Neil Patrick Harris under fire for making “tranny” comment this morning while hosting “Live With Kelly”

While watching Neil Patrick Harris co-host Live With Kelly this morning, I was surprised to hear him use the word “tranny” while he and Kelly Ripa relived their experience of inhaling Sulfur Hexafluoride the previous day, making their voices deeper.

“I’ve never sounded more like a tranny in my life,” Neil said.
Of course he should have known better. But while the show was still airing on the West Coast, Neil was quick to take to Twitter to apologize: Truly sorry for saying the word ‘tranny’ on Live this week. Twice! Should have been more thoughtful. Didn’t at all mean to offend.
Ironically, when I spoke with Neil and his partner David Burtka at the LA Gay & Lesbian Center gala last month, he said something that foreshadows today’s reaction to his unfortunate choice of words: “… This [LGBT] community, unique to most, is filled with scrutiny when it comes to what you say and how you say it. So you find yourself having to be very hyper-aware of how you say things lest you ostracize yourself even further.”
GLAAD has this to say about the incident: “It’s heartening to see a celebrity of Harris’ stature recognize and apologize for using the slur in such a timely manner, and for greater media attention being paid to its use.  Many people do not realize that the word “tr*nny” is one of the most hurtful and dehumanizing slurs that transgender people hear.  Most transgender people associate that word with personal experiences of violence, hatred and derision.”