ABC’s “General Hospital” made an announcement in support of the trans community amid the transphobic controversy surrounding former star Ingo Rademacher.
via: Deadline
A short statement tweeted this morning from the soap’s official Twitter account states, “General Hospital stands in solidarity with the trans community.” The tweet then links to the GLAAD organization for resources and additional information on trans issues.
Last weekend, Rademacher, a longtime member of the soap’s cast, posted a retweeted image on his Instagram page that referred to Rachel Levine, the U.S. assistant secretary for health and first transgender four-star officer, as a “dude.” The Instagram post was condemned by GH castmates Nancy Lee Grahn and transgender actor Cassandra James, and Rademacher on Monday apologized for not crossing out the word “dude” while maintaining he still did not “think it was ok” to “call a transgender an empowered woman.”
Rademacher’s exit from the show was confirmed later that day, though his departure was in the works prior to last weekend’s Instagram post. The actor, sources say, was fired for failing to comply with the production’s Covid vaccine mandate.
Another longtime cast member departure is widely rumored (though not confirmed) to be imminent for similar reasons.
Today’s tweet from GH was greeted by followers with a range of opinions, though most are along the lines of, in the words of one commenter, “Took you long enough. Appreciate it though.” And many of the responses call for the soap to give James’ character, Dr. Terry Randolph, more screen time. Said one commenter about GH‘s “stands in solidarity” statement, “Prove it by writing a story for Terry.”
General Hospital stands in solidarity with the trans community. For resources and additional information, please visit: https://t.co/u7y71o6rMg pic.twitter.com/6tx4Svyarq
— General Hospital (@GeneralHospital) November 10, 2021
Meanwhile, Rademacher also commented on the show’s solidarity post on Wednesday by writing, “Hey GH family. I also stand with the trans community and said so for many years. I also apologized for being insensitive to the trans community with my comment.”
“I am a man of integrity and will stand by my mistakes,” he continued. “Nor do I delete posts and pretend they didn’t happen. ?peace and love to all. I pray for a world where no one should ever be afraid to come out.”
Maurice Benard, who plays Sonny Corinthos on “GH,” replied, writing, “thank you, Ingo, sometimes we can turn a wrong situation into a positive awareness.”
