Logo says it ‘will not allow anti-trans rhetoric’ after RuPaul defends transphobic slurs

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a white background.

TV network Logo has distanced itself from statements made by drag artist RuPaul Charles, who defended the use of transphobic slurs.

RuPaul revived controversy earlier this week, when he defended the use of transphobic slurs on reality show RuPaul’s Drag Race.

RuPaul had claimed: “It’s not the transsexual community [who are offended] (…) these are fringe people who are looking for story lines to strengthen their identity as victims. That is what we’re dealing with.

“If your idea of happiness has to do with someone else changing what they say, what they do, you are in for a f***ing hard-ass road.

“Don’t you dare tell me what I can do or say. It’s just words. You know what? Bitch, you need to get stronger.

“You really do, because you know what, if you’re upset by something I said, you have bigger problems than you think.

However, a Logo spokesperson has now distanced the company from the rant, in a statement to Buzzfeed.

The spokesperson said: “These comments did not come from Logo. We are committed to supporting the entire LGBT community and will not feature any anti-trans rhetoric on our shows.”

The drag competition reality show had in March attracted criticism for a segment in which contestants were asked to guess from a photo whether someone was a ‘biological’ or ‘psychological’ woman, using a slur.

Following the criticism, TV network Logo decided to pull the episode off all platforms, and committed to not use two slurs in future episodes.

Listen to the clip below:

Watch the original segment via Slate.com below: