Candace Owens goes on ‘shocking, racist’ rant when challenged on anti-trans views
Right-wing pundit Candace Owens. (Jason Davis/Getty Images)
Right-wing pundit Candace Owens has been criticised for a rant against Native American people.
After being told by an audience member at a speaking engagement that Two-Spirit [Indigenous people who embody both male and female spirits] people have existed for thousands of years, Owens not only denied that trans Native Americans exist, but also spouted stereotypes about Native American people in general.
The audience member pointed out that the common anti-trans talking point that transgender identities are a modern concept could be debunked by the fact that Indigenous communities have documented trans people for millennia.
“I don’t think there were trans Native Americans,” Owens replied. “I don’t know what you’re talking about with Two-Spirit people… is this like a Native American tribe, like high, smoking and talking about your spirit?
“When I think of Native American tribes talking about their spirits, I know that they used to smoke a lot, they used to do drugs, they… used to eat people, so I don’t know if we should be taking our cues from cannibals.”
The audience member added that it has been well-documented that there have been dozens of terms across Native American culture that would describe people who would now be considered transgender, then told Owens to “educate” herself.
Owens’ rant was then posted on X, formerly Twitter, with a user describing her words as “shocking, racist and vile”.
The former Turning Points USA communications director has previously found herself in hot water for her views. In September, she was suspended from YouTube for violating the platform’s hate speech policy, just months after having anti-trans videos demonetised on the channel.
Owens has also previously been criticised for claiming YouTube star JoJo Siwa is “lying” about being gay, claimed that anyone who shops at Target is “gay” and a “pervert”, saying “transgenderism” is a “cancer”, and praised Donald Trump as a “feminist icon” for his opposition to trans rights.
In addition, according to The Independent, she has branded Pride month as “shame month”, said parents who take their children to drag queen story events are “underqualified” to be mums and dads, and, on Twitter last year, labelled The Walt Disney Company “child groomers and pedophiles”, for opposing Florida’s Don’t Say Gay legislation.
