Lil B, the prolifically tweeting rapper from California’s Bay Area, learned about the speed of an online backlash when he went from making a throwaway joke on Twitter to apologising for being transphobic in a matter of hours.
“I might start saying I’m trans and I’m a woman so I can be in the girls Locker room with the ladies !!!!!!,” he first tweeted. “No homo I’m still growin – Lil B.”
The comment, made in jest, didn’t go down particularly well with other Twitter users. Responses ranged from the measured: “this is really disrespectful and hurtful to trans people. i know you have a good heart. please reconsider this tweet,” to slightly more irritated “could u not”.
Lil B quickly apologised, “to all humans”, seven minutes after posting his locker room tweet. “I am transphobic and I need help to learn to accept I’m scared because I’m not comfortable with my self,” he wrote. “I love u I love born girls – Lil B.”
Ok well I already got enough backlash so I feel bad now and I apologize to all humans and I see that everyone goes thru struggles - Lil B
— Lil B From The Pack (@LILBTHEBASEDGOD) July 27, 2015
In a series of self-aware tweets, Lil B linked his own insecurities and “respect for women’s boundaries” to his reasons for posting the joke and said he was “still growing”. He wrote: “This new science is very new to me this surgery stuff from man to women is different,” before thanking another Twitter user for explaining to him that the correct term to use is, in fact, transitioning.
I wanna say I love you and I apologize for that transphobic comment I made today and shows how immature and still insensitive I am - Lil B
— Lil B From The Pack (@LILBTHEBASEDGOD) July 28, 2015
Towards the end of the flurry of tweets, the rapper drew a comparison between being transphobic and being a racist supporter of the Confederate flag, adding: “people showen me today this is bigger then a joke.”
Lil B has sent more than 141,000 tweets since he first joined the site in May 2009, and is well known amongst his followers for posting often. A recent tweet about Bill Cosby stirred up controversy last week:
I'm sick of women loving other women and men with $$$ women wanted to fuck bill Cosby cuz he was rich just like they fuck tech nerds - Lil B
— Lil B From The Pack (@LILBTHEBASEDGOD) July 25, 2015
It appeared to contradict Lil B’s proclamation, in early June, that he considered himself a feminist. He had appealed to his followers to teach him about feminism in December 2014.
I consider myself a feminist but I don't yell about it or look for attention because of it, I support actions but I'm not perfect - Lil B
— Lil B From The Pack (@LILBTHEBASEDGOD) June 6, 2015
Lil B also uses Twitter as a medium to retweet selfies taken by his young female followers, in a session he calls Girl Time. He tweets often about honouring women’s beauty and individuality.
