Jeffree Star Defended His Comments About They/Them Pronouns

Some regard Star, who has shared edgy opinions and called out other influencers since becoming a MySpace influencer and musician in the early 2000s, as a troll — but there’s no denying that his opinion has sway. In 2020, he took some time away from drama after the fallout of the beauty guru verbal smackdown known as Dramageddon 2 and following allegations of sexual violence and hush-money payments, which he denied. But just weeks ago, he reemerged to accuse TikToker Mikayla Nogueira of sharing a misleading mascara ad. He was praised for his return. 

When he took to his Instagram story to defend his they/them comments, Star said people find his strong opinions “scary”. But the way he’s managed to spark a weeks-long conversation about pronouns suggests that he’s combining the call-out culture of the 2010s internet with the culture wars of the 2020s to create the kind of outrage that people are drawn to on social media. 

What might seem like silly influencer drama is actually getting millions of views and holding our timelines hostage for days, and it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. States like Virginia, Florida, and Arizona are considering anti-trans legislation that would limit the rights of trans and nonbinary people, communities that already face a higher risk of violence than cisgender people. Just one day before Star’s comments went viral, a 16-year-old trans TikToker was killed in the UK.

Star has added his voice to a growing chorus of pundits casting doubt on the gender identities of trans and nonbinary people, who already face an inordinate amount of vitriol for existing. He’s just doing it in a full face.