Nigella Lawson shared an opinion piece from someone who had moved on from their anti-trans views.
Food writer Nigella Lawson has been praised by trans activists and organisations after she posted a tweet in support of trans rights.
Nigella took to Twitter to share an opinion piece in the Independent from a person who had held ‘gender critical’ views. Gender-critical campaigns, commonly referred to as trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs), are people who strongly oppose and campaign against trans rights.
In the opinion piece, Nora Mulready spoke about how she had been gender-critical, and believed that being trans was a “millennial fad” but this changed when her nephew came out as trans.
Nora gave support to her nephew, but admitted she hoped it was a phase that would pass. However, as the years passed by, she saw her “nephew thrive” and also “met many wonderful trans people who simply wanted to live their lives.”
She added that she “listened, and I learned, a lot. Over time my views changed.” She also spoke out against common anti-trans views, like trans men transitioning because of misogyny or all trans people being held accountable for the action of each individual within the community.
Sharing the article, Nigella commented: “A still small voice of calm.”
A still small voice of calm https://t.co/XSoR6UaruY
— Nigella Lawson (@Nigella_Lawson) August 29, 2020
Nigella was met with an onslaught of transphobia, including from people pushing the false theory that parents were forcing their gay children to transition, but she was also met with waves of support.
Stonewall wrote: “Thank you for sharing this, Nigella.” And trans activist and author Munroe Bergdorf added: “My queen. Thank you. X”
Mermaids added: “Hi Nigella, it’s great to see you sharing this. X Calm not hate.” And trans writer Paris Lees put: “We need much more kindness and fairness when discussing these children’s lives. Thank you for being a sensible voice.”
Another commentor wrote: “Thank you. And sympathy in advance against the vile pile on from the right wing, For Britain RTing, cultists, the which, I fear, you will receive.”
And someone else shared hopes that Nora’s piece would become the norm for TERFs, writing: “It would be lovely to think that having a close relationship with someone who is trans would sort every terf out. Perhaps one day there will fewer who share this particular brand of bigotry.”
And with humour, one added: “Nigella Lawson really said ‘trans rights’ and ‘here’s a recipe with 40 cloves of garlic in’ on the same day and honestly… this woman. Incomparable.”
This isn’t the first time that the star has backed trans rights, as she came out in support of the use of gender-neutral they/them pronouns earlier this year, and in 2018 donated to the funeral fund of a trans man whose body was rejected by his family.
Related: Jennifer Lopez introduces new short film featuring her trans nibling
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