Maybe they were offended, but didn't feel they had the support / platform to speak up. Maybe they were offended, but felt silenced or shamed or were concerned about exactly the response they're getting now. Maybe they were offended, but felt it wasn't worth having their motives questioned or alienating their fans.
Maybe they weren't offended, but they thought about it more, or spoke to other people who are trans and changed their minds. Maybe they weren't offended, but when they began transitioning they realized how hurtful it could be.
Maybe they were offended, and they did speak up, and they were silenced, or no one listened.
With the growing popularity of transgender stars like Candis Cayne, Laverne Cox, and (yes) Carmen, and the rise in LGBT acceptance in general, it is easier to speak up about these things. You're more likely to have people standing behind you, and people who are willing to listen and make changes, just like Ru & co did, than you would have even a few years ago.
Plus, contrary to what you're intimating, this isn't just about Carmen and Monica speaking up and "being shady". This was a much larger issue that they were going to have to weigh in on as the most recent transgender contestants from the show. There were plenty of people in the community who spoke out about this, including GLAAD (https://www.glaad.org/blog/dialogue-makes-difference-update-rupauls-drag-race), and this isn't the first time (http://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2014/03/18/rupaul-stokes-anger-use-transphobic-slur) there's been controversy around Ru and RPDR for derogatory / offensive language.
There will always be "reasons" to justify doing oppressive shit, and "well, they weren't offended at the right time / in the right way" will probably always be one of those "reasons". There will always be people who look to the oppressed and say "well, they say tr*nny / n*gga / c*nt, so why can't I?" Even if I'm being overly cautious, even if my language is being "policed", I'd still rather err on the side of not hurting people who are already shit on by the majority of society.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2014-04-15 11:59 pm (UTC)Maybe they weren't offended, but they thought about it more, or spoke to other people who are trans and changed their minds. Maybe they weren't offended, but when they began transitioning they realized how hurtful it could be.
Maybe they were offended, and they did speak up, and they were silenced, or no one listened.
With the growing popularity of transgender stars like Candis Cayne, Laverne Cox, and (yes) Carmen, and the rise in LGBT acceptance in general, it is easier to speak up about these things. You're more likely to have people standing behind you, and people who are willing to listen and make changes, just like Ru & co did, than you would have even a few years ago.
Plus, contrary to what you're intimating, this isn't just about Carmen and Monica speaking up and "being shady". This was a much larger issue that they were going to have to weigh in on as the most recent transgender contestants from the show. There were plenty of people in the community who spoke out about this, including GLAAD (https://www.glaad.org/blog/dialogue-makes-difference-update-rupauls-drag-race), and this isn't the first time (http://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2014/03/18/rupaul-stokes-anger-use-transphobic-slur) there's been controversy around Ru and RPDR for derogatory / offensive language.
There will always be "reasons" to justify doing oppressive shit, and "well, they weren't offended at the right time / in the right way" will probably always be one of those "reasons". There will always be people who look to the oppressed and say "well, they say tr*nny / n*gga / c*nt, so why can't I?" Even if I'm being overly cautious, even if my language is being "policed", I'd still rather err on the side of not hurting people who are already shit on by the majority of society.