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Aretha Franklin's song (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman came under fire from a trans organization that claimed that the song "perpetuates harmful anti-trans stereotypes."
However, the alleged Norway-based organization, Trans-Cultural Mindfulness Alliance (TCMA), now asserts that it is a parody account and was "not serious."
On January 20, 2023, TCMA, in a series of tweets, claimed that Aretha Franklin's song was transphobic as it helped "inspire acts of harm against transgender women."
Trouble brewed when TCMA's tweets went viral, and media outlets reported that "trans activists" deemed A Natural Woman "offensive." This has led to a significant backlash against the trans community.
TCMA, which has called itself a parody account, took to Twitter to call out Aretha Franklin's song and condemn the lyrics. They demanded that the piece be removed from Apple Music and Spotify and stated that there is no such thing as a "natural" woman.
Aretha Franklin's 1968 song "Natural Woman" perpetuates multiple harmful anti-trans stereotypes.
There is no such thing as a "natural" woman.
This song has helped inspire acts of harm against transgender women.
TCMA is requesting it be removed from Spotify & Apple Music.
TCMA reasons the Aretha Franklin tweet was intended as satire
A few days later, on January 23, 2023, the organization declared that its tweets were made in satire. They added that they were stunned to find that various media outlets reported on Aretha Franklin's song without attempting to contact them or fact-check the story.
The organization called out journalists for not being able to "comprehend" that their tweets were a "parody" despite the "sheer ridiculousness of the content."
With zero research, high-level corporate media outlets published that statement like it was true like TCMA is some legitimate organization.
Not one outlet even attempted to reach out before publishing their articles. NOT ONE.
TCMA contacted media outlets via direct message to explain that it was a parody account and that it never thought anyone would take its content seriously. The organization also said it intended to call out the woke culture and "media stupidity" through the Aretha Franklin tweet.
After its reveal as a parody account, TCMA added the words "PARODY/SATIRE" to its profile. The Twitter bio for the Trans-Cultural Mindfulness Alliance states that it was founded in January 2023 and is based in Oslo, Noway. It is worth noting that the spelling of Norway was deliberately left wrong, leading several people to speculate whether the account was a parody.
TCMA has previously claimed, on at least two separate occasions, that it was not a troll account. In a now-deleted tweet, they clarified that they aren't a parody organization but are a group of trans individuals looking to make culture "fairer for transgender individuals." The tweet added:
On January 21, a Twitter user named David Strom asked whether TCMA was a parody account. TCMA said, "Most certainly not," which added to the confusion.
Many accounts called out TCMA for their hand in spreading false information and making satire, and causing "unnecessary drama."
Before TCMA announced it was a parody account, many believed the tweet was actual and called them out on their "baseless facts." People, including Piers Morgan, addressed "woke" organizations like LGBTQ and trans rights organizations and called them out for spreading "nonsense."