Amid rumors of Bruce Jenner transitioning into a woman, actor Russell Brand has come to the defense of the former Olympian and called those spreading the rumor bullies.
According to The Daily Mail, Brand admonished the press which has been keeping tabs on Jenner's increasingly more feminine appearance of late. The "Arthur" star took to his YouTube show, Trews, to call them out.
"This is bullying. Stop. Stop Bruce Jenner is a human being," Brand said in his show. He added, "If you want to learn more about transgender issues, look at GLAAD.org."
The English comedian noted that the furor over the "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" star is similar to "transphobia."
"Transphobia seems to be the most recent and encouraged form of prejudice, now that racism and homophobia are not tolerated," Brand said. The "Rock of Ages" star went on to describe the sensationalist news nasty.
"It's such a celebration of the worst aspects of human values," told Brand. "What this does is it sanctions people being judgemental and cruel toward transgender folks," he added.
The 65-year old ex-decathlete has been the subject of nasty sex change rumors for the past month as media outlets snapped photos of him sporting long, luscious locks, nail polish, earrings and spandex as he went around town.
In a recent issue of InTouch, a photo of Jenner graced the cover of the magazine. However, it was digitally altered with the addition of lipstick and blush using Photoshop to make him look like a woman, reported People.
His ex-wife, Kris Jenner and sons Brody and Brandon are reported to have been outraged and disgusted with the magazine cover, said Design & Trend. However, Bruce remained mum over the issue and has not made any comment since the cover came out.
A friend of the reality TV star told People, "Bruce has really no interest in responding to everything that comes out in the media about him." Adding that, "He's much more private than people think."
Meanwhile, a report by Yahoo said members of the transgender community have expressed disappointment and indignation over the cover, which seems to ridicule being a transgender, making it "shameful."
GLAAD's communication director Nick Adams said, "When media stories imply that being transgender is a joke or something inherently strange and shameful - a dirty secret to be uncovered - it makes life very difficult for transgender people who are simply trying to live as their authentic selves."
