Actor Ricky Schroder dragged for anti-trans tribute to Dolly Parton

This story originally appeared on Out.A social media post by actor Ricky Schroder, saluting queer icon Dolly Parton, has sparked an online backlash for being transphobic, anti-vax and embarrassingly self-centered.Instead of joining the world in simply paying tribute to the late Queen of Country Music, who died Tuesday, the former child actor and one-time star of NYPD Blue criticized Parton's support for transgender rights and the COVID vaccine."I didn't agree with her advocating for Transgender & Covid Vaccine support… but loved her anyway. Thank you for choosing me Dolly to be your Movie Daddy."Schroder, 56, played her father, Robert Lee Parton, in two TV movies about growing up poor in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee: Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors in 2015 and the 2016 sequel, Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love.A flood of fans joined celebrities Boy George, Katie Couric and the band Garbage in slamming the conservative-leaning actor for his conditional and politicized post on both Instagram and Threads. See on Instagram “Oh shut up,” replied Boy George on Threads. The band fronted by nonbinary lead singer Shirley Manson, Garbage, also used its official account to tell the star, “Fuck off Ricky Schroeder.”One Instagram user compared Schroder to President Donald Trump: “Just when I thought there was no one lower than our current president, you just took the cake. How can anything say anything tacky about Dolly? One of the most loving people ever. Something you could use more of. You’re in my prayers, Ricky.”Another replied, “Imagine being the first (and probably only) person in the whole world to post something negative about Dolly. NOT COOL.”“In a world full of Rickys, be a Dolly,” wrote one commenter, as another noted: “If your condolences or apologies are conditional with a ‘but….’, they are not sincere.”Another Instagram user also had advice for Schroder: “Wow… you should have said nothing.” Actor Jay