Rose McGowan’s promotion of her new book, Brave, got off to a fiery start on Wednesday night in new York City, when a trans woman at a book signing told McGowan she had done nothing for trans women.
The video, apparently shot by an audience member on a cell phone, begins with an audience member near the back rising to yell at McGowan. The heckler identifies themselves as a trans woman, and references something McGowan said “on RuPaul.”
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“Trans women are dying, and you said that we, as trans women, are not like regular women,” the challenger said. She was referencing McGowan’s comments on RuPaul’s What’s The Tee? podcast back in July.
McGowan’s lip curled as she shook her head while the woman in the back rattled off stats about violence against trans women.
“We’re the same,” McGowan repeated several times, interrupting the activist. The woman in the back continued to shout that McGowan had “done nothing” for trans women as security escorted her away.
“Shut up, you’re so boring,” McGowan, said, crossing one leg over the other has the trans woman was led from the store chanting “this is white cis feminism!” at the top of her lungs. “Don’t label me, sister. Don’t put your labels on me, don’t you f—ing do that. Do not put your label on me, I don’t come from your planet, leave me alone.”
“I do not subscribe to your rules, I do not subscribe to your language,” McGowan said, jumping to her feet as the woman’s voice trailed off. “You do not put labels on me or anybody, step the f— back!”
“What I do is for the f—ing world, and you should be f—ing grateful! So shut the f— up. Get off my back, what have you done?”
The crowd called out encouragement, telling McGowan that they were grateful and they loved her. “Don’t worry about it,” one audience member called out.
“I’m not worried, I’m f—ing mad for the lies! I’m mad at the stereotypes! I’m mad that you put s— on me!” McGowan face reddened as her voice rose to a holler.
The video jumped ahead in time, to a breathless McGowan sitting with one foot up on her chair. She offered a more coherent defense against the accusations of the trans audience member, who was long gone.
“Trans women are women,” McGowan said. “What I’m trying — and been trying to say is that it’s actually identical. The stats are not that dissimilar. You break it down, it a much f—ing smaller population.
“There’s not a network, however, devoted to your f—ing death. There’s not advertisers advertising tampons as a camera goes lovingly up a girl’s body as she’s being f—ing raped and strangled.
“My name is Rose McGowan, and I’m obviously f—ing brave. God—it,” she said.
McGowan later continued her outrage on Twitter, accusing the woman who “verbally assaulted” her of being paid to do so by “The Cult of Complicity.” She also went after several entertainment news outlets who she felt covered the story unfairly. She demanded an apology from the store manager, the security team, and even the audience, who she says “did nothing and let the paid verbal assault of an assaulted woman happen.”
After the episode, McGowan is cancelling all of her public appearances in support of Brave.
I am canceling upcoming public appearances because I have given enough. I have given beauty, in return I was VERBALLY ASSAULTED for two full minutes @BNBuzz by an actor paid to verbally assault a woman who has been terrorized by your system. And no ONE in that room did anything
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) February 2, 2018
