Lance Bass pulled a Neil Patrick Harris today by saying “trannies” while appearing on Access Hollywood.
Bass suggested that on comedian Billy Eichner‘s upcoming TV show Eichner should interview “trannies.” Eichner agreed, saying, “I love a tranny” before adding “We’re not supposed to call them trannies anymore” and mentioning Harris’ televised slur.
Bass replied, “I didn’t get the memo… I like my good ol’ trannies.”
Lance, Lance, Lance… having dated Reichen Lehmkuhl you really shouldn’t be making fun of others.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Cue GLAAD’s statement of disappointment, Bass’ requisite Twitter apology and online commenter quibbles over whether tranny is a slur (“What about Trannyshack?”). Zzz.
FreddyMertz
What are slurs we can’t use?…and updated list please.
MikeE
I will never understand this…
I’ve never known “Tranny” to mean “transexual/transgendered”.
As far back as I can remember, I’ve only encountered it to mean “transvestite”.
I guess there are regional differences in the language.
christopher di spirito
Why is Queerty pushing this Andrea Dworkin-endorsed political correctness? It’s becoming a form of intellectual censorship and it isn’t healthy.
Jay
Forgive me for being insensitive but I think the gay community needs to toughen up a bit. There are SO many gays (including transvestites/transgender/transsexuals) who use the term frequently with no malice behind it. I think to make every person who says “tranny” publicly apologize and get berated via social media is a little much. Not to sound so cliche but grow a pair and move on. There’s much worse things to worry about.
Chad
All the transgendered people I have met have refered to themselves as trannies….But yeah we need a list of words we can’t say.
DenverBarbie
I love the word tranny! The drag queens I know call themselves trannies, the femme men I know claim the term for themselves, and I like to use it when describing my own aesthetic. But with that in mind- I guess I can understand “tranny” as an offensive term, as it is really vague. I know trans women do not (usually) appreciate being mistaken for a drag queen or transvestite (the latter of which I’ve heard we’re “doing away with,” too- what are we supposed to call straight men who fetishize women’s garments?), and something as generic as “tranny” might make it harder to distinguish the three.
Nevertheless, criticizing people within the LGBTQ community (and no one dare say that doesn’t exist- we’ve had an ear-full of that here already, and I will virtually rip your balls off…) for using terms like “fag” or “tranny” is soooo counter-productive. There are real, scary, vile people out there who want us to never get married, lose our parental rights, get bullied into the ground, and worse yet- dead. That’s who we should be directing this fuel and fire towards.
domenowo
Since when is “tranny” a slur???!!!??
I had no idea
Paul
@domenowo: I think it’s quite a recent thing… it was always a lighthearted/affectionate term for a drag queen or transvestite in my experience, but now it gets used as a slur against transgender people, so it’s best to avoid.
JayKay
Oh. My. God. Who the hell cares?
Ian
@christopher di spirito: I’m with you. Being thoughtful and caring about language is one thing; applying over-the-top political correctness is another. Let’s spend less time attacking our allies.
christopher di spirito
@Ian: It’s a near-daily thing. So and so said “tranny” so lets vilify them. I tell you, the day is rapidly approaching when our allies turn on us because the price of supporting the LGBT just isn’t worth it.
Wies
as a transsexual person, i have to say i’m completely okey with being called a tranny. it sounds cute ^^.
Kieran
There are many serious battles against homophobia that gay people can engage and fight. Trying to ban the word “tranny” isn’t one of them.
MikeE
Let’s ban Lance Bass instead…
or better yet, Justin Bieber.
Fitz
I am not going to let my language and culture be
colonized by a couple of PC-thugs.
Hyhybt
“transvestite (the latter of which I’ve heard we’re “doing away with,” too- what are we supposed to call straight men who fetishize women’s garments?)”
Cross dressers?
Hyhybt
“transvestite (the latter of which I’ve heard we’re “doing away with,” too- what are we supposed to call straight men who fetishize women’s garments?)”
Cross dressers?
But that sounds like angry furniture.
Michael DeSelms
@MikeE: I agree. Ive always known it to be Transvestite. But then I guess times change,\. I’m 57 yrs. old. I guess I’m getting too old to keep up with the jargon. I wuld like a list of things we’re not to call each other. A local coffehouse here even has a “Tranny” night. So WTF? I loves my Trannys. They are some of the kindest people I know. You go girlzzz!
