Mel C makes it crystal clear that Spice Girls’ message of Girl Power is ‘absolutely’ inclusive of trans people
Mel C showed her support for trans rights at Brighton Pride in 2019.
Spice Girl Mel C has spoken out against trans exclusionary feminism, saying she’s “very proud” to be a trans ally and that Girl Power means equality for all.
In an interview with NME ahead of her eighth album, which is released tomorrow (2 October), Mel C said that touring with drag troupe Sink The Pink had been a “phenomenal” experience” – and that it taught her a lot about LGBT+ allyship.
“I knew it would be fun, but I never expected it to affect me as much as it did,” she said.
“Being an ally to the LGBT+ community is important and rewarding. Being accepted into their world, I learned so much about their struggle, and I just admire that courage to be who you truly are – which was always the message of the Spice Girls.”
Sporty Spice has spoken out against transphobia before – last November, she became the latest high-profile figure to condemn the prevalence of anti-trans sentiment in British culture.
And now the popstar has made it clear that the Spice Girls famous motto of Girl Power is “absolutely” inclusive of trans people.
Mel C said: “We’ve always talked about Girl Power being about equality – and it’s equality for all.
“Like Black Lives Matter, it’s about education. We’re afraid of the things we don’t understand and that’s where prejudice comes from, so I’m very proud to be an ally to the trans community.
“The great thing I learned working with non-binary people is to see people as people and not as a gender, which is really hard because we’re conditioned. When you first look at someone, you think, ‘There’s a tall white guy or short Black girl,’ or whatever. Take away the gender, and we all want the same things, don’t we?”
Her new album, self-titled Melanie C, sees the 90s star collaborate on songwriting with queer artists like Shura. Mel C said that she’s more reflective now she’s in her 40s – and she wants to use that to help other female artists.
“In their 30s, female artists are made to feel: ‘Do I go off to pasture now?'” Mel C said. “My new mission is to show that Girl Power gets older.”
