Actress Alyssa Milano has apologized
for describing herself in a tweet as trans, a gay man and a lesbian.
The 46-year-old Milano is a strong
supporter of LGBT rights. Last year, she received an award for her
advocacy.
(Related: In
accepting GLAAD award, Alyssa Milano takes a swipe at Trump.)
On Friday, Milano celebrated National
Women's Day with a tweet in support of the transgender community.
“My transgender sisters! I am
celebrating YOU this @NationalWomensDay!” Milano wrote.
When a user named Kirk Brown asked,
“Alyssa, are you transgender?” Milano responded: “I'm trans.
I'm a person of color. I'm an immigrant. I'm a lesbian. I'm a gay
man. I'm the disabled. I'm everything. And so are you, Kirk. Don't be
afraid of what you don't know or understand. No one wants to hurt
you. We are all just looking for our happily ever after.”
The comment received lots of criticism.
“No. No,” a user responded. “This
is not how any of this works. Oppression and intersectionality isn't
an outfit that you decide to put on whenever you like.”
“You can't just fake an experience
you don't have,” another user wrote. “You don't navigate any
space like these groups.”
The following day, Milano apologized,
but added that “empathy is not a bad thing.”
“I’m glad this tweet invoked
conversation,” Milano messaged. “I’m so sorry it offended some.
I see you and hear you. But just a reminder, empathy is not a bad
thing. Nuance is important and literal interpretation is not always
intended. And I can identify with and not identify as. Both are
powerful.”