When does comedy cross a line? For GLAAD, it’s when transgender people are mocked on late night television.
GLAAD has sent out a call to action to its followers to sign a petition calling for an apology from NBC and the producers of Saturday Night Live for airing a sketch they deem “dehumanizing” to transgenders over the weekend. In their letter to their constituents, they explained:
In the January 29 episode of Saturday Night Live, NBC broadcast a dangerous and blatantly anti-transgender segment which they called ‘Estro-Maxxx’ – the punch line of which was the lives of countless transgender people across the country.
The piece was a mock commercial for estrogen replacement therapy and featured men with facial hair wearing dresses, meant to represent transgender women. This segment cannot be defended as “just a joke” because there was no “joke” to speak of. The attempted comedy of the skit hinges solely on degrading the lives and experiences of transgender women. Holding people up for ridicule simply on the basis of their identity fuels a 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 violence, discrimination and harassment that transgender Americans experience each and every day is no laughing matter,” said GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios. “Saturday Night Live is a touchstone of American comedy, but Saturday’s unfunny skit sends a destructive and dehumanizing message.”
We have already been joined in speaking out by the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund and the Human Rights Campaign as well as many other advocates and groups; now it’s your turn. Take action and tell NBC it is unacceptable to dehumanize transgender people by turning their lives into a punch line.
You can watch the sketch they’re talking about in the video (above) and then, if you agree with them, you can CLICK HERE to sign the petition.
What do U think? Did SNL go too far or did U find the skit funny?
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