Transgender social media star B. Scott has been embroiled in a high-profile battle with BET since last summer, when he alleged that the cable network censored his appearance in an attempt to downplay his sexuality when he was performing hosting duties on the BET Awards red carpet.
He has sued BET for $2.5 million in damages. “It’s not just about the fact that BET forced me to pull my hair back, asked me to take off my makeup, made me change my clothes and prevented me from wearing a heel,” Scott wrote on his website the day after the show. “It’s more so that from the mentality and environment created by BET made me feel less than and that something was wrong with who I am as a person.”
This week the gossip site TMZ revealed allegedly leaked emails from executives at BET which seemed to corroborate Scott’s claims.
“I don’t want ‘looking like a woman B Scott,’” reads an email from BET Music Programming president Stephen Hill written before the broadcast, according to TMZ. “I want tempered B Scott.”
“I can speak to him about being less ‘womanly,’” BET vice president Rhonda Cowan responded in the alleged emails.
Scott has responded to the new information on his website.
“The leaked email exchange between BET/Viacom personnel is both shocking, and hurtful. While I’m disheartened by the blatant and intentional attempt to stifle my gender identity/expression way before the day of the event, I’m also thankful that the truth is starting to surface,” he said.
He added: “It’s a shame that a company such as BET/Viacom would rather focus energy towards slandering my reputation in an attempt to further humiliate me instead of learning from their mistakes. The time & energy spent creating a ‘spin’ could have more effectively been used to help create a more welcoming environment for LGBTQ employees.”