Advocates want an apology for a Saturday Night Live skit that mocks the transition of transgender women.
The sketch, which aired over the weekend, represented a fake ad for “Estro-Maxx,” a hormone replacement therapy. It featured men with facial hair wearing dresses.
The skit has drawn denunciations from the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, Media Advocates Giving National Equality to Transsexual and Transgender People (MAGNET) and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which called for an apology from Comcast and NBC and the piece’s removal.
Ashley Love, founder of transsexual & transgender anti-defamation group, MAGNET, explains, “For NBC/Comcast to allow SNL to ridicule human beings born with a transsexual and/or intersex medical condition in such a dehumanizing media assault is equivalent to how racist white men used to paint their skin black and perform “black face," in which they stripped away the humanity and dignity of African Americans. Likewise, allowing the “trans face” skit to air is just as cruel spirited, appalling and will no doubt incite misunderstanding, fear, marginalization and violence (in that order) onto Americans with a transsexual and/or intersex condition. I’m shocked and disappointed that NBC/Comcast could be this socially irresponsible by allowing such bigotry on their platform. It’s 2011, not the medieval times; it’s unbelievable that such a tele-hate-vision crime would air on a public network.”
“The attempted comedy of the skit hinges solely on degrading the lives and experiences of transgender women,” said GLAAD. “Dehumanizing holding people up for ridicule simply on the basis of their identity fuels a dangerous and hurtful climate and puts people in danger, especially given how infrequently the media shines a fair and accurate light on the lives of transgender people.”
The clip appears below.
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