The release of Beyoncé’s highly anticipated album Renaissance was met with rave reviews last week but not everyone was pleased. Some listeners were shocked to hear her use the word “spaz” several times in the song “Heated,” a slur used to mock those with spasticity, a disability affecting muscle control. Whats more, pop star Lizzo was called out in June for using the same slur in a song, prompting her to apologize and remove the offensive lyric. “When Beyoncé dropped the same ableist slur as Lizzo on her new album, my heart sank,” read an op-ed by disability advocate Hannah Diviney in The Guardian. A spokesperson for Beyoncé told Variety that the offending lyric would be removed. “The word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced,” a statement said.
