumbledore as gay after-the-fact, especially given there were no references to the Wizard’s sexuality in the books. Accusing her of trying to capitalize on the LGBT rights movements
• Conveniently stating that Hermione was meant to be Black after fan complaints regarding a black woman being cast as Hermoine in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, an assertion made despite Rowling referencing  the character’s white face and pale skin in the books
• “Lazily” naming the only Chinese character in the series “Cho Chang” which, according to Twitter users of Asian descent, was the equivalent of naming her Ching Chong.
• Cho Chang’s supposed idolizing of western-white boys and the character being portrayed as a submissive Asian stereotype.
• Gringotts goblins looking and behaving like offensive Jewish stereotypes (greedy, hooked nose, and wealth-obsessed)
• Having every single Asian female character in the series contribute nothing of merit in the story aside from dating white male characters
• Not speaking out against the recasting of Lavender Brown from a black female to a white female once the character became a love interest for Ron in the films

I love how cho Chang is trending. Gotta get that one off my chest. Jk Rowling gave the one chinese character the name equivalent of ching Chong. Then that character ended up being a snitching ass square. And did literally nothing in the series but date people.

— Kimmy The Pooh (@kimmythepooh) June 7, 2020

Rowling found no support among her Harry Potter family who all distanced themselves from her opinions.  Daniel Radcliffe responded to the comments in a blog post for The Trevor Project:

“Transgender women are women…any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo (Rowling) or I.”

In a statement to The Times UK,  Rupert Grint stated “Trans women are women. Trans men are men…We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment.”

Fantastic Beast star, Eddie Redmayne criticized Rowling in a statement to Variety:

 I disagree with Jo’s comments. Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid. I would never want to speak on behalf of the community, but I do know that my dear transgender friends and colleagues are tired of this constant questioning of their identities… 

Emma Watson took to Twitter to express her dissent:

Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are.

— Emma Watson (@EmmaWatson) June 10, 2020

And Katie Leung, who played Cho Chang in the film series, addressed both the controversy of her character’s name and Rowling’s comments in a tweet thread featuring links to GoFundMe accounts and articles supporting activism for Trans people of color. She ended the thread with a final tweet stating #AsiansForBlackLives.

So, you want my thoughts on Cho Chang? Okay, here goes…(thread)

— Katie Leung (@Kt_Leung) June 7, 2020

Despite the backlash, Rowling doubled down. She attempted to explain that she didn’t mean to marginalize the Trans community, emphasizing that she has researched the topic and that she has support from her “queer” and lesbian friends. She stated that she believes that in ignoring the “reality” of biological sex, people are erasing the lived experiences of gay men and lesbians as well as cisgender and trans women.  She also equated the phrase TERF and Feminazi to other hateful words used against women.

I respect every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them. I’d march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it’s hateful to say so.

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020

If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020

This is not the first time Rolling has come under fire for alleged transphobia. In 2018 Rowling faced criticism for “liking” a tweet which referred to trans women as “men in dresses.”  Last year, she was again railed for transphobic remarks after posting a tweet in support of Maya Forstater, a researcher and self-proclaimed “gender critical” feminist who came out against trans women’s participation in (and in many cases dominance of) women’s sports.

Dress however you please.
Call yourself whatever you like.
Sleep with any consenting adult who’ll have you.
Live your best life in peace and security.
But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real? #IStandWithMaya #ThisIsNotADrill

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 19, 2019

This is where I would usually break off into a discussion on how this all relates to a much larger issue or social paradigm, but the reality is it’s too much for one article. It’s probably too much for seven articles. BUT… UNLIKE my follow up to the Corey Feldman Documentary (I really should have gotten back to that), I am going to actually post a follow-up on this topic and I hope anyone reading this will join me in that discussion.

For now, I will just say that… with regard to Rowling’s original tweet, the one responding to the Devex opinion article which reduces biological women to people who menstruate… I have to side with Rowling on this one. At least on this point. Menstruation is a bodily function not a physical quantifier. The lived experiences of any person should never be reduced to a biological function, especially when quite frankly not every biological woman experiences it. Also that particular bodily function has a time limit which has historically been used to treat women as if we have a shelf life or expiration date.

IF the authors of the original article were so concerned about being “woke” “sensitive” and/or “unproblematic,” they could have at least just added Cis-Gender before the word women. It’s clear in the context of their article that’s the group they were talking about.

