Azealia Banks’ Pro-Trans Rant Quickly Derails Into Anti-Lesbian Mockery
In her attempt to mock transphobic fears, Azealia Banks ended up reinforcing one of the oldest and most damaging stereotypes about queer people.
Azealia Banks is no stranger to controversy. The rapper, known for her razor-sharp tongue and unpredictable social media rants, has once again put herself at the center of LGBTQ+ discourse—this time defending trans women against anti-trans rhetoric. While she started off in the right place, forcefully calling out the dangers of transphobia, it wasn’t long before her message spiraled into a bizarre and unnecessary attack on lesbians.
On X, Banks took aim at J.K. Rowling, the anti-trans Harry Potter author whose stance has made her a hero among trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs). And in a follow-up series of tweets, Banks pointed out the very real dangers of anti-trans rhetoric, emphasizing how transphobia fuels violence against both trans women and cisgender women. She dismantled the tired “bathroom predator” narrative, highlighting the hypocrisy of obsessing over trans women’s presence in women’s spaces while ignoring actual threats to safety.
Related: J.K. Rowling Faces Backlash For Supporting An Anti-Trans Researcher
At one point, Banks even made an intentionally absurd argument to illustrate how ridiculous the bathroom debate has become, writing that if trans women are a threat in women restrooms, “then can I be the first to say I would not like to be in a locker room with any creepy old white rosie o donell [sic] looking type dykes cause the old white dykes really be trying it…
“Lmao that sounds so wrong and ridiculous because it is! Imagine saying old dykes should be in the men’s locker room because I have a right to feel safe in womens spaces.”
But, as Banks often does, she just couldn’t leave it there.
Rather than stopping at her original critique, she veered straight into an anti-lesbian stereotype:
Instead of sticking to a clear, supportive message about trans rights, Banks resorted to painting older lesbians as predatory. It’s an all-too-familiar trope—the idea that older queer people are lurking with bad intentions.
It’s ironic (and frustrating) that Banks, in trying to expose the dangers of transphobic rhetoric, ended up reinforcing another harmful stereotype within the LGBTQ+ community. The same logic that frames trans women as threats in bathrooms has long been weaponized against lesbians, particularly those who don’t conform to traditional femininity. The idea that queer women—especially masculine-presenting ones—are “cruising” in locker rooms is the exact kind of rhetoric that has historically led to exclusion, discrimination, and violence.
Her attack on “creepy old white dykes” isn’t just some offhand joke—it plays directly into conservative fear-mongering about LGBTQ+ people in general. It’s the same brand of homophobic rhetoric that historically got gay teachers fired under the guise of “protecting children.” It’s the same rhetoric that kept queer people in the shadows for decades.
The reality is, trans people and gay people are on the same side. The push for gender and sexual liberation has always been a shared fight, and any attempt to throw one group under the bus ultimately weakens us all.
