Blake Lively showed her support for trans troops in a powerful Instagram post, but it seems that not all of her followers felt compelled to double-tap the image. According to E! Online, after Lively encouraged her fans to sign a Change.org petition, a troll decided to rear its ugly head and garnered a swift clapback from the star.
"THIS is America. WE the people. ALL THE PEOPLE. Today I stand with our fellow citizens. No human being is a burden. I believe in equality. In freedom. In opportunity. In kindness, acceptance, and fairness. I believe in this country, so I, and many others, sign the petition linked in the bio. Please join," Lively wrote alongside a photo of service members carrying a rainbow flag in support of trans soldiers.
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While the photo did earn over half a million likes, one commenter's remarks stuck out. "You catching that unfollow for this," he or she wrote.
But rather than lose her cool, Lively stayed calm and collected, responding to the ex-follower with a message that conveyed her support of trans rights without resorting to low blows.
"I choose love. That's the only thing that we all have. It is peace. It is happiness. Not follows or unfollows. I wish happiness for you. And I hope you find that your heart has a bigger capacity than you give it credit for. I know it does," she wrote.
President Donald Trump announced the trans military ban on Twitter on Wednesday. Across two tweets, he noted that he consulted with "Generals and military experts" to come to the conclusion that all trans individuals should be banned from serving in the US military.
Currently, the Department of Defense is the largest employer of trans people in America, with 15,500 individuals currently serving in the military.