A Victoria’s Secret senior executive has been forced to issue an apology following backlash to his anti-trans comments, reports Vanity Fair.
Ed Razek, the 70-year-old chief marketing officer for L Brands, made the comments in an interview: “Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show?” he asked himself, “No. No, I don’t think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy.
“It’s a 42-minute entertainment special. That’s what it is.
“It is the only one of its kind in the world, and any other fashion brand in the world would take it in a minute, including the competitors that are carping at us. And they carp at us because we’re the leader.”
When asked about having plus-size Victoria Secret models he referenced a show they did nearly two decades ago: “We attempted to do a television special for plus-sizes [in 2000]. No one had any interest in it, still don’t.”
Razek has since posted an apology on twitter: “My remark regarding the inclusion of transgender models in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion show came across as insensitive. I apologise.
“To be clear, we absolutely would cast a transgender model for the show. We’ve had transgender models come to castings… And like many others, they didn’t make it… But it was never about gender.
“I admire and respect their journey to embrace who they really are.”
LGBT+ activists are calling for Razek to put his money where his mouth is and cast a trans model.
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