LGBTQ community

Macy Gray stopped by Tamron Hall on Thursday (Nov. 17) to address the backlash she faced over her recent comments on gender.

In July, the Grammy winner appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored and gave her opinions about transgender athletes, which many perceived as transphobic. However, after the interview, she walked her controversial statements back on Twitter, claiming she had been “GROSSLY misunderstood.”

When she spoke with Hall, she addressed the backlash and what she’s learned from it since.

“Honestly, what I meant by being misunderstood is, what I was talking about was womanhood,” the singer said on the show. “So it’s just like when a boy becomes a man, so I was talking about maturing into a woman. Like, I have two daughters, and I don’t consider them women because, you know, they’re like two 20-year-old dummies, you know? They’re not on my level yet.

“But of course it got turned into me being a ‘transphobe,’ which couldn’t be further from,” Gray went on. “What I did learn was pure acceptance. I thought I was accepting before, but it was good for me because I’ve grown into just really, like, truly seeing someone and accepting them for who they are and who they want to be and their opinions. And that’s what makes the world what it is, is that everybody is different.”

Gray, who received two standing ovations from Hall’s studio audience, also promoted her upcoming 11th album The Reset with her band The California Jets Club.

Watch Gray clarify her comments about the trans community below.