Hitting theaters in February 2016, Zoolander 2 has been long awaited by fans of the goofy original — but its new trailer isn’t sitting well with a lot of people.
The film features an androgynous character played by Benedict Cumberbatch. In the trailer, he’s asked by Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and Hansel (Owen Wilson” if he’s “a male or female model” and is asked whether he has “a hot dog or a bun.”
Cumberbatch’s character then lets out a giggle and says “Whoops.”
A petition is asking for the film to be boycotted — and not for appearing markedly unfunny. For being transphobic.
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The petition states:
“Cumberbatch’s character is clearly portrayed as an over-the-top, cartoonish mockery of androgyne/trans/non-binary individuals. This is the modern equivalent of using blackface to represent a minority.
“If the producers and screenwriters of Zoolander wanted to provide social commentary on the presence of trans/androgyne individuals in the fashion industry, they could have approached models like Andreja Pejic to be in the film. By hiring a cis actor to play a non-binary individual in a clearly negative way, they film endorses harmful and dangerous perceptions of the queer community at large.”
Watch the trailer below:
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