Earlier this year, Dwayne Wayde’s then 12-year-old daughter came out as transgender. Her revelation was met with total support from both Wade and her stepmother, Gabrielle Union. Wade first opened up about his daughter’s transition (with her permission) during an appearance on Ellen back in February where he described the moment when his daughter announced that she was ready to live her truth:

“Once Zaya… originally born Zion as a boy – came home and said, ‘Hey, so I want to talk to you guys. I think going forward I’m ready to live my truth, and I want to be referenced as ‘she’ and ‘her.’ I would love for you guys to call me Zaya”  – Wade

Wade then went on to describe his family’s commitment to gathering all the information that they could and spread it to everyone they knew. This included Gabrielle Union reaching out to cast members of the FX show, Pose (a series exploring the lives of Black and Latinx members of the LGBTQ+ community set in late 1980s New York) for insight.

Following the interview, Gabrielle Union introduced the world to her daughter to the world on social media. In a series of tweets praising Zaya, Union also thanked all the people that she reached out to for information and guidance which helped Union and Wade support Zaya in her transition.

Meet Zaya. She's compassionate, loving, whip smart and we are so proud of her. It’s Ok to listen to, love & respect your children exactly as they are. Love and light good people. pic.twitter.com/G2lLVdD2VT

— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) February 11, 2020

Following his parents’ stellar examples, Zaire Wade posted a heartfelt message to his new sister on Instagram

View this post on Instagram

Man, I remember bugging my mom as a kid telling her I wanted a brother so bad. I was the only child looking for company and someone to look after and take care of. I have been blessed to have my best friend, Zaya with me for 12 years. We did everything together…we fought, we played, we laughed and we cried. But the one thing we never did was leave each other behind… I’ve told you that I would lay my life down to make sure you are ten toes down and happy on this earth. I don’t care what they think Z, you are my best friend and I love you kid, and if it means anything, just know there’s no love lost on this side ✊🏾

A post shared by EQUALITY✊🏾✊🏻 (@zaire) on Feb 12, 2020 at 5:11am PST

The family unity was further put on display for Zaya’s medieval-themed 13th  birthday party, which she posted photos of on her Instagram with the caption #HappyPride.

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𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕠𝕘𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣✊🏾 #happypride🌈

A post shared by Zaya Wade (@zayawade) on Jun 11, 2020 at 5:29pm PDT

Zaya Wade is not the first celebrity child to come out as trans, but the outpouring of support from fans and news media outlets alike has been markedly different than those who have come before her.

Chaz Bono

When Chaz Bono (Son of acclaimed 70s variety pop duo, Sonny and Cher) began transitioning in 2008, he was mocked in media outlets who continuously referred to him by feminine pronouns well into the mid-2000s. When Chaz competed on dancing with the stars in 2011, the series faced backlash for allegedly pushing an LGBT “agenda” on viewers.

Chaz’s struggle to become “the person he was always meant to be” and find acceptance from his family and peers as he transitioned was documented in the film, Becoming Chaz. In the documentary Chaz stated that his mother had “already struggled to accept [Chaz] as a lesbian, now she has to cope with losing a daughter and gaining a son.” Thankfully, Cher was able to cope with the change and welcomed her new son.

John Jolie Pitt

For John Jolie-Pitt, whose parents have openly supported his gender identity since 2008, the struggle for the media to accept him as a boy continues. When Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie first revealed to the public that their then 3-year-old wanted to be a boy and be called John, critics went wild with disapproval.

Most diverted to the time-honored garbage argument against allowing kids to transition, insisting that no 3-year-old can decide their gender or even has a concept of it. It’s just a phase they’re reinforcing and in doing so, they were harming “Shiloh.”  This in itself was interesting, given none of them would argue that dressing girls in pink and buying them dolls is unnecessarily pushing a gender on a child or psychologically damaging, even though it technically is both.

To date, media outlets have given little regard to John’s gender identity and still refer to him as Angelina and Brad’s Daughter. Even when acknowledging that John is trans, pop culture magazines continue to use his birth name and feminine pronouns for their fluff pieces about which of his beautiful parents John most resembles.

The introduction of Zaya to the world was not without backlash, a few people did feel the need to respond with idiotic and repressive transphobic remarks. Still, the overwhelming majority of people responded in praise and congratulations. This shows major steps in society’s ability to accept trans people for who they are.

