Jess Glynne ‘wholeheartedly sorry’ for using t-word during podcast appearance
"My own ignorance has ripped out a piece of my heart"
Words: Jamie Tabberer; picture: The Mo Gilligan Podcast
Jess Glynne has apologised for using transphobic language during a recent interview.
Speaking on The Mo Gilligan Podcast last week, the ‘Hold My Hand’ singer used the offensive term “t****y” while recalling a visit to a queer strip club.
As writer and activist Juno Dawson said in response on Twitter: “The t word is only used to describe something ugly or unrefined. Worse, it’s the last word too many women have heard before they died.”
Now, Jess has said publicly that she is “wholeheartedly sorry” for using the “outdated term.”
“I have made a lot of mistakes”
“I want to address my appearance on the @mothecomedian podcast, when a story I told caused massive and righteous offence,” Jess said in an Instagram statement yesterday.
“Firstly, I want to say that I am wholeheartedly sorry”.
She continued: “I know that in this case, sorry is not nearly enough, throughout my life I have made a lot of mistakes and what I have come to know is that the only benefit to making one is to learn from it.”
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She later added: “To be in the knowledge that I have negatively impacted the community through my own ignorance has ripped out a piece of my heart.
“I know I needed to address my mistake head on and educate myself about an issue I was frankly ignorant of.
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“The language that I used on the podcast was unacceptable, as someone that has always been immersed in the LGBTQ+ community, I have witnessed first hand the progress that has been made when it comes to language, I am ashamed that I was unaware of the potency of the T-slur until now.”
The star then tagged a list of organisations fans could “turn to [and] learn” from, including London Trans Pride and Mermaids.
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In an Instagram statement, a London Trans Pride rep said: “The apology from Jess is being criticised for not being enough, but it is in fact a step in the right direction. People have expressed their anger, hurt and pain online and rightly so, what trans people have to go through in our daily lives is unacceptable.
“However Jess has a global reach and it is important that people see her apology and admitting that what she said was not OK, this interaction will teach them something valuable about how to treat us.
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