Transgender Advocate Janet Mock Says Piers Morgan Sensationalizes Her Story

“I was not ‘formerly a man,'” Mock tweeted.

Transgender advocate and writer Janet Mock slammed Piers Morgan for sensationalizing her life story during an interview this week on his CNN program.

In particular, Mock, who has alway identified as female, was upset that Morgan began a question about how she told her boyfriend that she was transgender with the preamble, “you used to be yourself a man.”

“I was not ‘formerly a man,’” Mock tweeted. “Pls stop sensationalizing my life and misgendering trans women.”

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She went on to write, “Nuance in media is nearly impossible but I do hope we continue to write the records of our own lives & relay that nuance #redefiningrealness.”

On Twitter, Morgan hit back, “I’ve always been 100% supportive of transgender rights – the allegations of me being ‘transphobic’ are as nonsensical as they’re offensive.”

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Mock was on the show to promote her new memoir “Redefining Realness.” She told BuzzFeed Tuesday that she was upset Morgan focused so much on her love life and did not dial down more into her advocacy. She also rejected the idea that she was a woman only after undergoing surgery.

“My book is not about Aaron or my relationship, but that’s the most sensational thing they want to pull out,” she told BuzzFeed.  “They’re not talking about my advocacy or anything like that, it’s just about this most sensationalized … meme of discussion of trans women’s lives: ‘We’re not real women, so therefore if we’re in relationships with men we’re deceiving them.’”

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Mock’s reaction is in contrast to her demeanor on the program. The interview appeared to be civil and Morgan closed the segment by noting, “I can’t think of anyone better to be out there promoting all this than you, Janet Mock.”

A representative for “Piers Morgan Live” declined to comment. Mock did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 

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