Topless Trans Woman at White House Pride Event Sparks Outrage

A transgender influencer and activist has hit back after a TikTok video that showed her topless during a Pride Month celebration at the White House sparked outrage.

Rose Montoya was among hundreds welcomed by President Joe Biden on Saturday for a celebration on the South Lawn described by the administration as the largest Pride event ever hosted at the White House.

Pride Month is being celebrated at a time when anti-transgender sentiment is rising in the United States, and brands including Target are facing boycotts over their Pride marketing and LGBTQ+ products. Meanwhile, state lawmakers have introduced at least 525 bills and enacted 78 bills that target the LGBTQ+ community in the current legislative session, according to the Human Rights Campaign, a group that advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer rights.

"I had the honor of attending White House Pride, the largest one in history where the pride flag flew for the first time," Montoya wrote in the caption of her TikTok video. "This is trans joy. We're here at the white house unapologetically trans, queer, and brown."

Montoya's minute-long video included shots of Biden delivering remarks, her meeting the president and first lady Jill Biden as well as posing with other attendees.

It was a brief shot where Montoya is seen topless with her hands covering her breasts alongside two others that prompted an edited version of her video to be circulated on Twitter by conservatives.

"This is what happened on the White House lawn," tweeted Collin Rugg, co-owner of conservative commentary outlet Trending Politics.

"These are the 'bravest and most inspiring' people Biden has ever known. The country you once knew is gone."

The Libs of TikTok account tweeted: "This is what happened at the White House pride event. A disgrace to our country."

Charlie Kirk, a conservative political commentator, shared Montoya's video on Twitter, writing alongside it: "GRAPHIC: Trans TikTok "influencer" Rose Montoya, posed topless at Biden's White House Pride celebration. Next to him is a biological female, also topless, who had her breasts surgically removed."

However, some defended Montoya and others who were topless.

"The topless video took place after the majority of people had cleared out, as no one else is present in the video besides the topless people," one Twitter user wrote. "Also, since yall call trans women men, what's wrong with her boobs being out, since she's a man after all."

Montoya posted a video responding to the outrage on Monday.

"It has recently come to my attention that conservatives are trying to use the video of me topless at the White House to try to call the community groomers etc.," Montoya said in the video.

"And I would just like to say that first of all, going topless in Washington D.C. is legal and I fully support the movement in freeing the nipple because why is my chest now deemed inappropriate or illegal when I show it off? However, before coming out as trans, it was not."

She continued: "All you're doing is affirming that I am a woman. All you're doing is saying that trans women are women. Because for some reason, people like to sexualize women's bodies and say that they are inappropriate.

"My transmasculine friends are showing off their top surgery scars and living in joy, and I wanted to join them. And because it is perfectly within the law in Washington, D.C. I decided to join them and cover my nipples just to play it safe. Because I wanted to be fully free and myself. I had zero intention of trying to be vulgar, or be profane in any way. I was simply living in joy, living my truth and existing in my body. Happy Pride. Free the nipple."

Newsweek has contacted Montoya for further comment via email.