Current Events > Aretha Franklin song 'Natural Woman' blasted by transgender activists

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https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/aretha-franklin-song-natural-woman-blasted-by-transgender-activists/ar-AA16EIL4

One activist group based in Norway is calling for Aretha Franklins hit 1968 song (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman to be removed from both Apple Music and Spotify after they deemed its lyrics offensive. The Trans Cultural Mindfulness Alliance (TCMA) took to Twitter last week to condemn the ballad, citing that it has ignited harm against transgender women. Aretha Franklins 1968 song Natural Woman perpetuates multiple harmful anti-trans stereotypes, the organization tweeted. There is no such thing as a natural woman. The message continued, The song has helped inspire acts of harm against transgender women. TCMA is requesting it is removed from Spotify & Apple Music. According to the organizations bio on the social media platform, they aim to promote cultural changes to ensure the inclusivity of trans individuals.

Many Twitter users were outraged by the opinion about the Queen of Souls work and questioned the legitimacy of the claims. So, someone heard the song and attacked trans people? one person wrote in response. What are things that never happened for $400. Another wrote, OMG Get a life & stop trying to cancel everything. How sad and pathetic ones life must be if THIS is a priority to you. This is a GREAT song! YOU GO, GIRL! @ArethaFranklin. Someone else typed, Its a great song and Im going to listen to it right now because of this post. Thanks! Others were so taken aback that they actually thought the statement was coming from a parody account. This is satire, right? one user questioned. Clearly this is a parody. Good one guys! Almost got me, someone else seconded. The organization clarified later in a follow-up tweet that they were not, in fact, a parody account, but rather that they were trying to make make culture more fair for transgender individuals. At the time, Arethas song, A Natural Woman, was deemed a powerful song and had an inspiring message. She even performed the hit at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in 2015, during a ceremony honoring the tracks writers, Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Then-President Obama was there for the performance and shed a tear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz2efshhuq4

well, it says you make me 'feel' like a natural woman. and that's how trans women feel right?

this topic is going to be extremely good and insightful, i can already tell

I sure hope people are able to discuss this in a rational manner without being transphobic

"no such thing as a natural women"

Jesus fucking christ

Song is like from the 60s right?

Tappor posted...

I sure hope people are able to discuss this in a rational manner without being transphobic

it's a clickbait headline about trans people on CE

I'm so fucking sick of the word blast in headlines.

eh, im all for trans rights and i get where they are coming from.

I havent seen this song used to attack trans people and Aretha Franklin is one of the most beloved singers of all time. This is like a battle they shouldnt pick.

averagejoel posted...

it's a clickbait headline about trans people on CE

Well yes, that's why his post was super sarcastic. Because it's obvious how it'll go.

I'll give it 70 posts before the first warning.

Surely, they speak for all trans women. "Entire Community Irrational, J.K. Rowling Vindicated," should be the headline. Not only can we ban them from sports, we can now ban them from music.

/sarcasm

The account has just over 1,000 followers (not a lot) and the post is unanimously being derided from everyone.

It's just another example of the news capitalizing on a dumb take that initially wasn't getting attention, and is inherently making it worse by doing so.

Shit like this only hurts the cause

This is a dumb complaint imo, and I think the TCMA should adopt the song as an anthem instead.

Oh look, another alleged "news" article that's almost entirely "a twitter user posted...".

Not my Queen pls.

Questionmarktarius posted...

Oh look, another alleged "news" article that's almost entirely "a twitter user posted...".

To be fair, said Twitter user is an activist group. They purport to speak for many people.

This is the way.

Tappor posted...

I sure hope people are able to discuss this in a rational manner without being transphobic

On GameFAQs?

Oh you sweet summer child

There won't even be any moderations lol

wackyteen posted...

To be fair, said Twitter user is an activist group. They purport to speak for many people.

okay, that's fair.

Of all the things to be outraged by, this is surely the most important.

Sounds like the same kind of group that calls losing weight fatphobia

lol

TMOG posted...

On GameFAQs?

Oh you sweet summer child

There won't even be any moderations lol

LGBT stuff is like the easiest topic to get modded for here lol.

cuttin_in_farm posted...

