Yesterday, popular blogger B. Scott made headlines when he revealed that he is suing BET and Viacom for $2.5 million for gender identity discrimination because they forced him to wear men’s clothes at the 2013 BET Awards.
Since rising to fame as a YouTube star years ago, B. Scott has always identified himself as an openly gay androgynous man. But in his personal statement about his lawsuit, B. Scott described himself as biologically male, but claimed that he welcomes and embraces the textbook definition of being transgender: “the state of one’s gender identity (self-identification as woman, man, neither or both) not matching one’s assigned sex (identification by others as male, female or intersex based on physical/genetic sex).”
The revelation about his gender identity came as a shock to fans, many of whom have expressed confusion and disapproval over B. Scott’s gender clarification while others have shown support for B. Scott’s challenge to BET.
We’re a bit shocked by B. Scott’s revelation as well, but the fact is that gender identity, like sexual identity, is something that is self-defined, regardless of what others think and feel. And in coming out as transgender, B. Scott certainly is joining a community of other stellar stars who are proudly waving the transgender flag. Check out a list of other transgender stars making moves in entertainment below. –nicholas robinson
