Adichie clarifies remarks

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the Nigerian novelist and outspoken feminist, drew criticism from transgender activists after suggesting that the experiences of transgender women are different from women whose gender was assigned female at birth.

Adichie, known for her novels “Half of a Yellow Sun” and “Americanah,” was asked in an interview with Britain’s Channel 4 whether a hypothetical transgender woman was “any less of a real woman.”

“So when people talk about, you know, ‘Are trans women women?,’ my feeling is trans women are trans women,” Adichie responded. “And I think if you’ve lived in the world as a man with the privileges the world accords to men, and then sort of changed, switched gender, it’s difficult for me to accept that then we can equate your experience with the experience of a woman who has lived from the beginning in the world as a woman .... ”

Transgender rights activists were quick to criticize Adichie’s comments, including actress Laverne Cox and Raquel Willis, communications associate at the Transgender Law Center.

On Sunday, Adichie attempted to clarify her remarks in a Facebook post but reiterated that she thought the experiences of transgender and cisgender (that is, not transgender) women were different.

“Diversity does not have to mean division,” she wrote. “Because we can oppose violence against trans women while also acknowledging differences. Because we should be able to acknowledge differences while also being supportive.”