Beyoncé confirms she will remove a lyric from her new album 'Renaissance' following backlash that it's 'ableist' and 'deeply offensive'

• Beyoncé confirms she will change a lyric in her song "Heated" from her new album "Renaissance."
• The song received backlash after the same word had to be changed from a Lizzo song a month ago.
• A representative for Beyoncé told Insider the word was "not used intentionally in a harmful way."

Beyoncé has confirmed that she will remove a lyric from a track on her new album "Renaissance" after it was called "ableist" and "offensive" by disability charities and activists.

Fans and activists criticized the use of the word "spaz" in the song "Heated," which has been used as a derogatory noun against people with disabilities, especially those with cerebral palsy. In African-American Vernacular English, a dialect of English created and used in Black communities, the word means to "go crazy" or "fight," leading to confusion about the negative use of the word.

In a statement to Insider, a representative for the Grammy award-winning singer confirmed the lyric will be changed.

"The word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced," the statement said.

In June, Lizzo issued an apology and re-released the song "Grrrls" with new lyrics after she received backlash for including the same word in the song.

Some people questioned how the "Break My Soul" singer did not see the public backlash to Lizzo two months earlier.

—FOLLOW @YITTY (@lizzo) June 13, 2022

Disability advocate Hannah Diveney wrote in an opinion piece in the Guardian that Beyoncé's status as a culturally significant singer doesn't "excuse her use of ableist language."

"I'm so tired. Disabled people deserve better. I don't want to have this conversation again," she wrote in the article.

Warren Kirwan, media manager at UK disability equality charity Scope, told Insider that removing the word matters because it can reinforce negative attitudes towards people with disabilities.

A study of 4,015 adults with disabilities in England and Wales, conducted earlier this year by Scope and Opinium Research, found that nine out of 10 people who experienced negative attitudes and behaviors said their experiences had a personal impact on them.

"It's appalling that one of the world's biggest stars has chosen to include this deeply offensive term," Kirwan told Insider.

"Just weeks ago, Lizzo received a huge backlash from fans who felt hurt and let down after she used the same abhorrent language. Thankfully she did the right thing and re-recorded the song. It's hard to believe that could have gone unnoticed by Beyoncé's team."

Kirwan added: "Words matter because they reinforce the negative attitudes disabled people face every day, and which impact on every aspect of disabled people's lives. Beyoncé has long been a champion of inclusivity and equality, so we'd urge her to remove this offensive lyric."

—Sense (@sensecharity) August 1, 2022

Another UK disability charity, Sense, also tweeted it was "disappointing" to see another artist using the word after the incident with Lizzo.

"Hoping Beyoncé follows Lizzo's example and changes the track," the organization said. "We need more education to improve awareness of disability."