Halloween costume pulled from Walmart after transgender people said they were offended

Walmart and Amazon made headlines for all the wrong reasons when they advertised an offensive Halloween costume.

The costume was designed for men and featured a dress with colorful flower print and a pink collar top, complete with padding for the buttocks and chest.

It was titled the "Tranny Granny" and the accompaning description advised buyers to "slap on some makeup and get ready for your granny walk, and you will have the room roaring with laughter."

Read more on our Twitter account @amomama_usa, and scroll down to read about the dangers involved.

MOCKERY

Rachel Lubitz from Mic explained that this costume is reminiscent of the "Call Me Caitlyn" outfit from 2017 that consisted of a white corset, a pair of shorts, and a sash.

The Halloween costume, which sold for $75, made a mockery of Caitlyn Jenner's transition and was labeled as insensitive and transphobic.

Apart from the way the "granny" costume depicts trans women, the title is also highly problematic. Ashlee Marie Preston, a transgender activist, summed it up succinctly:

"The word 'tranny' and the stigma associated with it is often used to humiliate, dehumanize and degrade transgender women in a way that challenges and discredits our womanhood."

DEHUMANIZATION

She added that when society refuses to view trans women as women, "we are instantly filed away under the 'it' category and stripped of our humanity."

The very fact that the "granny costume" found a niche in the marketplace, shows a considerable ill in society, she said.

According to Preston and many who are directly affected by this, it is "a poignant reflection of how society views transwomen," as nothing more than "men in women's clothing."

"The trans experience is often dismissed and rarely taken seriously."

THE DANGERS

Not only is it insensitive to the trans community, but it could also lead to unnecessary violence and even the death of non-binary people.

Violence often follows dehumanization, and a survey found that nearly half of the people questioned were "verbally harassed because of being transgender."

As Preston points out on Twitter, the "average life expectancy for a black trans woman in America is 35," and costumes such as the "Tranny Granny" are only perpetuating that violence.