 |
| Photo Credit: AP. |
American singer and song writer Beyoncé has agreed to remove an offensive word from her recently released song.
The new song contained an offensive term for disabled people on her record “Renaissance,” and her decision to make changes followed similar changes made by rapper Lizzo to his lyrics for the same word weeks ago, The Associated Press reports.
“The word,
not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced,” a spokeswoman for
Beyoncé wrote in a statement to The Associated Press on Monday.
What word is offensive against disabled people in Beyoncé's "Heated" song?
The Associated
Press reported that the song “Heated,” co-written with Canadian rapper Drake
among others, uses the word “spaz,” which is considered a derogatory reference
to the medical term spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy.
In June Lizzo removed the word from one of her songs, “Grrrls,” following complaints by disability advocates. In a statement the rapper said she never wanted to promote derogatory language.
Disability
advocate Hannah Diviney said on twitter that she was disappointed to her the same
word ‘spaz’ in Lizzo’s lyrics appear in Beyoncé’s lyrics, pointing out that it “feels
like a slap in the face to me, the disabled community & the progress we
tried to make with Lizzo.”
“Guess I'll
just keep telling the whole industry to 'do better' until ableist slurs disappear
from music,” she wrote.
However
following Beyonce’s decision to remove the offensive word from her lyrics,
Diviney thanked the music producer for recognizing “the disabled community's
call to remove ableist language from her music is an incredible feeling. Where
she leads, the music industry follows”.
Beyonce Knowles-Carter
who is also an actress performed in various singing and dancing competitions as
a child. She rose to fame in the late 1990s when she became the lead singer of
Destiny’s Child. The group was one of the best-selling girl groups of all time.