Jackie Evancho to Trump: Meet with me and transgender sister
LGBT proponents in the entertainment world are using social media to register their disappointment about Wednesday's decision to roll back federal protection for transgender students granted under the Obama administration. Now it will be up to states to decide whether trans students may use the restroom that matches their chosen gender rather than their birth gender.
At least that will be the case until April, when the case of Gavin Grimm, a Virginia high school student who identifies as male, comes before the Supreme Court. Should the high court rule in his favor, it could set a national standard for trans rights. (His case is the one that Laverne Cox, transgender star of Netflix's Orange Is the New Black and CBS' Doubt, urged Grammy Awards viewers to research.)
Transgender: What does it mean? After Trump rolls back protections, an explainer
Perhaps the most notable entry was from Jackie Evancho, the America's Got Talent runner-up who sang the national anthem at President Trump's inauguration last month. This issue is deeply personal for her: Her older sister Juliet came out as trans in 2015.
"I am obviously disappointed in the @POTUS decision to send the #transgender bathroom issue to the states to decide," she acknowledged on Twitter, before addressing the Trump directly with a plea: "U gave me the honor 2 sing at your inauguration. Pls give me & my sis the honor 2 meet with u 2 talk #Transgender rights."
Trans rights are also near and dear to Oscar winner Patricia Arquette, whose sister Alexis transitioned nearly two decades ago and who died last September.
She took the "fight fear with jokes" approach, noting, "I spent half my life sharing a bathroom with a #Transgender sister. Trust me there's nothing to be afraid of other than running out of TP."
YouTube star Tyler Oakley said the so-called "bathroom bills" amount to a referendum on "allowing trans people to simply exist."
Talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres, who recently disinvited gospel singer Kim Burrell over homophobic comments, wrote, "This isn’t about politics. It’s about human rights, and it’s not okay."
Captain America star Chris Evans sought to reassure the LGBTQ community, writing, "I'm sorry for the message that was sent today. They don't speak for all of us. We love you."
Longtime LGBTQ and human rights activist George Takei warned that this legal shift was a harbinger of things to come. He wrote, "The Trump administration's war on the LGBT community has begun. Be prepared to take our fight to the streets. Are you with us, LGBT allies?"
Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron, who became a U.S. citizen in 2007, echoed Takei's sentiment, writing, "I'm angry & heartbroken. Time to wake up @realDonaldTrump & start protecting the rights of EVERY American. In this country, EVERYONE matters."
So did director Ava DuVernay. "Those of us who believe in justice and dignity FOR ALL will not be silenced. We grow louder the more you try," she warned.
Comedian Billy Eichner wanted to know why this was such a priority for the administration when all along, the Trump camp has focused on jobs and national security. "There's no reason 2 roll back rights for trans citizens or anyone else," he wrote. "What jobs does that create? How is that keeping the US safe? #Resist"
Oscar-nominated actress and X-Men star Ellen Page, who came out as a lesbian in 2014, emphasized protecting vulnerable transgender youths and standing up "against this cruelty that hurts our kids."
And Lost alumnus Dominic Monaghan lamented that life for transgender kids is about to get even rougher. "As if school life isn't hard enough at times for #transgender students @realDonaldTrump takes away rights for separate bathrooms. Heartless."
His sentiment echoed what Grimm told USA TODAY last year: "My favorite school activity is leaving school."