Rapper Travis Scott is being criticized over the cover art for his upcoming album Astroworld after transgender model Amanda Lepore was apparently removed from the image.
The controversy revolves around two versions of the Astroworld cover, which was shot by famed photographer David LaChapelle, one of which features Lepore and another that does not.
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On Saturday, Scott responded to the transphobia accusations in a statement on Twitter.
“I have nothing but respect and love for the LGBTQ community,” Scott wrote.
“Yo Amanda you did upstage everyone even me 😆 and i can’t wait for everyone to see the booklet that me and Dave put together that includes all these images,” he added. “Sorry for the misunderstanding.”
On Wednesday, LaChapelle posted a photo of the album cover, which features Lepore at the lower left side of the photo, shot from behind as she looks over her shoulder.
The same day, Scott also shared the Astroworld cover art on Instagram. However, in his version, Lepore is nowhere to be seen.
The difference in the photos did not go unnoticed on social media, with Lepore sharing the original album art on her Instagram page, writing that she’s “curious why I’m not on the picture.”
Lepore’s disappearance from the photo led some to accuse Scott of being transphobic:
But is transphobia really the reason behind the two versions? As others pointed out on Twitter, the other models in the photo are also transgender — so why have they too not been removed?
LaChapelle addressed the controversy directly, writing on Instagram:
