Last Week Tonight host John Oliver dedicated Sunday’s episode to unpacking and debunking the flurry of misinformation and fear-mongering surrounding transgender rights in America. « In the past few years, some on the right have truly lost their minds about trans rights, » Oliver began, diverting to a series of clips in which U.S. politicians mock the idea of pronouns.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Oliver paints a much larger picture, expanding beyond those public figures « stoking fear » around trans rights (part of the constantly discriminatory, negative press coverage trans people endure) and examining the country’s current trajectory: This year, America will pass a record amount of anti-transgender bills.
« So much of the fear of and the arguments against transgender people seems to flow from misinformation and misunderstanding, » Oliver explains. The host shared clips from VICE documentary Transgender in Texas and Hulu’s Changing the Game, the latter of which centered trans kids fighting to participate in sports.
« When supported, trans kids can experience full, vibrant lives, » Oliver says. « Trans people are not by default unhappier or more prone to suffering than everyone else. That is something that we are putting on them. »
Oliver also looked into what he deems is the center of most conspiracies from conservatives: gender-affirming care, or care that is designed to affirm a person’s gender identity — which, according to Columbia University « greatly improves the mental health and overall well-being of gender diverse, transgender, and nonbinary children and adolescents. » Oliver also examines hoaxes such as false claims about kids identifying as cats, saying, « The fact that you seem to genuinely think that that’s happening is just heartbreakingly stupid. »
The current state of trans rights is alarming, indeed, as Oliver breaks down so vitally. His parting words, however, say it best: « To the extent that some young people are just exploring their gender identity, how exactly is that a bad thing? » he exclaims. « Who the fuck are they hurting? »