Gabrielle and Dwayne’s public and vocal support for Zaya is an exemplary model of progressive and positive parenting. Parenting centered on the focus on uplifting and maintaining the mental health/ wellbeing of children rather than forcing them to adhere to societal norms.  It also is reflective of the huge strides African American parents have taken towards acceptance of LGBTQ+ youth.

Historically, Black members of the LGBTQ+ community, especially trans women, have struggled with being ostracized and rejected by their family and the African American Community.  This is largely due to a combination of deeply rooted conservative Christian values, the emasculation of African American men in media (ex: the pressures put on black male comedians to wear drag), and the practice of bronco busting during slavery (google it) which sought to break strong black men in the most humiliating way possible (seriously, google it).

Simply put, it’s a complicated issue with roots in misogyny and systematic oppression, which resulted in generations of black queer, gay, and trans people being be thrown to the wolves.  This is a trend that progressive modern-day African American parents are working diligently to break.

I would love for Zaya to meet to our girls, Trinity, 16 (transitioned at 4) and Hyperion, 9 (transitioned this December). Us Black parents showing that loving our trans babies saves them and us! pic.twitter.com/f1UbAYHr00

— DeShanna N (she/they) (@Trinsmamabear) February 12, 2020

These strides towards acceptance of LGBTQ+ youth, especially trans girls and women, have a larger importance to Black LGBTQ+ youth than just being “accepted” for who they are.  The intersectionality of race, gender, and sexuality creates exceptionally difficult lives for LGBTQ+ African Americans who are marginalized within their families, society, and within the gay community.  The data is particularly heartbreaking for black trans women who are at exponentially increased risk of sexual violence, murder, extreme poverty, and suicide.

The first step in overcoming these statistics, begins with nurturing and loving parents, family, and communities providing trans children the love and support needed to thrive in life.

Thrive Zaya, Thrive!

In the latest example of tone-deaf celeb activism, several celebs including Julianne Moore, Sara Paulson, and Kristen Bell took part in an NAACP-backed anti-racism PSA wherein they “took responsibility” for various forms of racism including:

• Laughing at racist jokes
• Explaining away or turning a blind eye to police brutality
• Ignoring racism and blatant injustice
• Generally remaining silent on the issue of racism

They then go on to a not-so impassioned plea for other white people to understand the plight of African Americans and to no longer be idol bystanders as their black family and friends suffer…to no longer allow racist moments to go unchecked and to no longer turn a blind eye to the racism in the country.

They then run through the many, many instances where black people were murdered by police that have recently made headlines such as going for a jog (Ahmaud Arbery), sleeping in their own bed (Breonna Taylor), shopping in a store (John Crawford) while stating the obvious fact that such actions should not be a death sentence.  Aaron Paul closes out the video exclaiming “killer cops must be prosecuted, they are murderers” and telling fellow white people that it’s time to call out hate, step up, take action.

The video concludes with a link to ITakeResponsibility.Org where interested people can donate or sign petitions to police reform campaigns like Reclaim the Block and #8CantWait…that is after checking boxes for what type of racism they are taking responsibility for and how the interested persons plan to make racism all better.

On the surface, this all seems like a pretty commendable effort and it’s clear that everyone who participated meant well. Unlike the painfully cringy celeb rendition of John Lennon’s Imagine which went viral for all the wrong reasons early in the COVID social distancing, the I Take Responsibility Video doesn’t just stroke the egos of the celebs who took part as they put themselves at the center of attention during a crisis.

The I Take Responsibility video calls for action and highlights very real issues that affect the African American community in the US (and quite frankly, indigenous communities in the US and around the globe).  The problem with the video, is it’s not what’s needed right now…

Far too many white people have turned this moment into their white guilt camapign, still centering themselves.

Platform, support, and uplift Black people. That’s it.

— Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph) June 11, 2020

First and foremost is the fact that kind of makes the celebs who took part in it look like they were pretty racist before suddenly realizing it was wrong. As a black person, it kind of hurt my heart to think that Justin Theroux would laugh at a racist joke or that Deborah Messing would ignore something super racist happening in front of her because it was easier

I think this video has the opposite effect of the one intended. Sounds like you were all massive racists until today – and regularly sat around with your friends making racist jokes. https://t.co/Tz37YM9l3m

— Douglas Murray (@DouglasKMurray) June 11, 2020

Secondly, the video readily triggers White Guilt, the concept that every white person should feel responsible for the horrible actions of others, both historical and present day. The idea that by just a factor of being white, every white person is somehow responsible for racism. Even in visiting the website, a white person seeking to take action must first admit that they are in some way racist or have at least at some level have been complicit in perpetuating racism.

