US model Carissa Pinkston admits lying about being transgender to deflect from transphobic comments

A US model has admitted she lied about being transgender, claiming she "panicked" after making transphobic comments online.

The incredible saga began when Carissa Pinkston, who was photographed for Rihanna's Savage X Fenty line, reportedly posted transphobic comments to Facebook earlier this year, under the pseudonym Rissa Danielle.

Subsequently screenshotted and posted to Twitter, the comments include: "Being transgender does not make you a woman, it simply makes you transgender", and "[in a] biological context there are Males and Females". 

Pinkston's agency Elite Model Management dropped her after she was identified as being behind the comments, before the model posted an explanation for her behaviour in a now-deleted "coming out" Instagram post. 

"I wasn't ready to come out about it yet but today I got fired and I've been receiving hate mail and death threats ever since, so I'm being forced to tell the truth," she wrote.

"I'm transgender. I transitioned at a very young age and I've lived my life as a female ever since. It's been very hard to keep this secret but what I said about trans-women is a direct reflection of my inner insecurities and I have since come to realise that I am a woman... WE ALL ARE!"

US model Carissa Pinkston admits lying about being transgender to deflect from transphobic comments
Photo credit: Instagram.

However, in a fresh twist, shortly after Pinkston shared the post, several other models came foward and accused Pinkston of lying about being transgender to avoid backlash. 

Transgender model Aaron Philip tweeted: "Imagine being a model who got exposed for being a raging transphobe/saying extremely transphobic shit in the past and then resorting to lying about being transgender online for clout in attempt to save your career?

"I know this person [in real life] and she is so cisgender." 

Following further backlash, Pinkston apologised on Instagram over the weekend in another now-deleted post, saying she was sorry for the offence caused, conceding she's "human" and "makes mistakes".

"I panicked and I thought if I came out as trans, that I could somehow make things better for myself, but it appears I've only made things worse," she confessed, adding she was "truly sorry". 

"I'm only 20... I make mistakes but I refuse to let them define me," Pinkston continued.

"I hope you can all forgive me and move on from this, because I'm so much more than this incident and I'm not a coward."

Pinkston also asked transgender people to "help educate me about the topic". 

On her Instagram Story, the model also posted photos of transgender model and Euphoria star Hunter Schafer, writing that the transphobic accusations are "supid as shit when I love trans people". 

"I love my trans friends and it was all good a year ago. Funny how shit changes!" she added. 

Pinkston has called the accusations "stupid as shit".
Pinkston has called the accusations "stupid as shit". Photo credit: Twitter.

It is indeed funny, Pinkston. 

Unsurprisingly, she's garnered further backlash online, with one person writing on Twitter: "I bet you even transphobes are confused to how she thought this was a good idea". 

Another questioned the justification over her young age in her apology. 

At the time of writing, Pinkston has deleted all her posts relating to the incident, and instead seems to be focusing on promoting her recent photoshoot for Tiffany and Co.

 

Newshub.