Trigger warning: Hate speech, sexual assault.
Shock-rock legend Alice Cooper is shocking people in a much less wholesome way these days. The music legend was recently dropped by make-up brand Vampyre Cosmetics after making bigoted and misinformed comments about transgender people.
In a recent interview with Stereogum, the aging rocker described being transgender as a “fad.” After the interviewer cited Cooper’s early, accurate comments about sexuality and—seemingly hoping that a man who wears makeup and adopted the stage name “Alice” would be a transgender ally—the interviewer then brought up older rock peers like Paul Stanley and Dee Snyder who called gender affirming care a “fad” before walking back their comments. Cooper went on an unhinged tirade where he made a lot of points that weren’t based in fact.
“Yeah. I’m understanding that there are cases of transgender, but I’m afraid that it’s also a fad, and I’m afraid there’s a lot of people claiming to be this just because they want to be that,” Cooper says in the interview, incorrectly using “transgender” as a noun. “I find it wrong when you’ve got a 6-year-old kid who has no idea. He just wants to play, and you’re confusing him, telling him, ‘Yeah, you’re a boy, but you could be a girl if you want to be.’” It remains unclear why it’s damaging to tell a child that they’re allowed to make their own choices.
Cooper didn’t end there, unfortunately. “I think that’s so confusing to a kid. It’s even confusing to a teenager. You’re still trying to find your identity, and yet here’s this thing going on, saying, ‘Yeah, but you can be anything you want. You can be a cat if you want to be.’ I mean, if you identify as a tree… And I’m going, ‘Come on! What are we in, a Kurt Vonnegut novel?’ It’s so absurd that it’s gone now to the point of absurdity.” Cooper’s comments echoed an urban myth about children identifying as cats and having litter boxes in classrooms, a GOP talking point which NBC News confirmed to be a hoax.
The comments went on for a long time, with the interviewer even trying to push back on the rock star’s comments, saying, “I don’t think parents are encouraging doubt in their kids’ identities. I would just hope that they listen to their kids and find pediatricians that provide appropriate care.” Unfortunately, Cooper grabbed the shovel and kept digging his hole.
“Well, I can see somebody really taking advantage of this, though,” Cooper continues. “A guy can walk into a woman’s bathroom at any time and just say, ‘I just feel like I’m a woman today’ and have the time of his life in there, and he’s not in the least bit… He’s just taking advantage of that situation. Well, that’s going to happen. Somebody’s going to get raped, and the guy’s going to say, ‘Well, I felt like a girl that day, and then I felt like a guy.’ Where do you draw this line?” In addition to the fact that no evidence exists of anyone taking advantage of pro-transgender bathroom policies to assault someone, Cooper seems to be forgetting that rape is already illegal and saying someone “felt like a girl that day” wouldn’t make them innocent.
In response, Vampyre Cosmetics announced they would be dropping their partnership with Cooper in an Instagram post. “In light of recent statements by Alice Cooper we will no Longer [sic] be doing a makeup collaboration. We stand with all members of the LGBTQIA+ community and believe everyone should have access to healthcare. All pre-order sales will be refunded.” Had Cooper checked Vampyre Cosmetics’ website, he might have found that they describe themselves as “proudly women owned, disabled owned and LGBT+ owned” and might not appreciate his comments.
Photo courtesy of Twitter
