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Bethenny Frankel slams summer camp for 'political correctness' for allowing 'girl with a penis' to sleep in bunk with biological girls as young as nine

  Bethenny Frankel has hit out at an all-girls Hamptons summer camp after she claimed girls as young as nine and ten saw male genitalia for ...

 Bethenny Frankel has hit out at an all-girls Hamptons summer camp after she claimed girls as young as nine and ten saw male genitalia for the first time because a 'person with a penis who identifies as being a girl' was allowed to bunk with them.

'Summer camp went f***ing crazy this summer - either it was the pandemic or everybody being politically correct or it just happened to be the craziest year in camp history,' she said on her September 23 'Just B' podcast episode. 

'It's an all girls camp and a person with a penis who identifies as being a girl went to the camp... The girls saw her — because it's her, because it's a male anatomy but identifying as a woman — so the other girls saw a penis.'

Frankel explained that while she didn't send her 11-year-old daughter Bryn to the unidentified camp, that she'd heard about the incident from other parents on a group message.

She joked that it's a 'primarily Jewish sport' to send children away to sleepaway camp for the entire summer, and that Bryn stays home with her at 'Camp Mommy.' 

Frankel said that the parents of the girls, who were nine and ten, 'obviously weren't happy' and that she understood many people might not want their child to have 'that sort of visual that soon' and  

The Skinnygirl founder said that she heard the child in question was also 'making out with a lot of the different girls at the camp.' 

The TV personality said that her daughter doesn't attend the camp, instead staying home with Frankel at 'Camp Mommy,' and so 'hasn't seen a penis', adding 'in a camp, she'd see girl parts so I think these conversations are also fluid'.

'It's an interesting conversation about a girl, female anatomy being in a male anatomy bunk or vice versa,' she added.


Bryn, 11 (pictured left), Bethenny Frankel's (pictured right) daughter, didn't attend the unidentified camp - she said it's a 'primarily Jewish sport' to send children away to sleepaway camp for the entire summer, and that Bryn stays home with her at 'Camp Mommy'

Bryn, 11 (pictured left), Bethenny Frankel's (pictured right) daughter, didn't attend the unidentified camp - she said it's a 'primarily Jewish sport' to send children away to sleepaway camp for the entire summer, and that Bryn stays home with her at 'Camp Mommy'

'My daughter (Bryn, pictured left) says in school, everybody has to say their pronouns. [She] didn't even know what hers were, and I can't even blame [her] - [She said] 'I know what I am, or what I think I am, but like I never have said it out loud.' So she said she didn't know.'

'My daughter (Bryn, pictured left) says in school, everybody has to say their pronouns. [She] didn't even know what hers were, and I can't even blame [her] - [She said] 'I know what I am, or what I think I am, but like I never have said it out loud.' So she said she didn't know.'

The 50-year-old 'Real Housewives of New York City' alum opened her September 23 'Just B' episode by discussing pronouns and gender identity and their presence in the lives of her 11-year-old Bryn and her peers.

The 50-year-old 'Real Housewives of New York City' alum opened her September 23 'Just B' episode by discussing pronouns and gender identity and their presence in the lives of her 11-year-old Bryn and her peers.

'Bethenny would not have her platform without the support of the Housewives-loving queer community - she has a responsibility to speak to and about our community with respect,' a Twitter user who spoke out against the podcast segment told DailyMail.com

'Bethenny would not have her platform without the support of the Housewives-loving queer community - she has a responsibility to speak to and about our community with respect,' a Twitter user who spoke out against the podcast segment told DailyMail.com

The 50-year-old Real Housewives of New York City alum took on a range of trans and gender issues on last week's podcast - including the revelation that kids Bryn's New York City school had to announce their pronouns in class. 

'We have to go into the fact that I did a Zoom for my daughter's school and [had] the pronouns conversation with each teacher, each parent, each child,' Frankel said in the podcast's opening line.   

'My daughter says in school, everybody has to say their pronouns. [She] didn't even know what hers were, and I can't even blame [her] - [She said] 'I know what I am, or what I think I am, but like I never have said it out loud.' So she said she didn't know.' 