Chadboy
Bass and Eichner exchanged in the “tranny” talk knowing they would get press out of it. Bass is from the 1990s and Eichner is trying to launch his career. Of course, they are going to discuss trannies which for whatever known reason seems to land whoever said it in the cross hairs of the LGBT discussion. Both the irrelevant and the unknown get press out of it.
tranny_in_the_house
I am a transsexual and I do not take offense to the word tranny at all.
My trans sisters who get all butt hurt by a word we invented for ourselves need to take a chill pill and chilax on the situation.
JAW
@Hyhybt:
The Trannies kicked the transvestites to the curb and renamed them cross Dressers
I just renamed the Transsexuals (or are the Transgendered?) as Trannies… so tranny is no longer a slur… Just like Queer is no longer a slur.
Lolita Shultz
Personally I think a Tranny can call a Fag a Fag and vice versa.. what’s the big deal.. but then again I’m a Tranny… :-p
timncguy
@JAW: I’m confused. If transgender folks are not transvestites and transvestites are not transgender, just why is it that the transgender community thinks it can tell transvestites what to call themselves?
FreddyMertz
@ashton cruz: Is it trannies…or tranni?…hmmmmmmmmm
JAW
@timncguy:
LOL… I am confused also… First I had heard that transgender was a nono… looks like you have embraced that… or is transgendered ok again??
just like the new TV show that has straight guys dressing as women they are cross dresser (I guess)
The Trans people… those that have transitioned from male to female especially… hated that Transvestites (straight guys that dress as women) Dressed nicer then they did… so They renamed the TV’s… cross dressers
Kinda like what the radicals did to me… I am no longer Gay… I am now queer… At least in their minds… I will Never be Queer, There is nothing ODD about me
are you still confused Tim… (I know that I am)
jj
This article is a hot tranny mess.
Price
Tired of the tranny nagging. I don’t see them getting up in arms every time there are gay sterotypes and jokes on TV – which is every damn night.
Red Meat
Who the fuck thinks they can decide what a slur is? The GLBT community invented the fucking word, no one outside of that world even knew what it meant.
Rachel's pink wall
Ooooooh transphobic Lance Bass is transphobic.
Allen D.
They forgot the FIRST thing that will “happen next” — Queerty will latch onto it for dear life, write a sensationalized headline & inspire a debate that really didn’t need to happen again
Kudos, Queerty. Fucking jackasses.
Mike
Who even watches Access Hollywood anyway? In my market it’s on at like 1:30 in the morning.
R.A.
@christopher di spirito:
While it’s easy to imagine Dworkin as a “trans-feminist” on a sacred mission to cisgender the world, I wonder how she’d view women becoming men given she equated hetero sex with rape.
Spike
Tranny
Tranny
Tranny
Tranny
Tranny
Tranny
Tranny
Tranny
Tranny
Tranny
Get over it Queerty.
GOD (gay old dude)
I always refer to a car’s transmission as a tranny . . . does this make me a self-hating LGBT in the eyes of the LGBTs?
Aiden
And the gay hypocrites have struck again. You don’t care, but you come on every post to say the same old thing. But when TI was calling us overly sensitive y’all were ready to have his head. How hard is it to say trans instead of tranny. It isn’t at all.
willam
Ticked-Off Trannies with Laptops
Fitz
@Aiden: A trans person is not the same as a tranny. Stop trying to colonize my culture and language.
Interesting
@Fitz:< Yeah, a KKGay member defending his right to say "nigger" is also defending his "culture."
ERic
BFD he said what many of us have been wanting to say. Adam’s a big old queen!
Fitz
@Interesting: Little child, you are pathetic to compare me to a klansman. I’ve done more for LGBT issues than you probably ever will, unless they make an iPad app for activism. Calling my Tranny people Tranny is not the same as calling black people nigger. A Tranny is a person. And Trans person is ANOTHER kind of person.
Interesting
@Fitz: <The KKGAy member is doing us a favor by tellings us what he can call trans people despite what trans people want. Thank you KKGay member! We "nig" I mean "trann" I mean whatever you want to calls us, sho wouldn't know how to live, but for your generous help. Thanks ya for being so kind to us. We aren't worthy.