What is the line between vulgarity and freedom of expression? That’s essentially the debate of the hour as thousands of social media users are giving their opinion on a transgender activist going topless on the lawn of the White House.
Twitter has been in an uproar over a trans woman pulling down her top during a Pride Event hosted by the Biden administration and posting pics of it.
President Joe Biden and the First Lady, Jill Biden, decided to host the largest Pride Event at the White House and invited prominent social media influencers from the LGBTQ community. It was an event meant to show solidarity with the marginalized community, especially when well-known companies withdrew support during Pride Month. But what went so wrong with trans activist Rose Montoya that she’s getting thrashed online?
Rose Montoya, a 27-year-old trans model, activist, and famous TikToker, attended the White House Pride celebrations on the South Lawn. She took pictures with US President Joe Biden and then pulled down her top at the function.
Montoya posted videos and pics of the event to her Instagram account, which has 105k followers. However, people weren’t pleased. Social media has been in an uproar since. Many have termed her actions vulgar, while others have defended her freedom of expression.
Who Is Rose Montoya? Why Did She Go Topless at the White House?
Previously, prominent companies used to show support for the LGBTQ community during Pride Month by selling merchandise and other related stuff. Many even organized Pride events.
However, this year, something is different, and it began with the backlash Bud Light, a beer company, received when they partnered with prominent transgender TikTok influencer- Dylan Mulvaney.
This lit a fire online, and many rejected the company and its alcohol. Consequently, as a snowball effect, other businesses vocal about their support for the marginalized community have stopped changing the social media handles of their companies/ company products online to the LGBTQ flag.
As a result, Pride Month has yet to see the kind of support from businesses as was expected. However, one prominent institution did host a Pride Event on June 10, 2023.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden invited famous social media influencers to the White House. One of them was Rose Montoya, a 27-year-old trans woman who is an activist and model.
On her Instagram account, the Los Angeles native posted pics of herself with the United States President and showed how the event was organized. She posted a speech given by the President where he said:
“Happy Pride Month, Happy Pride Year! Happy Pride Life. Transgender children, you are heard, you are understood, you belong, and you are the bravest and most inspiring people I have ever known.”
However, what surprised viewers was her decision to go topless and cup her bare breasts on the South Lawn of the White House, where the function was happening. She posted this to her 105k followers on Instagram.
But little did she know her post would spread like wildfire and garner immense controversy. Several social media users slammed her actions as vulgar and indecent. Others similarly said that she had destroyed the sanctity of the White House.
Montoya grew up in a small Idaho town and was the daughter of a pastor. She began doing drag in her college days and, in 2015, officially came out as transgender. Then, she began undergoing gender-affirming hormone therapy and legally changed her name to Rosalynne. It’s not confirmed what her birth name was. In 2016, she came out as bisexual, and then in 2019, she declared herself non-binary.
In 2021, Montoya was named by Out Magazine as one of “18 LGBTQ+ Policy Makers and Advocates Changing the World.” She told the outlet, “Since September 2020, I’ve had three gender-affirming surgeries.” The activist also said:
“I truly think for me, one of the most radical acts of self-love that I was able to give myself was surgery,”
She has modeled for Yandy, Savage X Fenty, and TomboyX. The social media influencer has also delivered speeches at prestigious universities like Stanford University and Yale University. After her pics went viral, Rose Montoya hit back at her detractors with a follow-up post that said:
“Going topless in DC is legal, and I fully support the movement to free the nipples. Why is my chest now deemed inappropriate or illegal when I show it off? However, before coming out as trans, it was not.”
But her clarification seemed to add fuel instead of water to the fire. However, many came to her defense by stating that, at the very least, her critics recognized the transwoman as a woman.
The debate is still raging online. So what are your opinions on this controversy?
Was Rose Montoya justified in going topless? Or should she have followed the socially accepted decorum that’s expected of people visiting the White House?
Let us know in the comments below.
Source: Rose Montoya Instagram and Out Magazine
