ANGER OVER TRANS COMEDY SKIT

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has expressed its outrage over a Saturday Night Live (SNL) skit which, it says, mocks transgender people.

The skit, broadcast in the US this past Saturday, is in the form of a mock commercial for medication called ‘Estro-Maxxx’; “a single daily pill that gives you all the sex-change hormones you need”.

Described by GLAAD as a “dangerous and blatantly transphobic segment”, it features SNL male actors with facial hair and wearing dresses who are meant to represent transgender women.

“This segment cannot be defended as ‘just a joke’ because there was no ‘joke’ to speak of,” said GLAAD. “The attempted comedy of the skit hinges solely on degrading the lives and experiences of transgender women.

“Dehumanising [and] 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.”

GLAAD has called on NBC and its parent company Comcast to apologise and to remove the segment from the internet and all future airings of the show.

View the skit below and tell us if you think it is offensive to the transgender community.