Dear Saturday Night Live: Transphobia Is No Laughing Matter
by Tom Basgil Jr. ยท February 01, 2011
http://news.change.org/stories/dear-saturday-night-live-transphobia-is-no-laughing-matter (http://news.change.org/stories/dear-saturday-night-live-transphobia-is-no-laughing-matter)
Enough people already believe the dangerous stereotype that male-to-female transgenders run around, peeking into bathrooms wearing boobs and a beard. In the U.S.'s hostile climate for the LGBT community, a popular NBC comedy show decided to pour some gasoline on the fire.
On January 29, Saturday Night Live aired a mock commercial for "Estro-Maxx," a fake estrogen therapy drug. In the sketch, lipsticked men with fake breasts praise the virtues of the once-a-day tablet. "I can't spend all day increasing market share and turning my penis into a functional vagina," says a businessperson with a deep voice and a full mustache. Another man, with scruffy facial hair and a wig, walks into a full-body scanner at the airport, catching the attention of a security officer. The audience ate it up.