To Spirit Halloween: We demand that you revoke your ideas and production of a Caitlyn Jenner costume for Halloween. With a reputation of sexist, racist, and culturally appropriative costumes, we are concerned that this costume will continue your oppressive tradition with a transphobic costume of Caitlyn Jenner. Yes, as your PR and marketing head Trisha Lombardo stated in an interview, Caitlyn Jenner is a hero and celebrated in modern day culture, but that doesn't excuse the exploitation and transphobia you'll be committing this Halloween. To make a costume out of a marginalized identity reduces that person and community to a stereotype for privileged people to abuse. In this case, if you follow through with production of a Caitlyn Jenner costume, cisgender people will purchase it to make fun of her and our community. At a time when trans women and GNC folx, especially black trans women, are being murdered at such a high rate, and homelessness, unemployment, and inaccessbility to healthcare run rampant in our community, making fun of one or all of us is utterly insensitive and deplorable.

Furthermore, if your intent was truly to celebrate our community by having a costume of trans hero, you should have seriously considered trailblazers from Stonewall such as Miss Major, Marsha P Johnson, or Sylvia Rivera, but with your record of problematic costumes it seems best to avoid turning anyone in our community into a costume for your own profit. Do not turn Cailtyn Jenner into a costume. Your profit will only lead to greater transphobia and marginalization of an already at-risk community.

Much appreciated,
Addison Rose Vincent Transfeminine Genderqueer Activist

--------------------------------------------------------------- How YOU can help: -Sign this petition and spread it far and wide -Post on Spirit Halloween's social media pages demanding they revoke the costume: Facebook: www.facebook.com/spirithalloween Twitter: @SpiritHalloween -Call their headquarters: 1-866-586-0155

--------------------------------------------------------------- (The following article is via Advocate magazine: http://www.advocate.com/transgender/2015/08/22/caitlyn-jenner-halloween-costume-be-sold-retailer) Caitlyn Jenner Halloween Costume to Be Sold at Retail Chain BY JASE PEEPLES AUGUST 22 2015 3:45 PM ET Spirit Halloween confirmed the company will be selling Cait costumes at their pop-up stores around the country this season. One of the biggest Halloween retailers in the country, Spirit Halloween, has confirmed the company will be selling Caitlyn Jenner costumes at its pop-up shops throughout the nation this year, reports Daily News. “Caitlyn Jenner has proven to be the most important real-life superhero of the year, and Spirit Halloween is proud to carry the costume that celebrates her,” Spirit Halloween PR and marketing head, Trisha Lombardo told Daily News. However, news that the image of one of the most visible transgender celebrities and civil rights activists is being packaged as gear for the gruesome holiday season has many claiming the company’s decision is not only insensitive, but transphobic.

Nevertheless, Lombardo insisted Spirit Halloween’s decision to carry the costume shouldn’t be viewed any differently than other products the nationwide chain carries sporting the visage of other famous faces. “At Spirit Halloween, we create a wide range of costumes that are often based upon celebrities, public figures, heroes and superheroes. We feel that Caitlyn Jenner is all of the above and that she should be celebrated. The Caitlyn Jenner costume reflects just that,” she wrote in a statement to the Huffington Post. However, Vincent Villano of the National Center for Transgender Equalitydisagrees. “There's no tasteful way to 'celebrate' Caitlyn Jenner or respect transgender people this way on the one night of the year when people use their most twisted imaginations to pretend to be villains and monsters,” he told Huffington Post on Friday. Details about the look and items included in the Caitlyn Jenner prepackaged costume are not available at this time, but will reportedly be released once the item goes on sale in approximately four to six weeks. Jenner’s rep, Alan Nierob, has declined to comment at this time.