Audio app apologises after editing trans women out of interview with Heated Rivalry stars
Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov and Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander in Heated Rivalry. (Bell Media)
Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov and Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander in Heated Rivalry. (Bell Media)
Audio erotica app Quinn has apologised after editing out a comment about trans women made by Heated Rivalry stars.
Protagonists of the hit show, Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, star on the online platform in a series titled Ember and Ice. In the series, Williams voices Finn, a fae prince, who is drawn to Storrie’s character, Dane, a prince from a rival faerie kingdom.
In a clip shared online to promote the audio series, the pair were asked why they think male/male romance resonates with women.
In response, Williams said he didn’t think there was an easy answer, noting “there are straight women, there are trans women, there are gay women, like queer women” who are fans.
However, in the clip initially shared by Quinn, Williams says: “There are straight women, there are gay women, like queer women,” with “trans women” edited out.
On 3 January, the Quinn X account responded to a user who called out the edit.
“Hey @tryquinn why do you decide not to include trans women in the promo when Hudson says it in the actual interview,” the user asked.
Quinn’s X account responded the following day, sharing: “Hey! Because it’s not a sexual orientation and he was listening [listing] sexual orientations and we wanted to distinguish the two. We left in the full cut because we know it’s important to call out. Thank you for reaching out on this.”
Users weren’t happy with the response, with many calling out the platform for attempting to validate being “exclusionary”.
In response to the wave of backlash, the platform posted a statement admitting that it had “made a mistake”.
“Over the years, we have consistently celebrated trans stories — we have trans members of our team and community who we see, value, and deeply appreciate, and we are committed to growing our catalogue of trans stories and creators,” the statement added.
Additionally, the platform thanked its followers for “holding us accountable”, adding that it wouldn’t happen again.
“As a sign of solidarity with the trans community, we have made a $25,000 donation to Trans Lifeline,” the statement concluded.
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