Rapper Azealia Banks sparks fury in Thailand over transphobic rant about Blackpink's Lisa
A social media firestorm has erupted in Thailand after American rapper Azealia Banks directed transphobic slurs at K-pop sensation Lalisa Manobal – better known as Lisa of Blackpink – triggering a fierce backlash from her Thai fans that spiralled into a racially charged online battle.
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The controversy began on Tuesday, the day after Lisa's appearance at the Met Gala in New York, where she walked the blue carpet in a Louis Vuitton lingerie-inspired bodysuit. Banks responded to a photo of the Thai-born singer with a post on X, formerly Twitter, calling Lisa a 'ladyboy' – a slur often directed at transgender women in Southeast Asia – and declaring: 'Lisa is a man. I'm not walking that comment back.'
A tweet on X by US rapper Azealia Banks on Lalisa Manobal, better known as Lisa of Blackpink. Photo: X/@azealiaslacewig
She followed up with a series of similarly transphobic posts, including references to a separate
controversy over Lisa's outfit, which some speculated featured the face of US civil rights icon Rosa Parks.
Although the outfit's designer later clarified that the portraits depicted people from his personal life, not historical figures, Banks claimed the image had been strategically placed to provoke liberal outrage – describing it in a lengthy post as part of a media 'psyop'. Her remarks, widely condemned as transphobic and racially inflammatory, added fuel to the backlash.
Banks, a hitmaker with a string of major rap awards to her name, is known as much for her musical output as for her history of provocative and often offensive social media posts – including those targeting the transgender community.
US rapper Azealia Banks performs during her concert in Paris on April 12. Photo: AFP
But this time, her remarks struck a nerve with Thailand's online K-pop fandom, known for swiftly rallying to the defence of their idols.
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