Fact Check: Was Aretha Franklin’s ‘A Natural Woman’ song deemed transphobic? Twitter parody debunked

Aretha Franklin’s song (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman came under fire from a trans organization that claimed that the song "perpetuates harmful anti-trans stereotypes."

However, the alleged Norway-based organization, Trans-Cultural Mindfulness Alliance (TCMA), now asserts that it is a parody account and was "not actually serious."

On January 20, 2023, TCMA, in a series of tweets, claimed that Aretha Franklin's song was transphobic as it helped "inspire acts of harm against transgender women."

Trouble brewed when TCMA's tweets went viral and media outlets started reporting that "trans activists" deemed A Natural Woman "offensive." This has led to a significant backlash against the trans community.

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TCMA reasons the Aretha Franklin tweet was intended as satire

TCMA, which has calls itself a parody account, took to Twitter to call out Aretha Franklin's song and condemn the lyrics. They demanded that the song be removed from Apple Music and Spotify and stated that there is no such thing as a "natural" woman.

A few days later, on January 23, 2023, the organization declared that its tweets were made in satire. They added that they were stunned to find that various media outlets reported on Aretha Franklin's song without even attempting to contact them or fact-check the story.

The organization called out journalists for not being able to "comprehend" that their tweets were a "parody" despite the "sheer ridiculousness of the content."

TCMA reached out to media outlets via direct message to explain that it was a parody account and that it never thought anyone would take its content seriously. The organization also said that its intent was to call out the woke culture and "media stupidity" through the Aretha Franklin tweet.

After its reveal as a parody account, TCMA added the words "PARODY/SATIRE" to its profile. The Twitter bio for the Trans-Cultural Mindfulness Alliance states that it was founded in January 2023 and is based in Oslo, Noway. It is worth noting that the spelling of Norway was deliberately left wrong, leading several people to speculate whether the account was a parody.

Twitter Profile for TCMA (Image via Twitter/ @TransMindful)

TCMA has previously claimed, on at least two separate occasions, that it was not a troll account. In a now-deleted tweet, they clarified that they aren't a parody organization but are a group of trans individuals looking to make culture "more fair for transgender individuals." The tweet added:

"We are based in Norway but are seeking to open a chapter in each European country and also North America."

On Janury 21, a Twitter user named David Strom asked whether TCMA were a parody account. To this, TCMA said, "Most certainly not," which only added to the confusion.

A tweet by TCMA (Image via Twitter/@TransMindful

Many accounts called out TCMA for their hand in spreading false information and making satire and causing "unnecessary drama."

Prior to TCMA announcing it was a parody account, many believed the tweet was real and called them out on their "baseless facts." People, including Piers Morgan, addressed "woke" organizations like LGBTQ and trans rights organizations and called them out for spreading "nonsense."

A tweet by Piers Morgan (Image via Twitter/@piersmorgan)

TCMA has not commented further on the controversial incident.