Sports Illustrated faces backlash for transgender pop star Kim Petras’ swimsuit cover
nypost.comthe second-ever transgender model to do so.The publication is facing backlash from conservatives suggesting to boycott the publication for featuring a trans woman, though many people clapped right back at anti-transgender remarks.The artist was one of four women to appear alongside Megan Fox, Brooks Nader and Martha Stewart in the 2023 edition, and she opened up about the “pressure” she feels from being an icon in the LGBTQ+ community.“It’s definitely a scary time to be transgender in America, but there’s also so much more representation than there’s ever been, and there’s so many things on the bright side,” Petras, 30, told SI in her cover interview amid an onslaught of anti-LGBTQ legislation popping up across the country.“I do feel a pressure sometimes to represent the trans community with everything I do,” the Grammy winner admitted. “Because I feel very blessed that I am at this point where I have all these amazing opportunities that I’ve worked really hard for, and feel so happy when I hear from trans people in general that they’re inspired by me.”Despite marking a win for the LGBTQ community, it sparked outrage against diverse representation from conservatives who were quick to compare the trans-inclusive cover to the widespread backlash Bud Light received after teaming up with transgender social media star Dylan Mulvaney.“Except Kim Petras is not there because of her popularity with SI readership, but because SI editorial despises its readership, just as Bud Light management despises its customer base,” one Twitter user wrote in response to SI’s tweet about Petras’ cover. “This really pure class contempt. ‘Ha ha those dumb beer-drinking SI readers!'”Another user curiously accused the publication of “mind rape,”.
