Rainn Wilson apologizes after his joke about trans and non-binary people receives backlash
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Photo by: Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Rainn Wilson, star of The Office, was recently chastised for making a joke about transgender parents who breastfeed their children. Following reaction from the trans community, the actor deleted the offending tweet, which he had sent on Wednesday, June 15.
Wilson, who is best known for playing Dwight Schrute in the NBC sitcom The Office, apologized a day later for the now-deleted remark. The 56-year-old actor joked in the original tweet that the phrase ‘breastfeeding’ would be replaced with the more socially inclusive term ‘chestfeeding.’ Wilson, on the other hand, indicated in his apologies that he is ‘educating’ himself with the support of his transgender pals. The star also referred to his previous remark as “mean.”
Rainn Wilson issues an apology after receiving backlash for his joke against trans and non-binary persons
Wilson tweeted on June 15 on the rising use of the term “chestfeeding.” The act of giving milk produced by lactogenesis (the process of milk formation) in humans to a newborn is referred to as the term. ‘Chestfeeding,’ as opposed to ‘breastfeeding,’ is a more inclusive term for trans or non-binary individuals who feed their milk to their infants.
“TIL you can no longer say ‘nursing or breastfeeding mother,’ you have to say ‘chestfeeding individual,'” Rainn Wilson said in a now-deleted tweet.
TIL is an abbreviation for “today I learned,” in case you’re unfamiliar with the term. “‘Today I Learned’ is the most prevalent definition for TIL on Snapchat, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok,” according to Cyber Definition.
Wilson apologized by saying: “I made a snarky remark regarding breastfeeding vs. chestfeeding on Twitter the other day. I’d like to apologize for the tweet after chatting with some Trans friends and furthering my education.”
The actor went on to say that his post spread disinformation about the matter and was “mean.”
Rainn Wilson’s apology for his ‘chestfeeding’ remark has divided the internet
The actor’s apology generated more discussion over whether the word “breastfeeding” is disrespectful to people who aren’t women. While some people applauded Wilson, others claimed that the phrases “chest” and “breast” were interchangeable. Wilson’s remark was also deemed unworthy of an apology in several tweets. On Twitter, there has been a mixed bag of reactions.
It is not my place to accept or reject your apology, but as an ally, I will say: please, think in the future that practically any joke you make about trans people has the potential to harm actual trans people in this current atmosphere.
Yesterday I tweeted a mean crack about breastfeeding vs chestfeeding. After speaking with some Trans friends and educating myself a bit more I want to apologize for the tweet. It was adding to misinformation and meanness. I’m sorry.
— RainnWilson (@rainnwilson) June 16, 2022
Another person said, “Wouldn’t it still be called “breastfeeding” whether the person is trans or not?” The Breast, which is a component of the Chest, provides nourishment. Is it truly necessary to replace that specific word?
Another user said, “My understanding (based on the attached tweet) was that it was a term in a paper put out by some British Hospital and it wasn’t anything that anyone wanted to be changed for the sake of being gender neutral.” Someone dug it up to turn it into a phony culture war.
Perhaps you should talk with some actual nursing mothers and educate yourself about why the term “chestfeeding” is offensive and degrading to women. (Women, in case you are confused, are the humans who are able to breastfeed children).
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) June 16, 2022Advertisement
Lactation in transgender and non-binary people is an experimental procedure. In a recent case, a trans-woman was chastised for breastfeeding her child on her chest. They utilised the domperidone medicine to deceive the body into lactating, according to the mother, who documented the journey on Reddit. The medicine allegedly fools the body into thinking it is pregnant or post-pregnancy, causing lactation.
It should be emphasised that all of these claims are currently being investigated, and research into their impact is ongoing. The Food and Drug Administration in the United States has likewise warned against using domperidone to stimulate or boost milk production.
The only reference to inclusive language was at the very bottom, after the section about using language patients were comfortable with. THAT IS ALL. But right-wingers have turned that into a whole thing, years later. https://t.co/Dks8koVyNC pic.twitter.com/8NIRH5hxZ2
— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) June 15, 2022
It’s literally called breastfeeding.
— JennX💙 (@MadLew) June 16, 2022
Why apologize?
If transmen breastfeed, it’s still breastfeeding.
The Trans community needs to stop this nonsense and changing facts to make selves feel better.
They are hurting their own cause.
Ankita Khanrah
Ankita Khanrah is a second-year student of the Master of Communication and Journalism (Integrated) programme at the School of Mass Communication, KIIT Deemed University, Bhubaneswar.