LGBT stuff is like the easiest topic to get modded for here lol.

And yet I see it slide so depressingly often

cuttin_in_farm posted...

LGBT stuff is like the easiest topic to get modded for here lol.

only if youre acting like a bigot

cuttin_in_farm posted...

LGBT stuff is like the easiest topic to get modded for here lol.

You can always try not posting mod-worthy stuff about LGBT people.

TMOG posted...

On GameFAQs?

Oh you sweet summer child

There won't even be any moderations lol

something happened to post 4

Can somebody fill me in what the term "natural woman" implies to a trans person? Like we can all acknowledge some people are just simply born as women right?

FelineCyborg posted...

Can somebody fill me in what the term "natural woman" implies to a trans person? Like we can all acknowledge some people are just simply born as women right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSLlZh9yelk

This is gonna be a fun one

Irony posted...

Sounds like the same kind of group that calls losing weight fatphobia

Its almost always rooted in fatphobia unless its absolutely necessary

FelineCyborg posted...

Can somebody fill me in what the term "natural woman" implies to a trans person? Like we can all acknowledge some people are just simply born as women right?

how ****ing dare you

iPhone_7 posted...

how ****ing dare you

Lol I mean objectively some people are born as male and some female right? Are we supposed to pretend it's something else now?

FelineCyborg posted...

Lol I mean objectively some people are born as male and some female right? Are we supposed to pretend it's something else now?

people are assigned the wrong gender all the time based on what is between their legs alone

if you dont understand that then you must have lived a very sheltered life if youve never met anyone like that

VampireCoyote posted...

only if youre acting like a bigot

UnholyMudcrab posted...

You can always try not posting mod-worthy stuff about LGBT people.

Yall seem to agree with me lol.

Transphobia gets moderated pretty easily here. Thanks for the supporting testimony!

VampireCoyote posted...

if you dont understand that then you must have lived a very sheltered life if youve never met anyone like that

Less than 5% of people are trans, bro.

I think you may be the sheltered one if you think the average person has met someone like what you described, and knows about it.

cuttin_in_farm posted...

Less than 5% of people are trans, bro.

I think you may be the sheltered one if you think the average person has met someone like what you described, and knows about it.

wow fuck you for going out of your way to misgender me, in this topic of all places

They could just not buy the song

FelineCyborg posted...

Lol I mean objectively some people are born as male and some female right? Are we supposed to pretend it's something else now?

It's 2023 of course we are

I'm skeptical about the intentions of that Twitter account. It's only been actively posting since January 20th and the bio says the organization was founded in January 2023. If this was CE people would be saying "whose alt?"

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/7/5/AAQgjdAAEHeH.jpg

FelineCyborg posted...

Lol I mean objectively some people are born as male and some female right? Are we supposed to pretend it's something else now?

Theres no way to determine if a baby is male or female and its not your choice to make to determine if another person is male or female.

Well, whoever wants to feel like a natural man can listen to this

https://youtu.be/bLlZ4l7i05Q

Song was originally written by Carol King, who also performed it on her seminal 1971 album, Tapestry.

VampireCoyote posted...

people are assigned the wrong gender all the time based on what is between their legs alone

if you dont understand that then you must have lived a very sheltered life if youve never met anyone like that

Yea but some people are born as women who stay women too right? I'm just saying isn't that what reality is?

iPhone_7 posted...

Theres no way to determine if a baby is male or female and its not your choice to make to determine if another person is male or female.

I meant biologically...

I'm literally asking what's offensive about the term

Holy shit, VampireCoyote just blocked me lmao.

A parody account makes stupid post. And the right wing runs with it. Without even questioning it.

FelineCyborg posted...

Yea but some people are born as women who stay women too right? I'm just saying isn't that what reality is?

its different for everybody

Yeah, this is either just a few nuts or some right wingers trying to make trans folks look bad. This is easy bait for right wingers and the media to use to go "See? Look at how unreasonable these people are!". It's ammo used to oppress the trans community. If this actually is a legit group, then they're being extreme and making things harder for everyone.