"It's called We Exist and there is literally no sign of that existence represented," she said. "Should have been called They Exist. When you come from the perspective you're representing, it's truth and powerful."
Dear @arcadefire , maybe when making a video for a song called "We Exist" you should get an actual "Trans" actor instead of Spider-Man?
Butler has now responded in an interview with The Advocate, arguing that casting a film star gave the video more impact and reach.
"For a gay kid in Jamaica to see the actor who played Spider-Man in that role is pretty damn powerful, in my opinion," he said, admitting he could "totally see the sensitivity of the issue".
David Wilson, who directed the We Exist video, added that he considered casting a trans person but Garfield's passion won him the part.
"Before I got on the call, I thought, 'Is this the right person, should we be using a transgender person?'" he said. "But then getting on the phone with Andrew, and Andrew's commitment and passion toward the project was just overwhelming.
"For an actor of that calibre to be that emotionally-invested in a music video is just a very special thing. It just completely made sense."
On Sunday night, Grace talked to trans musician Our Lady J, who coached Garfield for the video. She insisted that the portrayal was of "a young man who is exploring his gender, not a realised trans woman".
Grace then tweeted that Our Lady J's perspective had "really made me think about it differently".
Arcade Fire have yet to respond to Grace directly.
Watch We Exist here:
- Independent
