January 30, 2015 :: 6:57 PM
If a man has all the right in the world to put on a high wig, sequined dress and a full face of makeup, why isn’t it socially acceptable for a white person to don blackface? It’s a question Mary Cheney, the lesbian daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, wants answered.
According to a private Facebook post obtained by CNN, Cheney had the following to say, sparked after seeing an ad for the upcoming season of RuPaul’s Drag Race:
“Why is it socially acceptable — as a form of entertainment — for men to put on dresses, make up and high heels and act out every offensive stereotype of women (bitchy, catty, dumb, slutty, etc.) — but it is not socially acceptable — as a form of entertainment — for a white person to put on blackface and act out offensive stereotypes of African Americans?”
“Shouldn’t both be OK or neither?” Cheney—who is openly gay and married—wonders.
According to GANTDaily, Cheney also emphasized that she was not drawing comparisons between blackface and trans individuals, only those men (largely gay men) who “entertain in drag.”
Asked via Facebook message whether she’d like to clarify her comments, Cheney reportedly responded, “Seriously?”