Republican-led states that have implemented bans on sex-change-related treatments for minors became fodder for a “Saturday Night Live” skit this weekend.
Molly Kearney, the NBC sketch comedy show’s first “nonbinary” cast member who uses they/them pronouns, spoke about the growing list of transgender laws as a guest of “Weekend Update” co-hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost.
After being lowered down to the news desk from the ceiling, Kearney quipped about “starting to feel like a frickin’ Republican lawmaker” by virtue of being hung up in a harness around the genitals.
Kearney went on to talk about children and the issue of health care.
Introducing SNL’s first non-binary cast member, it's @MEATBRICKMOLLY! pic.twitter.com/tSs2snpHvk
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) April 16, 2023
“Listen to that, Michael, restricting health care for kids. For some reason, there’s something about the word trans that makes people forget the word ‘kids.’ If you don’t care about trans kids’ lives, that means you don’t friggin’ care about kids’ lives,” Kearney said to a round of applause.
Roughly a dozen states implemented laws or policies that crack down on sex-change-related treatment for minors.
In Tennessee, Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed legislation last month that bans sex-change procedures on children in his state. Indiana and Idaho followed suit in recent weeks. In Missouri, the attorney general announced new restrictions on gender-related treatments for minors as well as adults while the state’s GOP-controlled legislature advances trans-focused legislation.
Supporters of these measures often argue children are too young to face the consequences of life-altering changes that come with treatments, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and transition-related surgeries.
On the other side of the issue, critics condemn what they view as attacks on gender-affirming care and, in some cases, have fought back with lawsuits seeking to stop the bans. In a recent proclamation to recognize the “Transgender Day of Visibility,” President Joe Biden decried how a “wave of discriminatory State laws is targeting transgender youth, terrifying families and hurting kids who are not hurting anyone.”
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Kearney made a plea for people to “wake up” and protect children.
While being pulled back up toward the ceiling, Kearney left the audience with a parting message: “What’s happening, kids, is wrong and you don’t need to be scared. Our job is to protect you and your job is to focus on being a kid. It’s kind of like me flying in the ‘SNL’ sky. There’s a bunch of dudes asking you about your crotch and controlling what and where you’re allowed to pee. But if you just hang on, you’ll look up and realize you’re flying kid!”