A petition to boycott Zoolander 2 is gaining momentum online. The petition calls for the boycott of the movie for its “cartoonish” and offensive portrayal of a transgender character played by Benedict Cumberbatch.
Cumberbatch plays All, a trans-model who’s very existence seems to confuse protagonists Derek and Hansel. The character undermines the recent success of trans-models like Andreja Pejić and Hari Nef. Signatures of the petition have commented about the lack of representation of trans people in the media and how offensive it is to now include such an amateur cartoonish caricature.
Worse still, in the film, Owen Wilson’s character proceeds to ignorantly ask if All has a “hotdog or a bun,” a question that has caused great offence.
Reaction to the petition on twitter is mixed. Some say arguing about the films controversial nature is merely giving the film promotion while others argue that those who are offended by the film are missing the point.
“Zoolander transphobic” you all never boycott movies that portray Muslims as terrorists but wanna boycott this one because it’s mockery okay
— hana mohammed (@iridescent_hana) November 23, 2015
I believe strongly in equal rights for all, however, I also strongly believe in not being an absolute idiot! https://t.co/h2CX8x1fgh — Sean FitzGerald (@SeanVsInternet) November 23, 2015
Little surprised by my cis friends’ reactions to the Zoolander boycott. We don’t get to tell a marginalised group what offends them.
— Brydie Lee-Kennedy (@BrydieLK) November 23, 2015
The petition can be found HERE.
