"Just cancelled my 41 year subscription": Sports Illustrated trans model controversy explained as netizens put magazine on blast

American sports magazine, Sports Illustrated announced four stars on Monday, May 15, who would be featured on its highly anticipated SI Swimsuit covers this year. The issues would include 2023 Grammy winner Kim Petras, actress Megan Fox, "lifestyle guru" Martha Stewart, and model-actress Brooks Nader.

Kim Petras is a German singer and songwriter who won a Grammy this year in the 'Best Pop Duo/Group Performance' category, for her track Unholy with Sam Smith. Her first single, I Don't Want It at All was released in 2017, and since then, the musician has worked on several hit tracks. Talking about her cover featurette, the openly transgender singer stated:

"I was so excited when I got the call to be in Sports Illustrated... It’s very iconic, and a lot of very iconic people have done it before...so (it was a) big dream come true for me."

In the interview, the 30-year-old asserted that she wants her art to define her more than her gender identity. Petras would be the second transgender woman to grace the cover of the magazine; previously, model Leyna Bloom made history as the first transgender woman to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2021. SI editor-in-chief MJ Day remarked:

"The Grammy-winning pop star, a beacon of inspiration for the LGBTQ+ community, has blazed her own path to superstardom, but it has been anything but a straight line"

However, netizens were left fuming over the news; many shared their anger over choosing a transgender woman over a biological woman:

A comment reacting to the news (Image via Twitter/ @Geedub0411)

---

"The disrespect towards real women is disgusting": Internet users express disappointment over choice of Kim Petras on Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's cover, call for boycott

As news of Kim Petras making the cover of Sports Illustrated spread, cybernauts took to Twitter to share their displeasure. They called it a "nightmare" and an opportunity taken away from "real women."

Several people compared the company to BudLight, another brand that recently faced the ire of right-wingers for teaming up with trans activist and influencer Dylan Mulvaney, criticizing it for its "woke BS."

A comment reacting to the news (Image via Twitter/ @ciaobella711)

A comment reacting to the news (Image via Twitter/ @ReBobzilla1001)

A comment reacting to the news (Image via Twitter/ @KukwaRussell)

A comment reacting to the news (Image via Twitter/ @tewebb6035)

A comment reacting to the news (Image via Twitter/ @SteveCarlsen5)

A comment reacting to the news (Image via Twitter/ @JulJul89981911)

A comment reacting to the news (Image via Twitter/ @knup9876)

A comment reacting to the news (Image via Twitter/ @PatchLouie)

A comment reacting to the news (Image via Twitter/ @americasles)

A comment reacting to the news (Image via Twitter/ @jthomas5150)

A comment reacting to the news (Image via Twitter/ @Jrb2619)

---

On Monday, May 15, in addition to the Sports Illustrated cover feature, Kim Petras also announced her debut album Feed the Beast, set for a June 23, 2023 release.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit with Petras on its cover would hit the newsstands soon on May 18.