Damn, can a transwoman, or transpeople in general get through the first full week of the New Year and new decade without being disrespected?Sadly, the answer is no.
We have a moment in which the entire trans community is bursting with pride at one of our own getting an historic federal appointment by the president, only to have tabloid newspapers and comedians turn it into a fracking joke.
GLAAD has already highlighted some problematic coverage of the news by the reliably transphobic New York Post, and now David Letterman piles on with this skit from last night's show.
The 'cis man gets physically ill at presence of transwoman' is unfortunately a lame and depressingly far too common meme in the entertainment world.
It has manifested itself in films such as Bachelor Party, The Crying Game and Ace Ventura Pet Detective.
Guess I should be counting my blessings that Late Night bandleader Paul Shaffer didn't fire up the band and play 'The Crying Game' song to go with it.
And before y'all start typing the 'damn it's just a joke, lighten up' BS in the comments, I have a sense of humor as people who know me will tell you. I know the difference between a good joke and one that goes a bit too far and is hurtful to the persons and the community that was the punchline of said joke.
The Letterman Amanda Simpson skit crossed that line last night. It mined a tired meme for the sake of a laugh.
And the 'cis man gets ill at sight of transwoman' sight gag needs to die