The podcast sparked an angry backlash on Twitter as some accused Frankel of being transphobic.  

'You should spend less time talking about children's genitalia ad more on how damaging it is to speak about trans people with such suspicion like this,' replied @eerriicc9. 'You're not 'asking questions' you're being vile.' 

'Hi Beth! I was going to quote the transphobic language you used... but it's too hurtful to every put it in writing,' wrote @mattmcconkey. 'Maybe do the bare minimum of research before you speak to your audience?' 

'Bethenny would not have her platform without the support of the Housewives-loving queer community,' McConkey told DailyMail.com 'She has a responsibility to speak to and about our community with respect.' 

'When she repeatedly referred to a trans child as a 'girl with a penis' while perpetuating old hateful stereotypes depicting trans people as predators, it was a shock. And her riff on pronoun confusion sounded like a hack 90s standup routine.'

Frankel insisted today that she 'didn't do one thing wrong' and that 'conversations are healthy,' and encouraged users to give the podcast a listen before deciding she was transphobic. 

'@PageSix says I'm transphobic so it must be true…or listen to @justbpodcast & decide for yourself,' she tweeted. 

'Not apologizing... so don't hold your breath,' wrote Frankel in another Twitter post. 'I didn't do a single thing wrong. People need to be able to have discussions without fearing the cancellation citations you get excited to give. Wrong celeb. Find someone afraid to troll.'  

'Not apologizing... so don't hold your breath,' wrote Frankel in a Twitter post. 'I didn't do a single thing wrong. People need to be able to have discussions without fearing the cancellation citations you get excited to give. Wrong celeb. Find someone afraid to troll.'

'Not apologizing... so don't hold your breath,' wrote Frankel in a Twitter post. 'I didn't do a single thing wrong. People need to be able to have discussions without fearing the cancellation citations you get excited to give. Wrong celeb. Find someone afraid to troll.'

Despite Twitter-flak about her handling of the matters of gender-identity, Frankel insisted today that she 'didn't do one thing wrong' and that 'conversations are healthy'

Despite Twitter-flak about her handling of the matters of gender-identity, Frankel insisted today that she 'didn't do one thing wrong' and that 'conversations are healthy'

Others lauded Frankel for 'speak[ing]' her truth,' and not succumbing to 'cancel culture.'


'I see nothing wrong in her comments,' wrote @PeggyDolane. 'I'm curious, what words specifically are you calling her out on?' 

'Anyone else feel like social media has become a space for touchy feely sanctimonious preaching? What happened to people showing us what they ate for breakfast?'  

'Good for you! You are real, honest, not prejudiced on any level,' wrote another user. 'The problem is people not being able to have conversations. It's ok to have open dialogue. THAT is what creates understanding and unity.'

'So now they want to cancel my girl @Bethenny because she doesn't like the gender neutral pronouns? F*** the fact that she has B strong and literally goes out to help people in disasters and is a humanitarian. This cancel culture is whack,' wrote another user.

Frankel said on Twitter today that she would address the backlash she has received on Twitter on the next episode of her podcast. 

'I'm not a celeb who panics in fear of cancelation Bc I didn't say something precisely how you needed to hear it,' she wrote. 'I don't have a transphobic bone on my body so take it elsewhere. Watch handmaids tale.' 

'So now they want to cancel my girl @Bethenny because she doesn't like the gender neutral pronouns? F*** the fact that she has B strong and literally goes out to help people in disasters and is a humanitarian. This cancel culture is whack,' wrote another user

'So now they want to cancel my girl @Bethenny because she doesn't like the gender neutral pronouns? F*** the fact that she has B strong and literally goes out to help people in disasters and is a humanitarian. This cancel culture is whack,' wrote another user

'You should spend less time talking about children's genitalia ad more on how damaging it is to speak about trans people with such suspicion like this,' replied @eerriicc9. 'You're not "asking questions" you're being vile'

'You should spend less time talking about children's genitalia ad more on how damaging it is to speak about trans people with such suspicion like this,' replied @eerriicc9. 'You're not 'asking questions' you're being vile'

On Twitter today, many LGBTQ advocates fumed at Frankel's handling of the subject

On Twitter today, many LGBTQ advocates fumed at Frankel's handling of the subject

'@PageSix says I’m transphobic so it must be true…or listen to @justbpodcast & decide for yourself,' she tweeted.

