Last week, Playboy made headlines when the magazine introduced their first ever transgender playmate — Ines Rau, a man presenting himself as a woman. The move drew immediate criticism on social media, with former porn star Jenna Jameson leading the way.
“I have a problem with it just like I have a problem with a transgender competing against biological women in sports,” Jameson tweeted Thursday. “I think it’s setting fire to an iconic brand and pandering to this ridiculous PC world we live in.”
Playboy has now responded to the backlash, announcing that they proudly stand by their decision to endorse delusion, comparing it to them breaking barriers in 1965 with the first black Playmate.
Playboy responded to the backlash with a series of tweets on Thursday.
Ines Rau may be the first transgender playmate, but the title of first transgender to appear in Playboy occurred in the 1980s with Caroline Cossey, who said Hugh Hefner helped change cultural perceptions of trans people at the time.
“The worldwide reach of the photos and feature had significant impact in changing erroneous preconceived ideas that a lot of people had about the trans community,” Cossey told HuffPost. “I featured on Playboy magazine covers worldwide and the impact was huge on our acceptance ― I thank Hugh for that.”