“Disabled people deserve better.”
One of the album’s songs, “Heated,” includes the lyric “Spazzin’ on that ass, spaz on that ass” — and “spaz” is a word that is largely seen by the disabled community as an ableist slur.
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Beyoncé has faced some criticism as a result — including an op-ed in the Guardian from disability advocate Hannah Diviney, who says “my heart sank” when she heard the word used on the album.
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“I’m so tired,” Hannah wrote in her essay. “Disabled people deserve better. I don’t want to have this conversation again.”
Now, in a statement to Insider, Beyoncé’s representatives have confirmed that the album lyric will be changed.
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“The word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced,” the statement said.
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“Let me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language,” she wrote in a statement at the time. “As an influential artist I’m dedicated to being part of the change I’ve been waiting to see in the world.”
Twitter: @lizzo
Lizzo’s decision came after facing significant criticism from disability advocates — including Hannah, who said that hearing the word in “Grrrls” made her “pretty angry [and] sad.”
Hey @lizzo my disability Cerebral Palsy is literally classified as Spastic Diplegia (where spasticity refers to unending painful tightness in my legs) your new song makes me pretty angry + sad. ‘Spaz’ doesn’t mean freaked out or crazy. It’s an ableist slur. It’s 2022. Do better.
@hannah_diviney / Via Twitter: @hannah_diviney
You can read Hannah’s op-ed for the Guardian here.