That is enough to turn any “right-leaning” white person off to the issue and prevent them from ever looking into it further. For example, my 16-year-old son’s white grandmother does not need to take responsibility for every act of police brutality to hit the news so frequently that it terrifies my son to the point that he has nightmares of being killed by police.

But, if she can acknowledge the racial injustices in law enforcement, maybe she would be inclined to take steps to protect my son and other brown/ & black kids from experiencing it.  Maybe she would be moved to demand police accountability, research instances of police brutality that may have occurred in her rural Georgia hometown that didn’t get widespread media coverage, maybe then she’d talk to her church group about it, maybe even have a talk to his half-siblings about the very real reality that they can get away with things in life that may result in their brown sibling being sent straight into the criminal justice system so that they grow up aware of the injustice. She wouldn’t do any of that if asked to be responsible for every bad deed done by someone who shares her skin tone. She’s not racist. Why should she take the blame for racism?

Nothing irks me more than people who use white guilt and think they’re helping.

You should never be ashamed or apologize for the skin color you were born with.

Stop apologizing for being white, it’s embarrassing.

— Tyler Webster (@tylerrwebster) June 14, 2020

People of Color are not asking for anyone to take responsibility for systemic racism. We’re asking for it to end. I know this may sound counter-intuitive, given one cannot fix a problem without first acknowledging that it exists. But the keyword difference here is acknowledging. Acknowledging does not mean accepting blame or taking responsibility for an issue that is much larger than any individual. If the solution starts with awareness, we cannot achieve that by turning people off to the issue by alienating people coming out of the gate. We have to work together to create lasting change, otherwise, the problem will continue to fester.

Dear white person,
I see you are suffering from white guilt;
I see you are now kneeling before black people and even in some cases kissing their feet.

Please give them a hug instead.

Black people don’t need to be patronized or worshipped,
they need LOVE just like everyone else.

— JesusIsComingBack (@GoodShepherd316) June 10, 2020

Lastly, and I cannot stress this enough, Hollywood is wrought with institutional racism that silences voices of people of color at every corner of the industry. This takes place in many forms: from whitewashed casting that would have even seen Julia Roberts playing Harriett Tubman; to the white co-writer of Crazy Rich Asians being paid far more than the Asian Female writer (and then Asian female writer being treated as expendable on the project after asking for more money); to token ethnic characters that exist only to further the storylines of the white protagonists; to nepotism-driven deals that exclude content creators of color from ever having the same access as their white counterparts to tell their own stories.

Don’t understand what I meant by that last part? Tell me, can you name any movie featuring Native Americans made by Native Americans…other than Smoke Signals?

Even when People of Color do find their way to Hollywood success, their accomplishments are often ignored or diminished by the industry #OscarsSoWhite.  They are also asked to downplay or completely hide their ethnic traits to appease white audiences (see Connie Chung being pressured to get a nose job or Gabrielle Union being told her hairstyles are “too Ethnic” for America’s Got Talent).  Sure, white actors and actresses have needed to change their hair color or have been told that they’re now “too old” to play the love interest. But one would be hard-pressed to find stories of Caucasian actors being told to literally change their ethnicity-linked physical features to appease audiences, not even when cast to play people of color.

Simply put, it’s not enough to just “take responsibility,” especially when working in an industry that’s wrought with racism and tokenism at every level. As Michael B. Jordan stated in his #BlackLivesMatterLA speech, we need a commitment to diversity. That is more than just having NBC and HBO doing an annual contest for diverse writers to clamor for a shot at getting a foot in the door. It’s way more than arbitrarily steering blockbuster movies into Hong Kong or Tokyo for a random scene or two to “capitalize on the Asian Market.” It certainly means more than having a token sassy black woman or sassy Latina in an otherwise white-dominated sitcom. Tokenism for the sake of diversity is not equality.

A commitment to equality by Hollywood means… committing to giving POC equal access to jobs in the film and television industry: from the PA to the Director, Grip to Producer, Writer to Sound Editor, Assistant to Development Executive, Day Player to Top Billing Star. It’s about Equality. Not blame. Now, I am a proponent for the role media plays in creating social change, but until that commitment is made Hollywood doesn’t really have a leg to stand on in calling for social justice in other areas of society. Simply put, you cannot take a stand against white supremacy while you’re directly benefiting from it.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.