Jessica Williams And Transgender Activists Debunk The “Bathroom Predator” Myth On The Daily Show
Transgender Activist: “There's No Reported Incidences Of Any Trans Person Ever Raping Or Assaulting Anyone In Any Bathroom, Ever.”
Written by Media Matters Staff
Published
From the April 6 edition of Comedy Central's The Daily Show:
JESSICA WILLIAMS: Because of discrimination and profiling, at least 47 percent of black trans people will have at some point in their lives been incarcerated.
[...]
You'd think there'd be laws to correct this. But instead, this year alone, state legislatures have introduced 175 anti-trans bills. Many make it legal to discriminate based solely on religious beliefs. And then you have these bathroom bills.
[...]
Just listen to Colorado represenative and Elmer Funn lookalike Gordon Klingenschmitt.
[BEGIN VIDEO]
WILLIAMS: Should we fear the transgender community?
GORDON KLINGENSCHMITT: Well, they not only want to be confused about their own identity, but they want the rest of us to be confused with them. Now they want the government to join them in that pretense? They're making us into liars.
WILLIAMS: Wow.
[END VIDEO]
WILLIAMS: OK, I met with these so-called liars to find out what their evil intentions are.
TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST: There's a notion that trans people are perpetrators in some way. That we're sneaking and trying to trick you for the purposes of having sex with you.
TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST: And that's not the case at all.
TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST: People just want to see male and female, like it has to fit into one of those two boxes. And if it doesn't, it makes people uncomfortable.
TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST: It's surely not a choice.
TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST: That's all you need to know.
WILLIAMS: Well, not according to Klingenschmitt, who thinks we're all going to get attacked in the bathroom.
[BEGIN VIDEO]
KLINGENSCHMITT: A man can go into a ladies room and assault you and your little girl.
[END VIDEO]
[...]
TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST: There's no reported incidences of any trans person ever raping or assaulting anyone in any bathroom, ever.
TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST: If anything, trans people are the ones getting assaulted.
[...]
WILLIAMS: The transgender community is more pressed than I could have ever imagined. So why does Gordon feel so threatened?
[BEGIN VIDEO]
WILLIAMS: Have you ever been attacked by a transgender person? Is that why this is happening?
KLINGENSCHMITT: No.
WILLIAMS: Have you ever had a traumatic experience with a trans person?
KLINGENSCHMITT: I wouldn't call it traumatic, no.
WILLIAMS: Devastating?
KLINGENSCHMITT: Yeah, no.
WILLIAMS: You haven't?
[END VIDEO]
[...]
WILLIAMS: Unfortunately, a lot of people think like Gordon. So how can we end this transphobic epidemic?
TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST: Hopefully they can understand that we are striving toward becoming more of an authentic version of ourselves after a lot of soul searching and a lot of thought and sometimes a lot of trauma and tragedy.
TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST: Passing these bills is absolutely going to just add fuel to the fire and ignite trans panic.
Previously:
15 Experts Debunk Right-Wing Transgender Bathroom Myth
Watch A Transgender Activist Debunk The “Bathroom Predator” Myth On CNN