Aretha Franklin’s song “A Natural Woman” has been called “offensive” by LGBTQ critics, with one organization in particular saying the tune helps perpetuate harmful anti-trans stereotypes.
Released as a single in 1967 by the late Queen of Soul, the stirring love ballad now faces scrutiny — though it does preach positive messages about women and femininity in general.
Leading the charge for taking down the song is the Norway-based Trans Cultural Mindfulness Alliance (TCMA), a group that formed earlier this year and has since drawn attention to its presence with a series of polarizing social media posts .
Since then, statements by the organization – which seeks to open a chapter “in every European country and North America” - have sparked outrage, including its Jan. 20 call for Franklin’s song to be removed from streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
Aretha Franklin’s song “A Natural Woman” has been called “offensive” by LGBTQ critics, with one organization saying the tune helps perpetuate harmful anti-trans stereotypes
Leading the charge for taking down the song is the Norway-based Trans Cultural Mindfulness Alliance (TCMA), a group that formed earlier this year and has since drawn attention to its presence with a series of polarizing social media posts
The post, perceived by many as a parody, began by claiming the song was offensive to transgender people and that “there are no such thing as ‘natural’ women”.
“Aretha Franklin’s 1968 song “Natural Woman” perpetuates several harmful anti-trans stereotypes,” reads the post, which incorrectly lists the song’s September 1967 release as appearing in 1968.
“There is no such thing as a ‘natural’ woman,” the organization went on to say, before claiming the song has already “helped incite harmful acts against transgender women.”
TCMA said it was requesting that the song be “removed from Spotify & Apple Music.”
The post — the group’s first-ever on social media — garnered nationwide attention, garnering more than 300,000 views in a matter of days.
In terms of likes, however, reception has been rather lukewarm – the post clocked in at just over 100 on Monday.
Since then, statements by the organization – which seeks to open a chapter “in every European country and North America” - have sparked outrage, including its Jan. 20 call for Franklin’s song to be removed from streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music
Social media users were quick to question whether or not the account, which launched just days ago, was satirical in order to fan the flames fueling the ongoing war between progressives and the political right.
Other posts that would follow included statements considered by many to be just as controversial – and some even more so.
“There have not been any meaningful studies on the gender identity of pets,” said a post published later in the day, in which organizers told parents that children should be able to decide on the gender of their pets.
“It may seem meaningless, but many children learn gender from their pets,” the organizers wrote. “Just because you’re bringing home a ‘gender-specific’ pet, you’re allowing your child to choose the pet’s gender — don’t assign one ‘at will’.”
Other posts that would follow included statements considered by many to be just as controversial
In another article on feminine hygiene, organizers wrote: “You don’t have to bleed to get your period. You don’t have to be ovulating to get your period.
“A period is a state of mind, not an actual state of being,” the Post continued, before noting that biological males who have switched “can absolutely have periods and need free hygiene products.”
The organization’s other demands included a ban on gender on birth certificates in its home country of Norway and “an international police force to prosecute bigotry.”
After his initial post on Franklin’s classic tune, TCMA quickly came under fire from several Twitter users for his outrageous request
Despite claims by many that the group is legitimate, including by TCMA itself, many users remain skeptical, believing the brazen requests are a hoax.
However, the group confirmed its legitimacy in a post published Monday morning.
“To be clear, TCMA is not a parody organization,” it said, adding that the organizers are “a group of transgender people trying to make culture more equitable for transgender people.
“We are based in Norway but are trying to open a chapter in every European country and also in North America,” the group revealed.
However, TCMA quickly came under fire from several Twitter users after its initial post on Franklin’s classic tune.
Others, including Standing for Women founder Kellie-Jay Keen, have criticized the request to remove the song as misogynistic and an affront to women’s ownership of their own femininity
“You must be kidding me,” wrote one. “Nobody cancels Aretha Franklin.”
Others, including Standing for Women founder Kellie-Jay Keen, have criticized the request to remove the song as misogynistic and an affront to women’s ownership of their own femininity.
Keen appeared for an interview with Sky News Australia on Sunday amid backlash against the organization and insisted that “being a woman is not a crime”.
“As a mother who is also being attacked, we are now labeled as giving birth or pregnant,” Keen said, appearing for the interview in front of a sign reading the above sentence.
“I don’t think many women really know how much we’re hated — I hate to say it … I don’t have a victim mentality, but it’s really hard to ignore the misogyny of this particular movement.
“It means a man who says he’s afraid to go to a man’s bathroom – his words are more believable than a woman who says she doesn’t want that man in her apartment.”
The group was founded “exclusively by trans people” in January 2023, according to their social media profiles, and seeks to “make cultural changes to ensure trans inclusivity.”
The group’s request to pull Franklin’s song has yet to gain traction with more notable activist groups, but has garnered support from multiple viewers on social media. The identity of the founders of the group is not yet known.