Former The Wanted band member Jay McGuiness is reaffirming his support of trans people in the sweetest way.
The singer shared a self-deprecating anecdote to Twitter earlier this week, writing that he had just smiled at a person who he thought was trans, wanting “to make the day a little better” for them.
“Then I cringed at myself for doing what I think was a very British ‘person-awkwardly-trying-to-be-supportive’ smile,” he admitted.
But McGuiness didn’t stop there, instead adding that his mental journey then had him compare his potentially awkward attempt at showing kindness to “some of the incredibly wealthy brits who are actively spending time in their life making fun of these people, or scaremongering people about them, or trying to make their existence harder.”
“And I felt better about my stupid smile,” he concluded. “Fuck those guys. Go trans go.”
\u201cThen I considered some of the incredibly wealthy brits who are actively spending time in their life making fun of these people, or scaremongering people about them, or trying to make their existence harder. And I felt better about my stupid smile. \nFuck those guys.\nGo trans go.\u201d— Jay McGuiness (@Jay McGuiness) 1674690230
While some people immediately joked with him about how much overthinking he did to get to that point, others were quick to point out that even a little bit of awkward kindness can be a wonderful thing.
\u201c@JayMcGuiness Awkward or not it\u2019s still kind and that\u2019s the main thing\u201d— Jay McGuiness (@Jay McGuiness) 1674690230
\u201c@JayMcGuiness this tweet itself just made a trans person (me) cry so my vote is always keep it up. it\u2019s ALWAYS comforting, even if it\u2019s awkward. way better than a slur being thrown.\n\nthank you for supporting us Jay:)\u201d— Jay McGuiness (@Jay McGuiness) 1674690230
\u201c@JayMcGuiness Honestly. Team smile at people in passing regardless ftw. So many people are suffering in silence and maybe that will be the one thing to talk them off a ledge that day and make them feel better about the world. A little reminder that there are good people out there is great \ud83d\ude0a\u201d— Jay McGuiness (@Jay McGuiness) 1674690230
While McGuiness didn’t explicitly call out J.K. Rowling, mentioning “incredibly wealthy brits” trying to make life harder for trans people certainly brings her to mind — and it’s a comfort anytime someone with a sizable platform makes it clear they’re taking the opposite stance and moving the needle towards inclusion while she and other transphobes keep trying to hold it back.
How old is Jay McGuiness?
McGuiness was born July 24, 1990.
Who was Jay McGuiness's partner on Strictly Come Dancing?
McGuiness was partnered with Aliona Vilani on Strictly Come Dancing in 2015, and won the competition.
What is Jay McGuiness doing now?
McGuiness's focus in recent years has been performing in musical theater, most recently landing the lead role in a touring production of White Christmas.
