Aretha Franklin ‘Natural Woman’ diss was ‘satire,’ trans ‘activists’ now claim
Turns out a supposed transgender “activist” group may not have a problem with Aretha Franklin after all.
Last week, an alleged-Norway based LGBTQ rights group called the Trans Cultural Mindfulness Alliance took to Twitter to condemn Aretha Franklin’s hit 1968 song “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” They labeled the song’s lyrics offensive and demanded that it be removed from both Apple Music and Spotify.
However, they have now alleged that the account is actually a parody, according to a direct message to The Post on Monday afternoon.
“This is satirical,” the user, who did not provide his or her real name, wrote to The Post.
The account, however, changed its bio information sometime Monday afternoon to read: “PARODY/SATIRE: Founded January 2023 exclusively by trans individuals, promoting cultural changes to ensure the inclusivity of trans individuals.”
That is a direct contradiction to a now-deleted tweet in which they claimed it was not a parody account.
The account, which is still up and running as of Monday evening, claimed that the Queen of Soul’s song ignited anti-trans stereotypes.
“Aretha Franklin’s 1968 song ‘Natural Woman’ perpetuates multiple harmful anti-trans stereotypes,” the organization tweeted on Jan. 20. “There is no such thing as a ‘natural’ woman.”
The message continued: “The song has helped inspire acts of harm against transgender women. TCMA is requesting it is removed from Spotify & Apple Music.”
The Post has reached out to Franklin’s representative, Spotify and Apple Music for comment on Monday.
Franklin’s song “A Natural Woman” has been deemed a powerful anthem with an inspiring message. She even performed the hit at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in 2015, during a ceremony honoring the track’s writers, Gerry Goffin and Carole King.
Franklin died in August 2018 at age 76 after a battle with advanced pancreatic cancer.