A tweet of Alyssa Milano’s saying the activist and actress is transgender, a person of color, an immigrant and disabled faced backlash from both sides of the aisle.

Alyssa Milano apologized for tweeting that she’s “trans” and “a person of color.” (Photo: Michael Tran/FilmMagic)

The debate began when Milano tweeted that she was celebrating her “transgender sisters” on Friday, which was International Women’s Day. When someone asked if she’s transgender, Milano responded that she is “everything” and encouraged her fans to not be afraid of what they don’t know.

Alyssa are you transgender? — Kirk Brown (@mancode1972) March 8, 2019

I’m trans. I’m a person of color. I’m an immigrant. I’m a lesbian. I’m a gay man. I’m the disabled. I’m everything. And so are you, Kirk. Don’t be afraid of what you don’t know or understand. No one wants to hurt you. We are all just looking for our happily ever after. https://t.co/znkQizV37k — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) March 9, 2019

The criticism was swift, as people pointed out that Milano is a straight, cisgender, able-bodied white woman who hasn’t had the same experiences as people with different backgrounds. One person pointed out that her tweet reflected the “I don’t see color” approach, which they called “oppression and erasure.”

it’s actually not that woke or empowering to others for you to declare yourself a marginalised identity when you aren’t… come on dude — beth mccoll (@imteddybless) March 9, 2019

No. No. This is not how any of this works. Oppression and intersectionality isn’t an outfit that you decide to put on whenever you like. — zellie (@zellieimani) March 9, 2019

No. You are an advocate. Be ok with that. This isn’t the way to say you are with us. You can’t just fake an experience you don’t have. You don’t navigate any space like these groups. This is the “I don’t see color” approach which is oppression and erasure. — George M Johnson (@IamGMJohnson) March 9, 2019

Look you could have said "I support" rather than "I am." Because at the end of the day, you will never face the difficulties a trans woman, or a black woman, or a lesbian will. So saying "I am" comes off as condescending & gross — 🌻Elle 🐈 Gato🌻 (@ellle_em) March 9, 2019

I’m confident that there are better ways to show solidarity than to claim identities that do not belong to you . — Blair Imani @ SXSW (@BlairImani) March 9, 2019

No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. — Preston Mitchum (@PrestonMitchum) March 9, 2019

WTF That’s not how it works @Alyssa_Milano You don’t get to identify as it just because you empathize. Ur not gay, who’s been through that life. Ur not a person of color, been through it. You are a rich, white celeb who’s the worst type of feminist STOP👏🏾THIS👏🏾HYPOCRISY👏🏾 https://t.co/zzpngNO7pi — Joy Villa (@Joy_Villa) March 10, 2019

Milano apologized for offending people in another tweet on Saturday, but added that she’s glad her comment “invoked conversation.” She explained that her intention was to reflect words from the poet Rumi: “This is a subtle truth. Whatever you love, you are.”

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I’m glad this tweet invoked conversation. I’m so sorry it offended some. I see you and hear you. But just a reminder, empathy is not a bad thing. Nuance is important and literal interpretation is not always intended. And I can identify with and not identify as. Both are powerful. — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) March 9, 2019

Not everyone was happy that her apology included a “but” statement, arguing that it seemed to try to justify the tweet in question.

When you apologize and then add a “but. . . ,” you negate what came before. Every time.

Just apologize and say you learned a new perspective and understand it.

That’s all.

No “buts” about it. — Susan Brown (@SacTownGrandma) March 11, 2019

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