Last week a video began circulating around the Internet that showed Carmen Carrera using the word ‘tranny’ in a past interview. The video only seemed to further enrage the “pro-tranny” crowd and only fueled the fire further in the debate.
Since then, the video has been made private by the YouTube account’s owner.
Additionally, a somebody spent some time to browse through Carmen’s Twitter history and uncovered this photo of her using the term in 2011:
On June 3, Carmen released a statement about the issue on her Facebook page to address the video and old tweet. In the post, she says that during the time of the interview she was “consumed in ignorance about what is offensive to trans people.” Later in the post she addresses the hypocrisy of the debate, saying that “Most who call me a hypocrite are the same people who are jumping the bandwagon for the fight for respect but can’t respect themselves.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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Related: Drag Queens and Trans Women Fight to Positively Brand ‘Tranny’
This is the full statement:
[quote]Once and for all…
To the people out there with enough common sense and understanding to this whole situation, thank you for supporting me and showing me love. I am very grateful there are people out there who get it.
As far as the rest, allow me to go in, just a little bit. This issue is about public respect and you’ve clearly proven my point by coming out of character in your hateful replies and postings. So, thank you for that.
Secondly, if you think for a couple of moments, you would understand that my experience started in the gay nightlife/drag life. I was just as consumed in ignorance about what is offensive to transpeople because at that time I hadn’t found myself. I was living as a drag performer only. Respectable transwomen were not as visible and very unclear in how they defined themselves. I had no one to look up to, pre-transition. All I knew was what I learned in the club scene.
I had to live that experience myself in order to understand the real life struggles OUTSIDE of the LGBT community. I’ve gotten to know transgirls who live as ordinary women in society, who have blended in and don’t necessarily need to be a show girl to feel accepted or feel the need to work in the sex industry. Through those women I learned how to gain respect for myself as trans and also how unfair society treats/degrades transwomen.
Tranny/Shemale are offensive. Period. Whether you want to grow up and accept it or not. All the girls I’ve seen come out and defend these words are girls that either work in or are part of nightlife extensively. There is a real world out there. People who want to learn. I was and still am one of them. When I speak, I speak from my own experience and still, for me, my life experiences have only just started…
Lastly, let’s bring up this idea of hypocrisy… Most who call me a hypocrite are the same people who are jumping the bandwagon for the fight for respect but can’t respect themselves. Same people who don’t want to get bullied yet refer to each other as faggots. Same people who want the right to marry yet live a life of promiscuity and are openly unfaithful. Reflecting much? I’ve seen it all for myself, yet I don’t sit here and aim to speak down at them like they have tried to do to me.
“I am simply a young person who has let you into my life since day 1 after my transition, sharing with you my path, my ups and downs, and the lessons I’m learning along the way. That’s why I’m interesting. That’s why I’m Carmen Carrera.”[/quote]
Let us know what you think about this statement in the comments below or by tweeting to us at @DragaholicNews.
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Christiawn Emmanual
Yesss mam. I believe the most influential piece of this article was Carmen’s ability to be vulnerable with us -fans, spectators, & haters. Fact is she read for filth. Beautifully spoken statement