"Absolutely idiotic, insane and outrageous": Aretha Franklin Natural Woman controversy leaves internet baffled

Late American singer Aretha Franklin's song (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman was recently slammed by an activist group for having offensive lyrics, a move that left the internet baffled.

On January 21, a Norway-based LGBTQ activist group, The Trans Cultural Mindfulness Alliance, took to its Twitter handle to slam Franklin's 1968 song stating that it has "helped inspire acts of harm against transgender women."

Further, the group asked Apple Music and Spotify to remove it from their streaming services.

In the thread, the activist group has since claimed their original post is a "satire and not actually serious."

---

Aretha Franklin's Natural Woman controversy leaves Twitterati upset

After the Trans Cultural Mindfulness Alliance deemed Aretha Franklin's 1968's hit offensive for trans women, Twitter was left baffled. Several users slammed the activist group for trying to cancel the late singer because of her song, and stated that the cancel culture has gone too far.

Others simply could not believe or assess if it was alright to cancel a song that was released more than 50 years ago. Check out a few of these tweets below:

---

After backlash, TCMA now claims that it is a "parody/satire" account

After the Trans Cultural Mindfulness Alliance's tweet about slamming Franklin's song started gaining traction, the Norway-based activist group updated its Twitter bio to "Parody/Satire" now.

The organization's bio on social media states that it aims to promote “cultural changes to ensure the inclusivity of trans individuals.” However, in a follow-up tweet, the group slammed news organizations for ignoring the fact that it is a parody account.

"I am STUNNED that not a single media outlet who reported on the Aretha Franklin tweet even ATTEMPTED to contact this account for comment. Based on the sheer ridiculousness of the content on this page, how could JOURNALISTS not comprehend that this is parody/satire."

In the same thread, the account further wrote:

"With zero research, high-level corporate media outlets went ahead and published that statement like it was true and like TCMA is some legitimate organization."

It further took a dig at the quality of journalism these days, adding "no wonder Joe Biden is in the White House."

---

Aretha Franklin's song A Natural Woman is considered to be a powerful song with a motivating message by masses all around. In 2015, the late singer performed it at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., for a ceremony that paid tribute to its writers Gerry Goffin and Carole King.

Born on March 25, 1942, Franklin was a native of Memphis, Tennessee. Dubbed the "Queen of Soul," the late singer was twice listed on the ninth position in Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. She is one of the best-selling music artists globally.

She died in August 2018 after battling advanced pancreatic cancer at the age of 76.