'@PageSix says I'm transphobic so it must be true…or listen to @justbpodcast & decide for yourself,' she tweeted.

The Real Housewives also touched upon other gender issues during the podcast, including whether gender identity could simply be a 'phase.'

'Don't a lot of girls in college, high school, college, have a lesbian phase and then realize that they're not? Maybe they're going through something... What is the age that someone's absolutely positive who they are?'

'If you're a person who... is identifying with being a girl and you're a boy and then you decide to switch back... what does that mean for that camp, that... maybe a mother isn't ready for her child to see a penis in the bunk and understand that the person identifies as being a girl.' 

 She alluded to the fact that pronoun-usage could create a slippery slope in situations involving children's and women's safety: 

'I was thinking the other day, [my daughter] loves Altun my driver… If I was going out one night and if he [stayed] with her... my ex would say something, because in the past he said she shouldn't be alone with a 'strange man.' But then why can she be alone with a woman? That's something that no one really talks about. 

'And in office space, where men [have] a rule that [they won't] wouldn't be in an office alone with a woman... because of me too and all that stuff...  [But now] everybody's giving their pronouns and the next thing [will be] – 'I don't pronoun, I don't want to tell you that, that's private information,''

On Twitter, some users regarded Frankel's segment as more significant than just an 'interesting conversation'

On Twitter, some users regarded Frankel's segment as more significant than just an 'interesting conversation'

'@PageSix says I’m transphobic so it must be true…or listen to @justbpodcast & decide for yourself,' she tweeted.

'@PageSix says I'm transphobic so it must be true…or listen to @justbpodcast & decide for yourself,' she tweeted.

'Everything is so rule based and people don't know exactly how to follow the rules... This is a controversial conversation, but you could say 'I don't want to share my sexuality, that's not relevant to anything' and that's something that we tell everybody.'  

Bethany called upon her show's producer as a sounding board during the episode. 

'Do I seem like I have any specific point of view on it? It's just a conversation,' Frankel asked. 'We were talking about it at dinner last night?'

'It definitely feels like you are more opening the conversation than coming in with a strong point of view on what you think the answers are necessarily,' the unnamed producer replied. 

The other woman, who described herself as 'very active in trans inclusion in sports' asked Frankel if she thought that 'parents are reacting on their kids behalf,' saying that it seem[ed] like your daughter already knew the words and was familiar already.'

'No, because a penis often goes into a vagina, I think,' replied Frankel. 'So they might not want that sort of, you know, visual that soon? That idea?'

But ultimately, Frankel acknowledged the importance of allowing all children - trans children, too - a place where they felt comfortable: 'I understand how much turmoil for that poor child... If they don't know where they belong, that is horrible... they have to have a place to go to the bathroom and feel comfortable.'

'Do I seem like I have any specific point of view on it? It’s just a conversation,' Bethenny Frankel asked on the segment. 'We were talking about it at dinner last night'

'Do I seem like I have any specific point of view on it? It's just a conversation,' Bethenny Frankel asked on the segment. 'We were talking about it at dinner last night'

If she were the parent, she said, she would put her child in a camp with other children 'in that situation' or keep them at home, rather than sleep away camp, over the summer. 

Frankel and the producer also discussed the matter of trans people participating in sports:  'I think there's studies that the least proficient male is still much stronger or faster than the most proficient female,' Frankel said. 

'There are not a ton of studies to prove, especially at those young ages, kids [don't have] much of an advantage based on anatomy at that point,' the producer responded. 

'A large part of the conversation is what is an advantage - people bring up Michael Phelps a lot. Is height in basketball an advantage? [Should you say] sir, you're too tall to play? It's kind of like 'what's even an advantage,' the producer said.    

'What about high school… when they're drafting kids for... football and it matters what colleges think and winning and losing do matter?What do you think of my idea of grading on a curve or stack[ing] the deck so that there's a situation where both teams [have a trans person on their team]?'

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