What did Adele say? Transphobia controversy explained as BRIT awards speech sparks raging Twitter debate

Adele recently found herself in the middle of a controversy after her BRIT Awards speech sparked a debate about transphobia on social media.

Earlier this week, the musician received her award for Artist of the Year and acknowledged the first-ever gender-neutral category at the BRITs while saying she was proud of being a woman:

“I understand why the name of this award has changed but I really love being a woman and being a female artist. I do! I’m really proud of us, I really, really am.”

Although the musician received loud applause from the live audience in London’s O2 Arena, some critics were disappointed as they claimed her statement on the show was allegedly transphobic.

However, several fans also defended the singer, saying she only celebrated her womanhood and did not aim to condemn the trans community.

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Adele’s BRIT Awards speech leaves netizens divided

In November 2021, the BRIT awards announced that it had decided to introduce gender-neutral awards in its 45-year history after receiving complaints about excluding non-binary artists from being nominated in certain categories:

"The BRITs have committed to making the show more inclusive… celebrating artists solely for their music and work, rather than how they choose to identify or as others may see them, as part of the BRITs' commitment to evolving the show to be as inclusive and as relevant as possible."

As part of its new gender-neutral categorization, BRIT authorities merged its traditional Best Male and Best Female Artist categories into Artist of the Year.

However, the award came under scrutiny after Adele won Artist of the Year and sparked a debate over transphobia for saying she was proud to be a woman during her winning speech.

Twitter user Jacob aka @OhHeyJacob claimed that the singer’s remark contained alleged TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) undertones:

"Please, no, ADELE can't be a TERF. That last comment, though ambiguous, could be perceived as TERF-y. Please no."

Another user, @_TonyBird, echoed the sentiment and slammed the Hello hitmaker further:

“Adele is a TERF until proven innocent. I don’t trust white British women.”

The tweets divided the internet as several people defended the Easy On Me singer and pointed out she was celebrating her womanhood. Health writer and media consultant Jane Symons wrote:

“A decade ago, if someone had said a woman would criticised for the thought-crime of saying she liked being a woman, I would have laughed at such a ludicrous suggestion. Now it is happening, I don't know whether to cry or scream.”

Twitter user Birdy Rose aka @TheFamousArtistBR also added:

“The best thing about the situation is that it shows that all any woman has to do to be called a “terf” is acknowledge her own s*x. It exposes how low the bar is & how high the cost is for a woman who speaks the truth without first considering if deranged men are OK with it.”

Other users also took to Twitter to share their opinions on the issue:

Meanwhile, some users claimed that certain transphobic individuals were twisting Adele’s words to fit their narrative:

As reactions continue to pour in online, it remains to be seen if Adele will address the controversy in the days to come. The latest drama comes days after the singer canceled her much-awaited Las Vegas residency tour.