On the latest episode of “Saturday Night Live,” the show’s first nonbinary cast member, Molly Kearney, made a statement that brought attention to the current wave of anti-trans bills being passed by state legislatures across the United States. Kearney, who was lowered to the stage in a flying harness, took aim at Republican lawmakers for their continued attacks on the trans community, especially trans youth.
Kearney’s appearance on SNL’s Weekend Update segment was a powerful statement against the more than 400 bills that have targeted trans people in the US this year alone. While speaking with Weekend Update co-anchor Michael Che, Kearney criticized the more than 14 states that have blocked gender-affirming care for transgender kids.
In a comedic yet poignant tone, Kearney spoke about the challenges of being a trans person in a society that seems to forget about the needs of trans youth. “Listen to that, Michael — restricting healthcare for kids. For some reason, there’s something about the word ‘trans’ that makes people forget the word, ‘kids,'” Kearney said. “If you don’t care about trans kids’ lives, that means you don’t care about freakin’ kids’ lives.”
Kearney’s words shed light on the struggles of trans kids and the lack of protection for their lives. Kearney also shared their personal experience of feeling trapped by their own harness, which symbolized the difficulties that trans individuals face on a daily basis.
“People need to wake up. We’re making trans kids grow up too fast. We should be keeping them safe, and we need to lift them up,” Kearney urged. They went on to speak directly to trans kids, encouraging them to stay strong and reminding them that their job is to focus on being a kid. Kearney’s words were a powerful message of hope for trans youth who are struggling to be accepted in a world that seems to be turning against them.
In the face of the current wave of anti-trans bills, Kearney’s appearance on SNL was a strong reminder that the fight for trans rights is far from over. The message of protecting trans youth is an urgent one, and Kearney’s words were a powerful call to action.