Bette Midler Deletes Transphobic Tweet: Sorry I “Misread The Temper Of The Times”

The singer said her tweet misgendering Caitlyn Jenner was merely an "idle musing."
From: NewNowNext

 Bette Midler issued an ALL CAPS apology on Twitter Sunday after posting an offensive tweet that purposely misgendered Caitlyn Jenner.

Like Cher and George Takei, the legendary 70-year-old singer uses Twitter to comment on pop culture and the state of the world through jokes, most of which are well-timed and hilarious.

A comment she posted over the weekend about the cancellation of Jenner’s I Am Cait series didn’t go over so well with her fans, though.

“Now that @IAmCait has been cancelled, will she go back to being Bruce?,” Midler wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “Will Kris take him back? Do I smell a re-wedding?!”

The tweet was deleted within hours after Midler’s timeline was flooded with disapproval over the transphobic language.

@BetteMidler @IAmCait Yes, because being transgender is just a phase? What a vile tweet. Will you go back to being irrelevant?

— Josh Haigh (@joshcharles_21) August 21, 2016

@lov3humanity The struggles of being Transgender isn't exactly funny. And to joke about it in this context is highly offensive.

— Toria (LesbiHonest) (@LuckyCharmed3) August 20, 2016

@BetteMidler I love you Bette but this is horrible.

— roxane gay (@rgay) August 21, 2016

By Sunday afternoon, Midler tweeted she was “sorry last tweet offended.” Mocking Jenner’s identity was merely an “idle musing,” she said.

Furthermore, Midler placed blame for the offense on so-called PC culture, adding that she “misread the temper of the times”:

DEAR FRIENDS @HRC, WHOM I HAVE ALWAYS SUPPORTED. SORRY LAST TWEET OFFENDED. AN IDLE MUSING. I SEEM TO HAVE MISREAD THE TEMPER OF THE TIMES.

— Bette Midler (@BetteMidler) August 21, 2016

Some, including author and I Am Cait regular Jenny Boylan, tried to turn the gaffe into a teachable moment.

Said Boylan: “So Bette, thanks for the edit. But it’s not about ’temper.’ Trans lives are hard. We’re not soreheads. We deserve love.”

So Bette, thanks for the edit. But it's not about "temper." Trans lives are hard. We're not soreheads. We deserve love. @BetteMidler

— Jenny B. (@JennyBoylan) August 22, 2016

Hopefully Bette read it and listened— because that’s exactly how this important conversation should start.