Activist Janet Mock wrote a blistering essay for Allure on Monday responding to comedian Lil Duval's comments about hypothetically murdering a trans woman during an appearance on Power 105.1's The Breakfast Club.
“This was not the first time that I’ve been misgendered, dismissed, told that I am an abomination, that I need medical help and God, et cetera, et cetera,” Mock wrote. “Boo boo: You are not original. Everything you’ve spewed has been said to me and my sisters before — hundreds of times. But there are deeper consequences to this casual ignorance.”
On last Friday's episode of The Breakfast Club, Lil Duval said that if he became aware of a trans woman's gender identity after having sex with her, he will kill her. “I don’t care, she dying,” he said. In the days following, the popular radio show has been met with calls for a boycott.
The hashtag #boycottbreakfastclub trended on Twitter over the weekend with many users outraged that the show would invite Mock on and then make fun of her with Lil Duval days after her appearance. And there has been an increasing number of trans women being murdered for situations similar to what Lil Duval joked about.
“Until cis people — especially hetero-normative men — are able to interrogate their own toxic masculinity and realize their own gender performance is literally killing trans women, cis men will continue to persecute trans women and blame them for their own deaths,” Mock continued. “If you think trans women should disclose and ‘be honest,’ then why don’t you work on making the damn world safe for us to exist in the first place? The ‘I’d kill a woman if I found out’ rhetoric is precisely why so many women hold themselves so tight — the stigma and shame attached to our desires need to be abolished.”
Despite the outrage, the comedian refuses to apologize. He tweeted an image suggesting that the public will be waiting a while for an apology from him.
"Lil duval they waiting on you to apologize"
Me: pic.twitter.com/sngO39icOV
— lil duval (@lilduval) July 31, 2017
Also, it must be noted that his supporters claim that he has a legitimate response to the hypothetical situation because the trans woman was not forthcoming about being transgender.
While #boycottbreakfastclub trended and Lil Duval took the heat, host Charlamagne Tha God was met with protests at Politicon.
@cthagod you tried it! BUT BLACK TRANSWOMEN DENIED IT! #blacktranslivesmatter
#teamjanetmock
pic.twitter.com/blNsYOS06T— Blossom C. Brown (@MISSBLOSSOM9210) July 30, 2017