Actor Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight Schrute on the iconic NBC comedy “The Office,” came under fire Wednesday after appearing to joke about politically correct language on social media.
Wilson had tweeted, “TIL you can no longer say ‘nursing or breastfeeding mother’ you have to say ‘chestfeeding person.’ Just FYI.” The offending message has since been deleted. Still, he was flooded with hateful messages, prompting an apology.
“Yesterday I tweeted a mean crack about breastfeeding vs chestfeeding. After speaking with some Trans friends and educating myself a bit more I want to apologize for the tweet. It was adding to misinformation and meanness. I’m sorry,” the actor posted on Twitter.
Yesterday I tweeted a mean crack about breastfeeding vs chestfeeding. After speaking with some Trans friends and educating myself a bit more I want to apologize for the tweet. It was adding to misinformation and meanness. I’m sorry.
— RainnWilson (@rainnwilson) June 16, 2022
The apology wasn’t enough for some fans.
“Now do something to materially benefit trans people,” one person demanded.
“[T]hese replies rlly ain’t it, this guy has 4.4m followers and contributed to misinformation and transphobia. words are one thing, but it’s really important to follow them up with action. if he can’t donate, i’m sure he can use his platform towards aiding and supporting trans ppl,” another person agreed.
Trans activist Parker Molloy replied to the original tweet saying, “Jesus Christ. Dwight freaking Schrute over here sputtering nonsense straight off Breitbart. (Nobody is telling anyone they have to say “chestfeeding.” That’s just not a thing. JFC).”
Molloy went on to mock the idea of “chestfeeding” being a mainstream word, claiming that no organizations were trying to make the general public use the term in place of “breastfeeding.” Meanwhile, the international organization The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine encourages this and other “gender-inclusive” terms.
“ABM recognizes that not all people who give birth and lactate identify as female, and that some of these individuals identify as neither female nor male. To be inclusive of all people in our written materials, use of desexed or gender-inclusive language (e.g., using “lactating person” instead of “mother”) is appropriate in many settings,” a report reads.
“Our readership should be aware that the intention of our written materials, such as protocols and position statements, is to be inclusive of all breastfeeding/chestfeeding and human milkfeeding individuals.”
The document “Infant Feeding and Lactation-Related Language and Gender,” was written by eight doctors and endorsed by the group.