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Trans singer accuses American Idol of trying to exploit his identity
A transgender singer has accused American Idol of trying to get him on the show in order to exploit his identity.
Ryan Cassata, 21, posted an open letter to the show’s casting directors on his Facebook fan page, in which he said they just wanted a ‘TOKEN TRANS person for America to gossip about.’
‘I have received many phone calls and emails begging me to try out in front of the executive producers of the show in the past couple months. I’m not interested,’ he wrote.
‘LAST YEAR I was interested, and I tried out but you DIDN’T WANT ME.
‘I wasn’t “contemporary enough” and being transgender wasn’t such a hot issue in the media like it is now.’
Cassata has already cut eight records, won the Harvey Milk Memorial Award and spoke about being transgender on Larry King Live and The Tyra Banks Show.
The singer accused the casting directors of making transphobic remarks, and said that they told him they wanted a transgender person who did not look ‘too much like they are men who transitioned to women’ or ‘fake.’
‘You also referred to trans people as “MEN IN DRESSES” and “TRANSGENDERS,” he wrote.
‘That is very ignorant, and transphobic.’
Cassata concluded: ‘I feel that #AmericanIdol would EXPLOIT me and maybe exploit the TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY for the purposes of TV ratings and profit.
‘I reject your invitation to SELL OUT. After all, I’m a #SINGER, who just happens to be transgender.’
Transgender bodybuilder Aydian Dowling, who recently won the readers’ vote portion of Men’s Health magazine’s cover model search, praised Cassata for standing up for the transgender community.
‘So glad you stood up for us and didn’t just take the role they wanted you to play,’ he wrote in a comment under a YouTube video Cassata posted with the letter.
‘It’s hard enough with the outlets that do want to show education – now people are tokens and it’s sad bc im sure they will look for another Trans person who isn’t as strong willed like yourself and I hope that person doesn’t get abused for media purposes.’
Read the letter in full below:
Dear American Idol Casting Directors, I have received many phone calls and emails begging me to try out in front of…
Posted by Ryan Cassata on Thursday, 30 July 2015
The post Trans singer accuses American Idol of trying to exploit his identity appeared first on Gay Star News.
Darren Wee
www.gaystarnews.com/article/trans-singer-accuses-american-idol-of-trying-to-exploit-his-identity/
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