The recent overturn of Roe vs. Wade by the Supreme Court has inspired many conversations on Twitter and beyond about women’s rights, bodily autonomy and reproductive rights. Within these discussions, many users have encouraged each other to use inclusive language and to be intersectional with their feminist approaches (i.e. using phrases such as “people who can get pregnant” or “menstruators” instead of simply “women” since many who identify as transgender or non-binary can get pregnant, too).
While Bette Midler has dubbed herself a supporter of women’s rights and a feminist, her recent comments about excluding those who may not identify as women from these discussions has left many fans feeling “hurt,” “upset,” or “saddened,” especially during such a tumultuous political time.
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Midler, 76, has since clarified and updated her thoughts on the matter after coming under fire for her ‘transphobic’ comments, and it all began on July 4th with one tweet. On Monday, Midler wrote, “WOMEN OF THE WORLD! We are being stripped of our rights over our bodies, our lives and even of our name! They don’t call us ‘women’ anymore; they call us ‘birthing people’ or ‘menstruators,’ and even ‘people with vaginas’!” Midler tweeted. The Hocus Pocus star added: “Don’t let them erase you! Every human on earth owes you!”
Fans and noteworthy activists—including acclaimed writer Roxane Gay— then took to Twitter to inform Midler that those who wish to be more inclusive in reproductive rights online discussions are not actually attempting to “erase” women from the narrative. Gay tweeted, “No one is trying to erase women with inclusive language about people who need abortion care. No one is calling you anything but what you prefer. You should extend that courtesy in return.”
Another tweet responding to Midler that garnered traction was from drag queen and LGBT activist Panti Bliss, who wrote,”Don’t fall for the anti-trans panic fake nonsense. No one is erasing women.” Bliss continued, “In a few small healthcare cases where appropriate they are using trans inclusive language. That’s all.”
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After thousands of fan tweets encouraged Midler to take accountability for her errors and apologize for excluding anyone seeking abortion care who might not identify as a “woman,” she then shared a message in response. Midler wrote on Tuesday, “I’ve fought for marginalized people for as long as I can remember. Still, if you want to dismiss my 60 years of proven love and concern over a tweet that accidentally angered the very people I have always supported and adored, so be it.”
The Grammy winner explained that her initial negatively received tweet was made in response to to a New York Times op-ed suggesting that politics on both the right and left are discounting women in their own ways. “In a world of chosen gender identities, women as a biological category don’t exist,” columnist Pamela Paul writes in the piece. “Some might even call this kind of thing erasure.”
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Midler clarified, “There was no intention of anything exclusionary or transphobic in what I said; it wasn’t about that,” she tweeted. “It was about the same old s—t women – ALL WOMEN – have been putting up with since the cavemen. Even then, men got top billing.” Midler concluded her thoughts on this in another tweet, writing, “The truth is, Democracy is slipping through our fingers! I’m all in on trying to save Democracy for ALL PEOPLE. We must unite, because, in case you haven’t been paying attention, divided we will definitely fall.”
