For all the difficulty developers of gay-related iPhone apps face just trying to get their product in the Apple store, one app that bashed transgender people had no problem getting through. PeekaBoo Tranny let users “tran-ify” any photos by inserting a transgender doppleganger into the picture. Sound offensive?
After getting called out on it by GLAAD and Bilerico, Apple thought so — and pulled it.
“Besides putting the full whack on your antenna’s reception … these tranny skanks demand to be the center of attention and mysteriously appear in every photo opportunity,” wrote one review site, which the app’s developers called their “fave review of our App yet.”
Now with the 99-cent app gone from the iTunes Store, its developers are tweeting they didn’t mean any offense. Responding to their followers, they tweet, “I wish people could pick issues that are actually issues rather than make new ones put of nothing,” and, “the intention was fun and adorable pics. If we wanted to offend and bash, we would have made ‘peekaboo palin.'”
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Would it be less of a problem if the app’s developers were transgender, and were poking fun at members of their own? I’d argue yes, but in the world if the iPhone app store, where even gay comics are deemed too offensive, one would think Apple would draw the line somewhere closer to prudishness.
brandon H
I’m not trying to defend the app or say that it’s not offensive or should not have been published…
But I laughed at the description. I’m just sayin’
Jackson
The only thing offensive about this is that Queerty thinks that this has anything to do with gay men and lesbians.
Real Meat
Thats actually a pretty awesome app LOL
adam
@Jackson: care to elaborate on why linking gay people to being trans is offensive?
A. Non
@adam: Bit of an easy one, that…transgendered people are not necessarily queers as well, by that argument we should be accepting of any story being posted on queerty about any subject under the sun JUST because of a tenuous link to homosexuality because one of the people affected by that story MAY or MAY not be homosexual. We’re no offended that we’re being likened to transgenders, we’re offended that we’re being bunched in with them when transgendered issues are not necessarily gay issues and queerty is supposedly about gay issues.
Of course, the word “tranny” actually refers to transvestites and not transgendered, any normal person knows this and the fact that GLAAD took offence at this and queerty jumped on the bandwagon reminds me why I am ashamed of the people who represent a facet of my being…and I now understand why some people are ashamed of being gay, its because of the idiots doing things in our name.
And Queerty editor, if you want to argue the toss that your “one app that bashed transgender people had no problem getting through” line is factually correct, try FUCKING READING the links you post, http://krapps.com/2010/10/06/peekaboo-tranny-iphone-app/ even CLEARLY uses the word “transexual” many times…you quote “Besides putting the full whack on your antenna’s reception … these tranny skanks demand to be the center of attention and mysteriously appear in every photo opportunity.” yet you don’t seem to notice the first few lines (just before the quoted line) in which it says “count your blessings you haven’t crossed paths with a transvestite” nor the title of the page which is “HELP! There’s A Transvestite Trapped In My iPhone – PeekaBoo Tranny App”.
And while we’re at it, Queerty editor, put down the fuckin’ alcohol and learn to read what you write before posting it…your English is atrocious and the post is littered with typoes galore…I think you might need to go back to journalism school (or is it TO journalism school?)
To the app’s developers who felt they needed to apologise: Don’t! You haven’t done anything wrong! GLAAD have, right royally, as usual. Fuck iTunes, switch to Android, you’ll be glad you did…and if you HAVE to stay with Apple, consider Cydia as they have options for paid apps as well as free ones (although probably fewer will get sold, and as it’s only for people with hacked iphones it’ll have a smaller base to sell to). On behalf of the homosexual community, I apologise to you wholeheartedly…it may have been a crap app, but that doesn’t mean you should be refused the option to sell it for any reason other than it being a crap app. And if you get it re-subbed and through and transvestites complain about it, remember to tell them not to get their wife’s panties in a twist 🙂
Melissa
‘Tranny’ primarily come from the porn industry and paint the entire transgender community, transsexuals and transvesties alike, as nothing more than sex crazed freaks and attention seekers.
Trans and gay issues are more linked than most people realize.
BROOKECERDA
SORRY TO BREAK YOUR HEARTS GAYS,BUT BIANCA DEL RIO DOESN’T EXIST.ITS A CHARACTER JUST LIKE BOZO OR RUPAUL, BUT CARMEN, JANET , LAVERNE & MYSELF ARE WOMEN.
AND IF ANY OF YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A MAN, YOU WOULD KNOW HOW TO TREAT A WOMAN .
THERE ARE NO DEGREES OF WOMANHOOD.
WOMEN ARE WOMEN, TRANSGENDER OR CISGENDER.
YOU BEING GAY DOES NOT GIVE YOU A PASS BE VULGAR WITH US.
I DONT CARE HOW FEM YOU LOOK.
BODIES ARE NOT GENDER.
RESPECT ALL WOMEN !!
STOP MAKING AN ASS OF YOUR TRANSPHOBIC SELVES .