After being called out for employing the disparaging term towards disabled people, Lizzo’s decision to modify an ‘ableist’ lyric in her current song, GRRRLS, has been commended by a charity.
Fans called on the Good As Hell hitmaker to apologize earlier this week after she mistakenly used an ableist slur in her new song, and the diva took to social media barely a day later to say she was ‘proud’ to announce that the phrase had been amended.
Scope, a disability equality organization that fights to alter negative attitudes about disability, offers direct services, and educates the public, praised the actress for showing the way in taking accountability for her actions and implementing fast, positive change.
‘It’s great that Lizzo has taken the right action to change the lyrics in her song after disabled people called it out,’ said Alison Kerry, head of communications, to Metro.co.uk.
‘Putting an end to the careless use of harmful language like this helps move us one step further towards an equal society.’
She added that ‘too often offensive language used to refer to disabled people is seen as ‘harmless’,’ Kerry noted ‘many of the UK’s 14 million disabled people encounter negative attitudes every day’.
They said, ‘Everyone has a role to play by speaking out when they hear offensive language being used to refer to disabled people.’
Lizzo claimed in a statement released on Monday evening that she never wants to promote negative language and that by creating the edit to her song, she wanted to set an example of how to be the good change she wants to see in the world.
The lyrics of the song previously included a phrase that is generally known in the UK as being derogatory to disabled people: ‘Hold my bag/ Do you see this s**t?/ I’mma sp*z.’
‘Hold my bag/ Do you see this s**t?’ says the new version’s lyrics.
Lizzo, while revealing the edit, wrote ‘It’s been brought to my attention that there is a harmful word in my new song ‘GRRRLS,” she shared in a Twitter post. ‘Let me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language.’
She added, ‘As a fat Black woman in America, I’ve had many hurtful words used against me so I over stand the power words can have (whether intentionally or in my case, unintentionally,).
‘I’m proud to say there’s a new version of GRRRLS with a lyric change. This is the result of me listening and taking action. As an influential artist I’m dedicated to being part of the change I’ve been waiting to see in the world.’