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'I am transgender non-binary': Ezra Miller accuses cop who called them 'SIR' of 'hate crime'

Miller is heard warning the officer that failing to refer to them by their proper pronouns would be an “intentional act of bigotry” and a technical “hate crime.”

Ezra Miller chastised a police officer for calling them "sir" and explained that they identified as "transgender non-binary" during Miller’s arrest in March 2022 in Hawaii. Miller is heard warning the officer in newly released bodycam footage from the arrest that failing to refer to them by their proper pronouns would be an “intentional act of bigotry” and a technical “hate crime.”

“Queer just means no, I don't do that,” Miller, 29, who uses they/them pronouns and came out as queer in 2012, said in a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I don't consider myself a man. I don't consider myself a woman. I barely recognize myself as a human.” Miller was arrested in Hawaii for causing chaos in a bar on March 28, 2022. 

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What does the bodycam footage show?

The footage released by TMZ has gone viral and Miller's behavior has received widespread criticism. The video starts with Miller being buckled into the car by an officer and the former expresses concerns about their 'nerves' being damaged as a result of their music career. Miller pleads, “Please just let me sit with my hands facing out so I don't get nerve damage. I'm a musician, so the nerves on my hands are important to me. Please don't hurt them. Please, I beg you.”

“I have nerve damage from police handcuffs from my life in New Jersey. I know you all are not those cops. But please, please do not damage my nerves in my hands again. It would be really, really awful for me,” Miller continues. During the car ride home, Miller is heard correcting the officer who addressed them as "sir" during a conversation about Hawaii. Miller says, “I'm not a sir, I am transgender non-binary, please do not refer to me as sir,” to which the officer replies, “Okay, I was just trying to be respectful.”

"If you fail to do that again that is an act of intentional bigotry and it is a technical hate crime according to U.S. Federal Law. Please call me they/them/theirs, you can use the term mix," Miller adds. Later, Miller can be heard asking the police officer if their body camera was still on when they arrived at the station. "Is your bodycam still on? Will you make sure it's still on?" Miller inquires, and the officer assures them that it was. Later, Miller complains of pain as the police officer asks them to stand against the wall while removing a watch and another item from their body.

"He needs to calm down"

As the video is trending, many people on Twitter have shared their views on Miller’s behavior. One person wrote, “Every moment of every day, you make assumptions about the world based on statistical probability. You do so because it is not practicable to confirm every assumption before acting on it. The assumption that somebody who looks like Miller is a “sir” is entirely reasonable.” Another said, “Cop wouldn’t address me as C*m Dumpster so I filed a suit and was awarded Game Stop gift cards. The justice system works,” while another tweeted, “I don’t know who this person is either I actually could care less and he needs to calm down the cops are just doing their job.”