Sports Illustrated under fire for using transgender pop star Kim Petras as swimsuit cover model

torontosun.com:

'This is a form of mind rape ... The goal is to trick hetero men into sexual desire for other men' Sports Illustrated is coming under fire for putting Kim Petras, a transgendered pop star, on one of its covers for the magazine’s annual Swimsuit Issue.

Petras was revealed alongside Martha Stewart, Megan Fox and Brooks Nader as SI’s cover models for this year’s edition. But some readers vented on social media, comparing Petras’ appearance to Bud Light’s partnership with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney last month. “This is a man,” Kingsley Cortes, chairwoman for the Washington, DC Young Republicans, wrote, sharing a capture of the Heart to Break singer’s cover. “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 opined. “This really pure class contempt. ‘Ha ha those dumb beer-drinking SI readers!’” “This is a form of mind rape,” another reader dismissed. “The goal is to trick hetero men into sexual desire for other men … if you don’t like you are the bad guy.” One social media user hinted that SI was destined to have a lot of unsold issues, pointing to what happened to Bud Light’s sales after the beer brand ran its promotion with trans TikTok personality Mulvaney last month. “I guess you didn’t take the hint from Bud Light that men are done with this [shit emoji],” they wrote.

Several people questioned Petras’ inclusion in an issue that has historically showcased feminine beauty. “If you are an adult and want to identify as a different gender, be my guest, but the recent trend for companies to feature and give top awards/ spots to trans women instead of biological women is