Fran Lebowitz is catching heat after airing this controversial take

Beloved cultural critic and New York institution Fran Lebowitz is making the rounds on Twitter today, but not for the reasons you’d think.

A clip from a recent ABC News interview with the revered queer commentator has raised some ire in the broader trans community, leading folks to wonder whether or not Fran might need to update her views on gender before going live with opinions about the famous two genders.

Yesterday, one user posted a clip from TikTok that featured Lebowitz talking with Aussie journalist Laura Tingle about the phenomenon of aging men dying their gray hair.

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“Men have everything,” Lebowitz explained, going on to say that humans are “used to artifice” in women, but not in men.

The clip drew commentary from trans folks puzzled by Lebowitz’s statements, most notably trans scholar and “Whipping Girl” author Julia Serano.

Picking up on the not-so-subtle nods to gender essentialism within Lebowitz’s statement, Serano explains that by seeing femininity as inherently linked to artifice while viewing masculinity as something “natural” or organic is deeply flawed. As a writer who’s dug deep into the sexist roots of transmisogyny, she knows exactly what she’s talking about. It would be one thing if Lebowitz said she’s personally weirded out by men who dye their hair—to call the practice “repulsive” feels like a strange choice. If men or masc-of-center people want to dye their hair, wear makeup, or dress beautifully, how is that a societal problem? Isn’t that kind of what we’ve all been fighting for in this community?

For the record: dying your hair as a man does not mean you’re taking anything away from women. It’s… hair dye.

Another day, another heartbreak.