Former Model Bergdorf Resigns Over Online Abuse

Munroe Bergdorf has announced she will resign from the Labour party amid a frenzy regarding her past social media posts addressing racism.

Munroe Bergdorf, a transgender former L’Oreal model turned Labour politician, was once hailed the progressive figure British politics deserved. However, this morning she announced that she will be stepping down from her position on the LGBT+ advisory board led by Labour’s Dawn Butler amid criticism over her online activism.

Bergdorf stated that “endless attacks” and “relentless online abuse” by the right wing media motivated her decision to resign.

In an online letter she wrote, "I wanted my appointment to be something positive and exciting for the community, but instead it has turned into nasty tabloid fodder, blown out of all proportion."

She added, “I refuse to be painted as a villain or used as a pawn in the press' efforts, especially those at The Daily Mail, to discredit the Labour Party and push their transphobic rightist agendas.”

Bergdorf, named the face of modern diversity, initially rose to fame after becoming the first transgender model to appear in L’Oreal campaigns. She then made headlines last year for her response to the white supremacist protest in Charlottesville in the US. A stream of comments from her account detailed her feelings about structural racism in modern society.

The model wrote, “Honestly I don’t have energy to talk about the racial violence of white people any more. Yes ALL white people.”

Another statement read, “Because most of ya’ll don’t even realise or refuse to acknowledge that your existence, privilege and success as a race is built on the backs, blood and death of people of colour.”

The posts sent social media into an outrage with multiple outlets accusing her of blanketing all white people under a racist heading. However, the model quickly addressed the controversy in an interview in the Guardian explaining that she was discussing racism as a social structure, and clarified that “this isn’t about individuals.”

Her attempts to push the conversation about structural racism forward were met with fervent backlash and negative press from conservative outlets. Some even went as far as to selectively publish fragments of old tweets from the model’s account to further cast her in a negative light.

Bergdorf continues to defend her comments, reiterating that her statements were taken out of context and when considered in a wider conversation, her remarks about White privilege and structural racism remain valid.

Bergdorf took a stand against racism. She vocalized her opposition and discontent with the status quo and was punished for it. Her resignation brings into question society’s readiness to have an honest conversation about race and who will bear the consequences of initiating it.

Cameron de Matteis