Heated, which was co-written by Drake and other writers, originally included what was described as a “satisfying disparagement” of having spastic cerebral palsy, a condition that affects sufferers’ muscle coordination, twice towards the end of the song . The song features on Beyonce’s highly-anticipated seventh solo album, which looks set to top the charts this week following its release in late July. After a backlash, the word is now set to be replaced, with the star’s publicist telling Sky News it was not “deliberately used in a harmful way”. Warren Kirwan, media director at disability equality charity Scope, had described the megastar’s use of the “deeply offensive term” as “disgusting”, while disability campaigner Hannah Diviney said the singer’s status as one of most famous musicians in the world do not “sorry for the use of language ability”. Beyonce’s criticism came just weeks after Lizzo said she would release a new version of her song GRRRLS following complaints about her use of the same term. Lizzo acknowledged that the word was “harmful” and said: “I never want to promote derogatory language. “As a fat black woman in America, I’ve had a lot of hurtful words used against me, so I get over (sic) the power that words can have (either intentionally or in my case, unintentionally).” The star told fans she is “committed to being part of the change I’ve been waiting to see in the world.” In a statement, Mr Kirwan said: “Just weeks ago, Lizzo received a huge backlash from fans who felt hurt and disappointed after she used the same hateful language… “Words matter because they reinforce the negative attitudes that disabled people face every day and that affect every aspect of disabled people’s lives.” In a first-person article for Australian website Hireup, republished in the Guardian, Ms Diviney, who is from Sydney and has cerebral palsy, wrote: “Beyoncé’s commitment to telling stories musically and visually is unparalleled, as is her her power to pay attention to the world. to the narratives, struggles, and nuanced lived experience of the black woman—a world I can only understand as an ally and have no desire to eclipse. “But that does not excuse the use of competent language – language that is too often used and ignored.”
