Kim Petras made history last night as the first transgender woman to win the best duo/group collaboration alongside Sam Smith for their single Unholy. The 30-year-old singer gave an impassioned speech thanking pioneers who ‘kicked the doors open’ to make way for artists like her- including Wendy Carlos, the first trans woman to win a Grammy back in 1970 for synth album Switched-On Bach.
‘All these years are going through my head of people saying I'd be a niche artist because I'm transgender, and my music would only ever play in gay clubs - and what's wrong with that, because I love gay clubs - but now I got a Grammy for making gay club music with my friend,’ Petras said after her win. 'It's the best feeling in the world.’
It should be a beautiful, empowering moment then – and it certainly is – but the win is somewhat clouded by the immediate reaction afterwards, be it transphobic trolling online or the harmful Google searches revealed by Google Trends. According to the data platform, ‘Kim Petras as a boy’ was a breakout search term immediately after her win, alongside phrases like ‘Kim Petras man’ and ‘Kim Petras before’. Even ‘Kim Petras as a child’ is trending, a not-so-subtle attempt for the transphobic public to seek out pictures of Petras pre-transition.
What’s telling about these searches is what they say about people’s attitude towards trans people, especially in moments that should be purely joyful. We know it’s harmful to share images of trans people pre-transition, that they’re often used to delegitimise and demonise trans people and usually shared with the intention to upset or traumatise someone, so to seek out such pictures indicates an intention to cause harm to the trans community. Couple that with the blatant transphobia on Twitter following Petras’ win and it’s clear that despite her breaking records, society is far from celebratory of trans joy.
So, if you come across any images, or are curious to seek them out yourself, remember the harm that can be done by engaging with them or sharing them. Kim Petras deserves this win to be all about her incredible talent, let’s not let it be clouded in transphobia.