Multiple News Outlets Fall for Fake Trans Outrage Over Aretha Franklin’s ‘A Natural Woman’
In journalism, one of the most important things you can do is check your sources.
So, when you see a group claiming the Aretha Franklin, the late "Queen of Soul," should be canceled because one of her hit, "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," you want to make sure that everything lines up because that's a pretty big cultural battle.
The group "Trans Cultural Mindfulness Alliance" posted a tweet demanding that Spotify and Apple Music remove the song from their music libraries because it "perpetuates multiple harmful anti-trans stereotypes."
"There is no such thing as a 'natural' woman," their tweet claimed. "This song has helped inspire acts of harm against transgender women."
Several media outlets, including the New York Post, reported on a supposed trans activist group accusing the song of perpetuating multiple transphobic stereotypes.
The Post, The Daily Mail, Sky News, and others, ran with the story. The problem? They never checked to see if it was legitimate.
Conservative outlets like the Daily Wire and Fox News reached out to confirm the story, but other outlets considered in the "mainstream" never once asked the group, which now claims it's a parody account on Twitter.
The group's profile labels itself as "parody/satire," though that was not immediately clear when the story first broke. What's more, the account appears to be new, with tweets only dating back to January 20, 2023. Their profile bio seems to confirm this, stating they were "Founded January 2023 exclusively by trans individuals, promoting cultural changes to ensure the inclusivity of trans individuals."
Franklin, who was named one of the Top 100 Artists of All Time, passed away in 2018. She was 76 years old and had been battling advanced pancreatic cancer.
The New York Post posted a follow-up story later to acknowledge the trans group was claiming it was a parody.
Last week, an alleged-Norway based LGBTQ rights group called the Trans Cultural Mindfulness Alliance took to Twitter to condemn Aretha Franklin’s hit 1968 song “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” They labeled the song’s lyrics offensive and demanded that it be removed from both Apple Music and Spotify.
However, they have now alleged that the account is actually a parody, according to a direct message to The Post on Monday afternoon.
“This is satirical,” the user, who did not provide his or her real name, wrote to The Post.
The account, however, changed its bio information sometime Monday afternoon to read: “PARODY/SATIRE: Founded January 2023 exclusively by trans individuals, promoting cultural changes to ensure the inclusivity of trans individuals.”
The Post, however, notes that the group didn't immediately acknowledge it was a parody. Instead, the group posted a lengthy Twitter thread later, blasting media outlets for running with the story without reaching out to them.
Remember, folks: Always check your sources.