 | A huge party shop wants to sell a costume mocking trans celeb Caitlyn Jenner. Ask Spirit Halloween to drop this offensive costume:  | |
Dear friends,
No way. The biggest Halloween shop in the U.S. wants to sell a costume that makes fun of transgender celebrity Caitlyn Jenner.Halloween is supposed to be fun. But Spirit Halloween is encouraging thousands of party-goers to mock trans people with this costume. Not so fun anymore.
Caitlyn’s high profile transition gave millions of people a more sensitive understanding of what it means to be trans. But prejudice and violence against transgender people are still rampant. And by selling a Caitlyn costume, Spirit Halloween will be cashing in on this bigotry.
12,000 of us have already spoken out in protest. But despite the offense they are causing, Spirit Halloween is refusing to budge. They insist that they will still sell the costume a few weeks from now.
Caitlyn Jenner has been described as the most famous openly trans person. She was featured on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine in July 2015. By taking the spotlight to talk honestly and frankly about her transition, she gave hope to thousands of young trans people.
Celebrities like Caitlyn Jenner have increased public awareness of what it means to be transgender. But away from the limelight, the danger and discrimination faced by trans folks remains horrific. 18 transgender women have been murdered in the U.S. in this year alone.
Spirit Halloween says that they think Caitlyn is a hero. They’re claiming that’s why they want to sell the costume. But we know how a Cait costume could be used: it’s clear that too many people will make this into an offensive joke. If Spirit Halloween thinks Caitlyn is a hero, they should support trans people and not encourage customers to mock them.
All Out members have shut down offensive products before. In 2013, thousands of us signed a petition to MTV and got them to stop promoting a blog that encouraged rape. And in 2014, we got telecomms company Orange to stop buying adverts in a homophobic Ugandan newspaper.
Thanks for going All Out,
Andre, Rose, Tile, Oscar and the rest of the All Out team.
P.S. Imagine how badly this could go: a Halloween costume of trans celebrity Caitlyn Jenner. Too many people will make this into an offensive joke that mocks trans people. Will you tell Spirit Halloween – a huge chain of shops across the U.S. – that this costume shouldn't be on their shelves? Add your name now:go.allout.org/en/a/cait-spirit 
