One of my favorite things about Full Frontal with Samantha Bee is the show’s ability to break down complex political issues into easily digestible segments. This week, Sam took on the Trump administration’s recent attacks on transgender people while looking back at all the anti-trans policies the administration has put into effect since they took power. It’s a comprehensive look at Trump’s (or more accurately, Pence’s) anti-trans agenda.
Sam opens the segment by laying out Trump’s plan to take erase trans identity by limiting gender identity to biological sex, and then explains why those are two different concepts. Also, her definition of sex for Republicans as “that sloshy thing your wife hates doing with you” is both gross and hilarious.
Bee digs deeper, arguing that Trump is clearly ignorant of trans issues and likely has no idea what his own administration is doing. In an awkward clip, we can hear the president saying “they have a lot of different things happening with respect to transgender right now”, which highlights how little Trump actually comprehends about the identity and the issue (and how ‘transgender’ is an adjective not a noun).
She also plays a clip of Trump shouting that he will do “everything in his power” to protect LGBTQ citizens, followed by a recap of the dismantling of federal protections for trans students, the trans military ban, the stripping of civil rights protections and the rolling back of policies put in place to protect trans prisoners.
The effects of this all out assault is not only damaging and traumatizing for the trans community, but for those who are still not out. These policies are actively discouraging people from living their authentic lives and causing pain and anguish across the country. Bee ends the segment on a hopeful note, with clips of trans activists standing up against discrimination and social media’s #WeWontBeErased movement.
She also calls on cis people to support trans folks, saying “transgender people are real and normal and they deserve so much more than this, and hey if Donald Trump really really wants to pretend like someone doesn’t exist, pick Ted Cruz. That’s how I get through the day.”
Want to support the trans community but don’t know where to start? You can support a non-profit like the Transgender Law Center, Lambda Legal or the Trans Lifeline. But most importantly, you can vote in the midterms and help elect pro-LGBTQ politicians.
(via TBS, image: screengrab)
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