Ellen DeGeneres took to the stage last night to host the 2014 Academy Awards and one joke made by the comedian about actress Liza Minnelli has some people seeing red.

“Hello to the best Liza Minnelli impersonator I’ve ever seen,” DeGeneres joked about the icon who has been a favorite subject for female impersonators and drag artists over the years. “Good job, sir.”

As the Washington Post (who referred to Minnelli as a “rumored plastic surgery devotee”) notes, a number of people took to Twitter to express their outrage, with some calling the comment “transphobic.” Prominent director Bruce LaBruce was among those to be critical of the Minnelli joke.

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