Laverne Cox Calls Trump Administration’s Reversal of Transgender Health Protections ‘Insult to Injury’
Laverne Cox explained the Trump administration’s reversal of transgender health protections on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, condemning their decision to announce the rollback during pride month and on the anniversary of the 2016 Pulse club shooting.
Cox began by explaining that the administration’s ruling came days before the Supreme Court would decide if sex discrimination in employment applied to LGBTQ+ employees, deeming President Donald Trump’s announcement “very unnecessary.”
The Supreme Court reached a decision hours after the Morning Joe segment and ruled that the federal law did apply to LGBTQ+ employees — a historic victory for the community.
“Obviously, during pride month, when there’s a national uprising against racial oppression in this country, when there’s a national pandemic, this administration is basically adding insult to injury because last week two transgender women were found murdered,” she added. “Tony McDade, a black trans man in Tallahassee, Florida two days after George Floyd was murdered was killed by police.”
Editor of NBC Out Brooke Sepelsa noted that Trump administration’s announcement came on the anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting, and explained that it is part of a trend that works to revoke rights and protection from the LGBTQ+ community.
Cox later explained that some states do offer protection for the LGBTQ+ community, despite rulings from the Trump administration, but noted that federal protection is still needed.
“It is so crucial now that we do not succumb to the divide and conquer strategy of this administration and others,” she added. “That we come together and understand that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Cox explained that trans rights are at the intersection of political issues, especially during the current climate when nationwide Black Lives Matter protests are occurring during Pride month.
“Trans people are so beautiful and so amazing, and I think at the same way we’re having a national reckoning right now around race in this country, and I encourage everyone, no matter who you are, no matter what race you are, to be integrating your implicit biases around race in this country, she added.
“We should have the same internal conversations with ourselves and in our communities, with our friends and families about trans folks. We all live in a culture that devalues black lives, we all live in a culture that devalues the lives of trans people, and we’ve all internalized those values.”
Watch above, via MSNBC.
