Tommy Dorfman has described transphobia in the US as a “specific type of targeted eradication” of transgender people.
The actress, who is best known for appearing in 13 Reasons Why and came out as trans in 2021, urged people to be aware of the “disease of transphobia” spreading in her home country when speaking at a rally for Trans Day of Visibility on 31 March.
“All signs are pointing to a very specific type of targeted eradication of an entire part of humanity in this country, if these people get their way, and that starts with denying medical and health care that is necessary for survival for trans people,” she told British Vogue after the event.
“I think there’s a lot of frustration with how silent the entertainment and fashion industries have been during this time, which feels incredibly disheartening, because they do love to profit off of us.”
Dorfman praised the teens who organised the rally and said she admired the “love and respect” they had for each other.
READ MORE: ‘Lesbians being anti-trans is a lesbophobic trope’
“I was enamoured by the way they treat each other and the community that they foster and the care that they have for the rest of the country, because obviously New York is not in as dire straits – yet – compared to the 46 states that have introduced anti-trans legislation this year alone,” she continued.
“New York is an outlier for now, but I don’t think anyone is resting on our laurels in any way,” she continued. “This disease of transphobia and this type of rhetoric is contagious, and there was definitely an acknowledgement of that during the protest.”
US voters believe attacks on LGBTQ+ rights are “excessive, political theatre”
According to findings from a new poll, which was conducted by Data for Progress, “72% of Democrats, 65% of Independents, and 55% of Republicans think that there is ‘too much legislation’ aimed at limiting the rights of transgender and gay people in America.”
With almost 430 separate bills already making their way through various state legislatures this year alone, it was also found that a majority of voters in the US believe the Republican Party is using LGBTQ+ rights as a “wedge issue” to gain political advantage and/or sow division.
“Political leaders should not hesitate to call out Republicans on their manipulative political tactics,” said Data for Progress pollsters Erin Thomas, Grace Adcox and Lew Blank in a blog post. “Furthermore, they should use their platform to make the country more aware of queer people and queer issues.”
READ MORE: Drag is under attack – but these queens aren’t backing down anytime soon
They added that the Democratic Party “should be doing more to advocate for queer and trans people” as bills continue to target their rights.
This was reflected in the poll, as 56% of likely Democratic voters said the Party should be doing more, while 63% of Independent or third-party voters agreed.
Republican narratives surrounding trans identities also appear to be unpopular among potential voters, as 57% agree “that transgender identities occur naturally when free societies permit individuals to identify outside of societal norms, whereas only 33 percent view transgender identities as a ‘woke’ invention.”
Latest
