Alyssa Milano Says ‘I’m Trans,’ Is Not Trans

To be fair, Alyssa Milano probably thought she was doing something last Friday when she tweeted about her radical allyship. Replying to a fan’s question asking if she was transgender, Milano answered: “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.”

Either Milano didn’t realize how potentially cringey this statement was, or she was just hoping to become a meme, because … she did.

me: h—

~*~*~*allies: pic.twitter.com/aZySItGsGe

— jamieeeeee (@veryhotmomm) March 9, 2019

No. No. This is not how any of this works. Oppression and intersectionality isn’t an outfit that you decide to put on whenever you like.

— zellie (@zellieimani) March 9, 2019

I’m Prue. I’m Piper. I’m Phoebe. https://t.co/EBaMf00tTt

— Rose Dommu (@rosedommu) March 9, 2019

While Milano seemingly intended to celebrate International Women’s Day by aligning herself with those of more marginalized identities than hers, she clearly didn’t think her statement all the way through, and has since then issued “an apology.”

“I’m glad this tweet invoked conversation. I’m so sorry it offended some. I see you and hear you,” the actress followed up on Saturday. “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.” Milano also explained that her initial tweet was inspired by Persian poet Jalaluddin Rumi, who said, "This is a subtle truth. Whatever you love, you are.”

Interesting that she decided to apologize by doubling down on her initial statement, further proving a complete lack of awareness about intersectionality. Nice one, Scarlett Johansson.

Milano chose not to delete any of her tweets despite the backlash, replying to one follower that “I try to remember the mission is more important than my hurt feelings.”