Hunter Schafer is known for her role as Jules in the HBO original series Euphoria. However, as of this week, the actress’s name has become subject to controversy after allegedly liking and commenting on a seemingly anti-nonbinary Instagram post.
Last week, an Instagram user by the name of “@piggytaiwan” shared a text post about the role of the nonbinary community in trans healthcare, and how nonbinary people may harm the ability of trans people to receive medical treatment. The post also attempts to link the recent loss of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) coverage in Florida to the nonbinary people trying to define themselves as trans or gender-expansive, as this identity (typically) doesn’t involve medical intervention or diagnosis.
The post was mostly met with backlash, and the user’s take was labeled as being “truscum” or aligning with “transmedicalism.” This is an ideology that believes that for a person to be “truly trans,” a full medical transition is necessary. Not only is this way of thinking harmful to nonbinary folks, but it also puts trans people who don’t wish to fully transition in danger of being criticized for their gender identity.
In the sea of comments calling out the user, the comment section was quick to find none other than Hunter Schafer, who commented “!!!” under the post—seemingly agreeing with the controversial take.
Schafer hasn’t been silent in her activism for the trans community. As a trans actress herself, Schafer has taken part in many campaigns and has stood up for the trans community through social posts. Most recently, she called out the German nightclub SilQ for being “not safe for trans people” after her trans assistant was denied entry.
However, Schafer’s past activism has been clouded by this recent controversy, and fans have been quick to call out Schafer’s alleged support of the post:
Some of us can only hope that Schafer’s comment was simply lost in translation. Maybe the exclamation points were a signal of alarm, kind of like an “Oh crap! Don’t say this! This is bad!” reaction. However, Schafer liking the post may be confirmation that they agree with the take. Hopefully, it was a simple slip of the thumb. Probably not.
As of August 23, Schafer has yet to reply to the backlash. Will a notes app apology or Instagram live find its way onto our radar soon? Only time will tell.