Yesterday it was speculated that Derick Dillard had actually come out in support of the LGBTQ community when he "liked" a tweet from a UN spokesman that stated that no one should be fired for being gay or being a Christian. However, it seems Jill Duggar's husband was focusing on the "Christian" part and probably not paying much attention to the part about gay people. The next day, he made his position on transgendered folks known with a tweet stating that "Transgender is a myth." Not only did he say that, but he had to drag Jazz Jennings, a young transgender woman with her own show on TLC, into the mix by misgendering her and saying he didn't like that she was on TLC with him.
Derick's actual tweet about Jazz
Although "I Am Jazz," the show which chronicles the life of teenaged Jazz Jennings, has been on for several years, Derick felt that now was somehow the appropriate time to talk about how he disapproved of TLC airing the show.
"What an oxymoron... a 'reality' show which follows a non-reality. 'Transgender' is a myth. Gender is not fluid; it's ordained by God," he wrote on his Twitter. He later stated that he had no problem with "him" deliberately misgendering Jazz, which has many people on Twitter reeling. By doing this, he is clearly stating that he does not accept Jazz as a female, despite the fact that she has lived as one most of her life. Many transgendered folks consider this insanely disrespectful, and many felt that Derick was acting out of hate or malice.
Twitter's response
Twitter was not happy with Derick after he "bullied" Jazz. Fans of "I Am Jazz" knows that the young woman has already put up with a lot in her life in order to live as her best self. During one season, the young star was getting phone calls and death threats from someone who found her family's home address and phone number.
The person repeatedly called her a freak and said that her parents were horrible people for allowing her to live as a female.
Most people were outraged at Derick's tweet, especially considering all Jazz has gone through in her short life. They asked him why he would even agree to be on the network that promoted or aired the television show if he was so against the "lifestyle" that he purported as a "myth." Many accused him of being greedy and not living up to his principles if he agreed to be on the show but took the time to go to Twitter to slam someone else who appears on the network.
Jazz has not responded to Derick.
