After getting into a shocking shouting match with a transgender woman earlier this week, actress and activist Rose McGowan has cancelled all scheduled public appearances. The incident took place inside a New York City Barnes & Noble store where McGowan was participating in a speaking engagement as part of her Brave memoir promotional tour. As Fox News reports, the altercation began when the starlet was confronted by Andi Dier, a transgender woman in the audience who had a beef with some of McGowan’s past comments about trans women.
The interaction between Rose McGowan and Dier was captured on video and has since gone viral; it features an irate Dier accusing the Jawbreaker actress of saying that trans women “are not like regular women.” Dier was apparently referring to controversial comments made by McGowen during an podcast last year.
“Trans women are dying and you said that we, as trans women, are not like regular women. We get raped more often. We go through domestic violence more often. There was a trans woman killed here a few blocks (away).”
In the interview between Rose McGowan and RuPaul, the actress claimed that trans women “hadn’t developed as women,” something that many have taken to mean that they simply didn’t grow up living as females in a male-dominated world. McGowan went on to add that many of the complaints that trans women express are issues that biological females struggle with from childhood.
“That’s not growing as a woman, that’s not living in this world as a woman, and a lot of the stuff I hear trans complaining about, yeah, welcome to the world.”
During her Barnes & Noble verbal spat, Andi Dier verbally attacked McGowan inside the crowded bookstore, questioning the star’s positive contributions to the trans community. McGowan responded by asking Dier what she had ever done for “women.” In an escalating exchange, Rose McGowan repeatedly told Dier to “sit down” before the trans woman was escorted from the event.
"I am canceling upcoming public appearances because I have given enough," McGowan announced on Twitter https://t.co/h01NCgaqhO
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 3, 2018
Even after Dier was removed, Rose McGowan stunned fans by continuing her increasingly profane outburst before moving forward with her speaking engagement.
“Don’t label me, sister. Don’t put your labels on me. Don’t you f*****g do that!”
On Thursday, McGowan turned to Twitter to announce that, after the debacle at her New York City event, she was canceling all public appearances for the foreseeable future. According to the actress’ tweet, she has been “terrorized,” and Andi Dier is an “actor paid to verbally assault” her. She also lamented the lack of assistance she received during the two-minute-long interaction.
I am canceling upcoming public appearances because I have given enough. I have given beauty, in return I was VERBALLY ASSAULTED for two full minutes @BNBuzz by an actor paid to verbally assault a woman who has been terrorized by your system. And no ONE in that room did anything
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) February 2, 2018
Following her announcement, Rose McGowan’s fans and critics alike turned to social media to comment on her decision to withdraw from the public eye.
Rose McGowan has been through some terrible things and no one is denying that. We will continue to support her struggle. What we WONT do is overlook her transphobic behaviors and white feminism. A true feminist is intersectional and will NEVER exclude trans women in their fight.
— baby cupid (@stressedlatino) February 3, 2018
CALL TO MEN: The Rose McGowan incident has been a watershed moment, at least for me. I am sickened to the core that a woman speaking about her experience with sexual abuse was verbally assaulted by a trans male and is now being portrayed as the culprit and aggressor.
— Gabriel P. Blessing (@GabeBlessing) February 3, 2018
get this Straight a MAN yells at @rosemcgowan cause She believes, RIGHTFULLY SO, a Man doesnt know what is to be a Real woman in Real world
— Anthony Mazzeo (@AnthnyMazzeo) February 3, 2018
i'm empathetic 2 transgenders not sympathetic. It was their choice. Women, regardless of sexual identity are born into their challenges. Overcome or succumb. If I chose pigmentation & surgery I could still never relate to a lifetime as a black male. We r each unique #NoLabels
— Jelloshotz (@Jelloschotz) February 4, 2018
In the aftermath of McGowan’s highly publicized encounter with Dier, many have called the transgender woman and activist a “hero” for standing up for trans rights while also standing up to Rose McGowan. Many in the trans community had taken issue with the same McGowan comments that Dier spoke out against earlier this week. McGowan herself, however, has taken a different stance against Andi Dier altogether.
As News.com reports, Rose McGowan retweeted an allegation that Dier is not a trans hero, but rather a potential sexual predator who has allegedly been repeatedly accused of sexually assaulting several women when they were still in their teens. Dier has not publicly responded to McGowan’s allegations.
The Cult of Complicity- those I call out are after me. This is the monster who was paid to violate me publicly. An aggressive two minutes long assault on a long abused woman who is simply trying to change the world and make it better #RoseArmy pic.twitter.com/eAK8hZVdvz
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) February 3, 2018
In recent months, 44-year-old Rose McGowan has found herself dealing with the harsh glare of the media spotlight after coming out as one of the most outspoken critics of Harvey Weinstein, the larger-than-life Hollywood producer that has now been accused of sexual assault and misconduct by dozens of celebrity women.
McGowan claims that she was raped by Weinstein in the late 1990s, an accusation that the producer has vehemently denied. Following her altercation with Dier, Rose McGowan claimed to believe that the trans woman who shook up her Barnes & Noble appearance was a “plant from Harvey Weinstein’s camp.” She also claimed that to be living in fear of “assassination” since coming forward with allegations against the Hollywood mogul.
“I know my life and I know my reality, and I know that people like me get killed.”
It is unknown when or if McGowan plans to resume her public appearance schedule.