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India Willoughby defends her controversial Black and White Minstrel comments and says drag queens can be damaging to the transgender community
CELEBRITY Big Brother’s India Willoughby has defended her controversial comments comparing drag queens to The Black and White Minstrel show.
The transgender journalist, 51, infuriated viewers last week after she became upset at Andrew Brady dressing in drag and told him it was like the racist BBC show.
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However India is sticking to her opinion and told The Sun Online she thinks drag acts can be as damaging to trans women as Black and White Minstrels were to people of colour.
Just hours after leaving the house she said: “I don’t think the comment should be controversial and I think in one hundred years’ time people will agree.
“The people who feel that way are people in my situation who have what I have.
“I know that drag queens are not going on stage every night to make life tough for trans women, but I am really worried that they will leave an impression that stereotypes us.”
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The Black And White Minstrel Show was a prime time BBC series that ran from 1958 until 1978. Its white cast performed songs in blackface and at its peak it pulled in audiences of 21million.
India Andrew entering the room in drag to the infamous TV show, saying: "Like in the old days when black and white minstrels would put on a show and everyone would cheer."
Venting on Twitter viewers wrote: "WOAH! India just compared drag to the Black & White Minstrels. No. #CBB
"Wow I can't believe India just compared her phobia of drag queens to black people seeing black and white minstrels... #CBB
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"Black & white minstrels...oh no she didn’t #cbb
"#CBB. Did India actually just liken drag to black and white minstrels???? FFS someone shut this silly woman up. Self obsessed, boring and destroying her career. Also fairly ill informed.
"You can’t compare drag queens to black and white minstrels- that’s outright racism!! How could she even say that. #cbb.
"Did India just say drag queens and the black & white minstrels were similar? Not quite... #CBB."
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The moments leading up to the heated argument in the living room saw Andrew ask a sulking India: "You OK, sweetie? I just wanted to apologise. I didn't want to offend you."
Once he'd left the room, India sniped: "Hope I didn't p**s you off... joke."
Minutes later, she stormed into the living area and exclaimed: "I want to explain why that upset me."
With a glass of wine in hand, she declared: "I was crying. I am a woman."
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She went on to say, she didn't like that a man in a dress entered the room and invited people to laugh at it.
Andrew did his best to explain he was trying to break down gender stereotypes, being a camp lad himself from a macho background in Yorkshire.
India dismissed his comments, causing Andrew to storm into the garden and label her "a d***head".
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