British entertainer KSI took to social media to offer an apology for some of his words. The 27-year-old “Don’t Play” performer responded to a Twitter user who accused him of showing disdain for transgender people.
“How am I transphobic?” the YouTuber/rapper born Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji asked a person on the platform that called him transphobic. Apparently, KSI used the term “tranny” in a public setting.
After a user claimed he misgendered a trans person in a MoreSidemen video, KSI responded, “Didn’t even mean [to misgender] lol. Just said that the person had a better beard than me, that’s all. And I honestly didn’t even know that tranny was a bad word. What’s the correct term to use?”
The Dissimulation album creator was informed that “transgender” is the preferred terminology. Eventually, KSI retracted any perceived transphobic comments that he may have said in the past. The part-time boxer wrote, “My bad for saying transgender slurs. Honestly didn’t even know they were slurs. I know now though.”
How am I transphobic?
— ksi (@KSI) March 9, 2021
Hold up, people actually think I’m transphobic?
— ksi (@KSI) March 9, 2021
Mean to misgender*
— ksi (@KSI) March 9, 2021
My bad for saying transgender slurs. Honestly didn’t even know they were slurs. I know now though
— ksi (@KSI) March 9, 2021