Comedian Bill Maher believes there are members of the transgender community who are seeking to “shut down debate” about certain issues.
Maher sat down for an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper this week. The conversation turned to whether comedians should joke about transgender issues.
Tapper noted one comedian suggested it is “punching down” to make jokes about transgender people.
“I don’t really agree. I mean, I think the trans community is asking for too much,” Maher responded. “Again, the difference between liberal and woke.”
He argued “liberals” would agree “trans is, of course, a real thing,” and it is “great we live in a time where people like that can freely live the lives they should live with all the dignity and protection of the law that we can afford them.”
By contrast, he argued the “woke point of view” states, “Well, babies are born now and just jump-ball we don’t know what they are. Congratulations, you have a boy — well, let’s not be hasty.”
“It’s not wrong to have this discussion,” Maher insisted. “This is something that’s very new… To shut down debate with these words like ‘phobia.’ You’re phobic, and you hate — we don’t hate. It’s not hate. It’s not phobic. We’re not afraid.”
He added, “We’re just discussing something very new that involves children and these interventions you’re making have repercussions for the entire rest of their lives, and they’re about their health, which I think should come first.”
Watch the video below:
Bill Maher: Transgenders go way “too far” in their demands of everyone else, “they absolutely do want to shut down debate.” pic.twitter.com/a3Se0yvrWG
— Catch Up (@CatchUpFeed) March 2, 2023
Tapper suggested a transgender activist would insist they are not afraid of debate, but the issues are being discussed while states are banning certain procedures.
“Well, that’s probably a backlash that went too far,” Maher responded.
He added, “I think that is to completely ban it. But I also don’t agree with what you just said. They absolutely do want to shut down debate.”
Now, not every person who is transgender or considers themself to be an activist wants to prevent debate about certain issues.
But there is a portion of the transgender community that does want to. The latest example comes in the form of a letter written to The New York Times that claimed the paper has “repeatedly platformed cisgender (non-transgender) people spreading inaccurate and harmful misinformation about transgender people and issues.”
It urged the paper to change how it covers transgender issues by suggesting it should stop publishing articles raising questions about “gender-affirming healthcare.”
So while it is certainly not every transgender person or activist, Maher is correct. There is a part of the community that is unwilling to tolerate people asking questions or raising concerns about the potential effects of procedures or so-called “gender-affirming healthcare.” And they do want to squash dissent.