The TV personality addressed Dave Chappelle's recent Netflix special controversy and Boosie's attacks against Lil Nas X.
Ts Madison believes the entertainment industry needs to evolve with the times, including addressing the "rampant" queerphobia that regularly makes headlines.
During an appearance on The Breakfast Club with hosts Charlamagne tha God and Angela Yee, the star and executive producer of the reality show The Ts Madison Experience explained that, although she was lenient when dealing with her family's difficulty to accept her as a transgender woman, she places great significance on people respecting her pronouns and vice versa.
"You don't have to accept it, but just respect it," she advised when explaining why proper use of pronouns is important. "This is how I present, this is how I walk in the world, and this is what you see. This is why I think that it should be something we pay attention to because it respects people's identity in its totality."
And while the actress conceded that allowing people room to be educated and grow is vital, she said the privilege is for those who show they are "making the effort to move forward."
"There's transphobia and homophobia that's really rampant out there. Rampant!" Madison said. "And it's rampant out there because people's spaces are being felt like it's threatened."
Madison referenced rapper Boosie Badazz's continued homophobic attacks against Lil Nas X as an example. Calling Boosie a hypocrite, Madison questioned how the rapper had moral ground to label Lil Nas X as detrimental to kids and society after claiming he had a woman perform oral sex on his underage son and nephews.
"Whose kids really need to be protected?" she asked.
Madison also addressed the unresolved Dave Chappelle drama surrounding his recent Netflix special, The Closer. The comedian and the streamer have faced intense backlash for the derogatory comments toward the LGBTQ+ community made during the special.
Chappelle made comments supporting rapper DaBaby and Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling -- who have both been criticized for anti-gay and transphobic comments -- by identifying as "Team TERF," which stands for trans-exclusionary radical feminist, an ideology that excludes trans women as women.
"Gender is a fact," Chappelle also says during the special. "Every human being in this room, every human being on Earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on Earth."
Although Madison hasn't watched the special, she listened to those who spoke out and understood where they were coming from.
"I did hear my sisters speak and I did hear them say things that I realized could be a problem," she explained. "In a nutshell, we really want Black men who occupy positions of power to understand that they have extreme influence over our community. And who gets the short end of the stick when it comes to trans issues? The Black girls. We're just saying, be mindful of the things you're saying."
She clapped back at the argument that the LGBTQ+ community has more rights than the Black community, pointing out that there are people who identify as both and thus, suffer from both racism and queerphobia. When comedians like Chappelle or rappers like Boosie disrespect the transgender community, they're piling on the already immense wave of hatred aimed at Black trans men and women. And holding them accountable, Madison stressed, does not mean they are being "canceled."
"The way the world is going now, if you need to lose a check to understand that the world is changing and you can't freely walk through here and disrespect people anymore, then fine," Madison emphasized.
"Black people, you need to understand that it is your duty to support your Black queer community because we are Black and queer at the same time. We are not Black then queer. So when we're fighting racism with you, I don't need you behind my back, fighting me because, 'well, that's not that fight.' No, it is your fight, we are all marginalized people!"
Watch Madison's full Breakfast Club interview on YouTube.
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