Fenty model lies about being transgender after posting transphobic comments online

Words: Steve Brown

A model who modelled for Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty line admitted to lying about being transgender to avoid criticism over transphobic comments she made.

Carissa Pinkston posted a series of transphobic comments on Facebook back in May under the name Rissa Danielle – according to screenshots shared on Twitter – where she said being transgender “does not make you a woman”.

@SavageXFenty one of your models, carissa pinkston, is lying to her entire following saying that she’s transgender when she is in fact not. she has also made multiple transonic statements on social media’s. pic.twitter.com/MDDUOpiRlG

— cec🐝 (@CeceliaJinks) July 23, 2019

The aspiring model was then dropped by her agency, Elite Model Management, but instead of apologising, Pinkston took to Instagram where she ‘came out’ as transgender.

In the now-deleted post, Pinkston wrote: “I wasn’t ready to come out about it yet but today I got fired and I’ve been receiving hate mail and death threats ever since so I’m being forced to tell the truth.

“I’m transgender. I transitioned at a very young age and I’ve lived my life as a female ever since.

“It’s been very hard to keep this secret but what I said about transwomen is a direct reflection of my inner insecurities and I have since come to realise that I am a woman… WE ALL ARE!”

imagine being a model who got exposed for being a raging transphobe/saying extremely transphobic shit in the past and then resorting to LYING ABOUT BEING TRANSGENDER ONLINE FOR CLOUT IN ATTEMPT TO SAVE YOUR CAREER…? i know this person irl and she is SO CISGENDER?? Y’ALL I-? pic.twitter.com/GtB55p8Cr5

— aaron philip (@aaronphilipxo) July 23, 2019

However, it transpires that Pinkston lied about being transgender and in another deleted post, she confessed about the lie and said: “I apologise for any transphobic remark I’ve ever made towards the trans community.

“I panicked and I thought if I came out as trans that I could somehow make things better for myself but it appears I’ve only made things worse.

“I’m truly sorry. I’m only 20 and I’m human. I make mistakes but I refuse to let them define me.”

HUHHHH pic.twitter.com/Qxw8LlIfhn

— 🏹 (@ylupiter) July 27, 2019

Her comments and lie have received understandable backlash online with transgender model Aaron Philip calling her out.

Aaron wrote: “Imagine being a model who got exposed for being a raging transphobe/saying extremely transphobic sh** in the past and then resorting to LYING ABOUT BEING TRANSGENDER ONLINE FOR CLOUT IN ATTEMPT TO SAVE YOUR CAREER…?

“I know this person [in real life] and she is so cisgender??”