Kelly Osbourne apologises for trans slur

The Osbournes and Fashion Police star Kelly Osbourne has apologised for a slur against the transgender community.

Osbourne was interviewed by the UK’s Glamour magazine when she made reference to her ex-fiance Luke Worrall having an affair with model Elle Schneider, who was born a man and is preparing to undergo gender reassignment surgery.

“Having to tell [my parents] my fiance had cheated on me with a tranny who sold his/her story to the press [was the most uncomfortable moment]. It was so humiliating,” Osbourne said.

She immediately came under fire from transgender advocates for her use of the slur and got in touch with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) expressing her desire to apologise to the trans community and share some of the information she herself had researched about anti-transgender bias, slurs, and the Transgender Day of Remembrance.

“After reaching out to GLAAD for advice and clarification, I thought it was imperative to explain and amend my wrong,” Osbourne wrote in a column for Transadvocate.

“As a lifelong LGBT ally and friend, I feel it is my duty to not only apologize for my wrong but to also correct it. The word “tranny” is a derogatory and hurtful word. I was completely ignorant to this and soon came to realize most of my peers and LGBT friends are too.”

Osbourne also wrote about transgender violence and harassment in light of Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20.

“Kelly is taking the right step by using this as an opportunity to express her support of the transgender community and educate her fans about the hardships that they face for being who they are. We hope she inspires more allies of the LGBT community to speak out and have their own voices heard,” GLAAD’s Mike Thompson said.