Bette Midler sparks angry backlash with transphobic Caitlyn Jenner ‘joke’

She’s usually loved for her witty take downs of famous folk, but over the weekend fans of Bette Midler were left disappointed and angry after the icon cracked a transphobic joke at the expense of Caitlyn Jenner.

Referring to the recent cancellation of Jenner’s show I Am Cait, Bette Tweeted on Saturday (August 22), “Now that @IAmCait has been cancelled, will she go back to being Bruce?”.

Olympic Gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner has been dogged by rumours that her transition was for publicity since she first came out at transgender. Considering the amount of mocking Caitlyn and the wider trans community face on a daily basis, its unsurprising that Midler’s wisecrack evoked more ire than amusement.

bette midler ruined my night. i'm going to bed

— hari nef (@harinef) August 21, 2016

.@BetteMidler @IAmCait Just shows, you can be as gay-friendly all you want, but to some, transphobia comes so easy. How tired and pathetic.

— Annie Wallace (@anniewallace) August 21, 2016

The struggles of being Transgender isn't exactly funny. And to joke about it in this context is highly offensive.

— Toria Anne🦄 (@xhugs4drugsx) August 20, 2016

I love Bette Midler, but what she said about Cait was totally unacceptable & the "she's a comedian" excuse is bogus. That was transphobic.

— 🏁BUBBA WALLACE HIVE🏁 (@astro_kianna) August 21, 2016

Trans activist Alexandra Billings wrote an impassioned response to Bette’s comments on the Huffington Post, highlighting how her words feed into a society which is especially hostile to trans people.

She wrote: “Our Trans youth don’t live very long, Bette. And when they die, they do it with guns and ropes and pills and leaping off the edges of buildings. Giving their tormentors misinformation that already incites a sense of righteous indignation in them by suggesting they are merely in costume, is not only irresponsible, it is terribly cruel”.

Bette since apologised for her remarks, saying that she had “misread the temper of the times”.

By "misread the temper of the times," do you mean you thought society at large was transphobic enough to laugh along with you? @BetteMidler

— Secret Gamer Girl (@SecretGamerGrrl) August 21, 2016

More stories:
JK Rowling shuts down homophobic abuse thrown at Tom Daley
20 of the hottest Olympic athletes from Rio 2016