Susan Sarandon says GLAAD is ‘out of control’
Actress Susan Sarandon has defended Glee after the show was criticised for using the word ‘tranny’.
The word was used in a Rocky Horror-themed Glee episode earlier this month.
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) said that the word was a “slur” and condemned the show for not having another character criticise the use of the word.
In the storyline, actor Harry Shum Jr.’s character Mike is given the role of Frank-N-Furter, who dresses in stockings, high heels and lingerie.
But he has to abandon the role because his parents don’t want him to look like a “tranny”.
Sarandon, who starred in the original film version of the musical, defended the show and accused GLAAD of becoming extremist like the animal rights group PETA.
She told the New York Daily News: “What should they [Glee] have said? [GLAAD is] getting like PETA – way out of control.”
She added that she knew people who embrace the word ‘tranny’ as part of their identity.
In response, GLAAD spokesman Richard Ferraro told the paper: “The word ‘tra—y’ has become an easy punch line in popular culture and many still don’t realise that using the term is hurtful, dehumanizing and associated with violence.”
