I recently just discovered some relatively ‘old’ news about Katy Perry that I feel didn’t get enough attention, because in my opinion nothing bad about Katy Perry can be advertised well enough.
In December, Perry posted a statement on her twitter account that blatantly mocked trans-bodies. The post lead to a picture of a transman with the quote “NSFW! I knew those little white last week of the birth control pills would still have an effect on your body! FU.” insinuating that the placebo birth control pills taken in the week of your period will somehow transform you into some sort of monster, aka a transperson.
The picture has been deleted but the “tweet” still remains (courtesy of GLADD)
For those of you who are not fluent in moronic-teen speech (Perry’s native tongue), I will translate the acronyms with the help of google, cause apparently I am too old to understand it either.
FU – obsivously fuck you
NSFW – Not Safe For Work – this really pissed me off, because apparently trans bodies are so offensive we must consider them to be along the lines of explicit porn.
Katy Perry, though becoming increasingly unpopular among queer folks, is still on top as a friend of queers. How anyone could misconstrue the “I kissed a girl, and I liked it” as a pro-queer song is beyond me. Gawker did an excellent job of summarizing how the song is not only NOT a queer song, but is actually harmful to our movement. It delegitimizes our identities to flippant, drunken make outs and states queer women are nothing but objects of desire for straight men. The song is essentially audio porn for straight guys and a false empowerment for queer women. I remember walking through a Chicago H&M and “I kissed a Girl…” came on. Near by I say two stylish teenage girls singing along. Angry, I loudly started to rant about how hypocritical it was for H&M to have AIDS awareness stuff for sale with Katy Perry selling it and to play her anti-queer music. One of the girls commented that Perry was gay and I said it didn’t change that she was homophobic as well as stating that she herself was bi, and therefore couldn’t be homophobic. I told her being bi didn’t mean she couldn’t oppress people. I brought up another of example of Perry’s homophobia through the song “Ur So Gay” which makes fun of Perry’s ex-boyfriend being “so gay” because he was stylish and non-normatively masculine. The girl looked down passively saying “Oh yeah, that song is funny.” Whether or not she knew deep down it was a shitty song I will never know. With any luck, she has since been hit by a rabid Chicago bicyclist.
Clearly, Perry has no real concept of the queer community. Her bi identity has not made her privy to our struggles, identities, or experiences and it is nothing less than insulting for her to own our community while she is oppressing us. I am waiting for Perry’s next top hit that will perhaps talk about “hermaphrodites” and “sex change surgeries.”
If you would like first hand experience with how purely idiotic this person is, read this Out.com Q&A. I am sure that with more information you will despise her as much as I do. In fact, Katy Perry who has long been high on my list of things I hate has moved up to the #2 spot bumping Hipsters down to #3 and Suburbs and Urban Sprawl to #4. Congrats, Katy Perry for being a world-class poser.
In closing I would like to send a message to Katy Perry, writing in terms that she can understand.
Dear Katy Perry,
FU.
-Midwest GenderQueer
PS – your dye job sucks
I loves it. I demand a new presentation from you. 1001 reasons why to hate Katy Perry. I think we will have midwest genderqueer on the map based on that alone. Reason #1 your hair is a million time better. <3 <3 <3 Loves it.
BTW I have a list of bands/musicians I refuse to play on my radio show. Katy Perry is on my black list. :)
P.S. You have got to hate them hipsters eh?
Hey JAC, just found your blog via facebook. I’ll definitely be checking back in. (Assuming you don’t think that’s creepy or stalky or anything) ^^
I also don’t understand how I kissed a girl could be seen as anything other than queer-phobic. There’s a line that says something like ‘it’s just an experimental thing…’ something something ‘I’m not falling in love tonight’ I, for one, am kind of tired of being someone’s science experiment fuck. I’m all for trying new things, but seriously? Gets kinda old. It furthermore reinforces negative bi stereotypes, which seriously divide the queer community from a whole arsenal of potential queer/bi activists.
Anyway, keep up the awesome blogging. Seems like online activism is all I can do these days. Until I learn French. *sigh*
Hi Rachel,
welcome! and no you aren’t creepy at all! glad to have your input :)
-JAC
Sometimes I forget when I’m not on facebook, I can’t just click “like” on everything. But I want to. I like this so hard.
For the record, though, Katy Perry does not represent the entire bisexual community. I hate her just as much as you do, and I am legitamately bi. I have experienced hatred due to my sexualoty, so it’s unfair to state that a bisxual person knows nothing of the sort.
Hi Jessica,
I couldn’t agree with you more. Bisexual folks are very oppressed and marginalized by both queer and non-queer communities. That is one of many reasons why I feel Katy Perry is so repulsive – not because of her bi identity, but because she promotes a negative stereotype of bisexuals and mocks the community she claims to be a member of. That is why I stated that she has no concept of oppression, because she herself is an oppressor, even of herself.
thanks for you comment!