i know everyone else is saying this but john oliver being such a staunch supporter of trans rights, at times where really no one else was in the public view, really made me feel safe and seen. god bless u john
Yes! I love how LWT has always stood for civil rights and brought attention to issues people didn't know about or want to talk about. 🙏 I'm not trans but I'm a lesbian and it was really wonderful to hear him cheering for the legalization of marriage equality in this episode as well
I remember having this episode downloaded on my parent's sky box for *years,* it was the only thing broadcast about trans people that didn't fill me with existential sadness. Thank you, sad British parrot-man, for giving a kid hope 💙🏳️⚧️
The world is a better place because John's in it and he actually uses his platform to give a voice to those that are unjustly spoken over. I'm really glad he helped you feel safe and seen.
As a sad update, that young man who talked about the damage these bathroom bans cause to transgender students - Henry Berg-Brousseau - committed suicide in 2022. He was 24 years old.
I'm originally from Texas. When the trans panic hit, it was legal for a man to use the ladies room. It was always legal, and the movement to make it illegal was never about gender separation (which never existed), but singling out trans people for abuse. As pointed out, indecency, and sex crimes against children have always been illegal, so these laws didn't add protections, they were just discriminatory sticks to beat trans people with, because someone thought that trans people didn't have enough hurdles and struggles already.
In most states, before the angry bigots realized they could make trouble over this, bathroom labels were for convenience and it was legally recognized that people might use facilities not matching their gender, particularly in times of great need.
I know tons of women who go in the men's if there's a line. Luckily in NY that's stayed fine, and lots of places don't even have gendered bathrooms anymore. That's always been normal too. I worked at a place with an ice rink, and the bathroom there was gender neutral and it was meaningless, just families, etc. For years, maybe decades.
@@WyvernYT Yes indeed its all about angry bigots. Yarden Silveira (23) went through a gender transition as a high school teen and like so many others won’t be voting in any future elections. Before he chose to leave this world, Yarden expressed his feelings on the YELP page of the "healthcare professionals" at Align Surgical (Dr. Thomas Satterwhite) that enabled his demise by feeding a delusion. Here are Yarden’s final words: “I wish I never listened to the medical and psychiatric community when they told me it was possible to change my sex. What a lie. Very dangerous and unethical…No one is truly there for me. There's no need to pretend. I have a gaping hole in my genital area with my colon spilling out… What hurts me the most is the loneliness and the inability to find a partner. I can't have a normal sex life. I'm a loser and I probably deserve this deception. This is what I get for messing with nature.”
That guy was 100% right, and John was wrong to mock him. "Transgender woman" is nonsense. Did they mean a woman that transitioned into a man, or a man that now transitioned into a transgender woman? Which is the before and which is after? They should have phrased it better. That is of course assuming that "transgender" part was relevant to the story so they could not just say woman, otherwise clearly just woman is the way to go...
@@urosjoksimovic200 That's what always (still) confuses me. Someone's trans-son, or trans-daughter...why confuse people about pointing to origins? Now, they throw in cis. Why??
i watched this episode as a scared-out-of-my-mind middle schooler just paralyzed at the thought that the world’s opinion on trans people was changing for the worst. almost ten years later, it feels like it’s gotten a little better and a little worse at the same time- but i still remember how relieved i felt hiding from my parents and watching this episode from the stairs. seeing it pop up again sparks the same energy in me and suddenly i’m 12 years old giddy off the adrenaline of seeing the pride flag on my parents television, knowing that even if they didn’t fully understand me or care to listen that maybe, _maybe_ they would listen to this show. idk maybe this isn’t really a good place to get emotional about it but i’ll see how i feel after this rewatch
it's interesting how the countries temperature has changed towards us. Our cis allies are more fierce, but the transphobes are more vicious too. But our allies are for sure more numerous than they were at the time of this airing, I think, and there's strength in numbers which makes me feel marginally better even though right winger rhetoric about us has gotten so much more vile.
okay i’m back this episode fucks. for 2015 it covers so many contemporary arguments against trans people. i wish i knew how henry’s doing, my heart still hurts watching his speech and knowing how it ends
@@CTEMmm i like the way you think. sometimes i forget there are allies out there that’d fight tooth and nail for us, the vitriol we’ve witnessed can be so blinding. i’m trying not to respond with such a negative tone to your kind comment but it’s hard :,) i’m glad we got to me through these comments though
@@CTEMmmWell said and amen to that! No, we are not going anywhere - ever - and yes, we’ll keep fighting for each other because we sure a.f don’t need anyone’s acceptance to exist.
im a trans guy; and it is very reassuring to hear an entire audience cheer on when john said that our genitals are non of yalls fucking business. thank you!
As a transgender teen I am terrified whenever I even step outside my house. I have also been called an “it” and “mentally ill” and when I told my teachers they didn’t care and I kept on getting harassed. I worry if I don’t pass well enough or if someone is going to hurt me for being me. I just want to be happy and enjoy MY life how I want to live.
It's rough. The best- or rather, least bad solution I've found is to just dissect it for what it is. When they call you mentally ill that's just an admission that they do agree something is different in your brain. They only use mentaly ill because of how negatively charged and stigmatized that term is but they don't actually know what it means. When they call you an it they're in a way being more supportive than some people who call you by your preffered pronouns. Because unlike the ones who do it because they think that's what you want, the people who call you it actually acknowledge your desire to not be seen as the gender you were born as. Which, at least imo, feels nicer than someone who has to look you up and down to get it right, reminding you of how you're perceived, because at that point the damage is done no matter what they call you. It's not an excuse to cope. The reason this works for me is because it's actually true. Whether they like it or not, bigots are more aware and, in a morbid way, respectful of who you are than anyone who only does it because they think they should. It would still be nice if everyone was a true ally of course :/ Side note... This might not apply to you but it worked for me so on the slim chance it does I'll tell you. When I got bullied, although not for being trans, I used to just do something super unexpected like hugging my bully and then using their confusion to say something so kind or specific that continuing their bullying would make it awkward for them. Obviously it doesn't work on everyone and if it's very serious it might put you at more risk but I wanted to say it nonetheless. It's helped me break up an argument between my parents in an instant too. MAny times in fact. One time I just pinched my mom's nose and made a weird sound and she got so confused she forgot to stay angry. Even chuckled at the absurdity Oh and when you are being bullied because you're trans, don't tell your teacher the real reason if it isn't gonna make them get out of their office chair. Tell them something they can sympathize with. Even if they figure out the truth they can't really do nothing. Again, not foolproof but it has worked for me a few times Regardless of what happens just remember that it's only going to get better. Even if you think you've taken a step back sometimes, don't focus on that specific example. Look at how much better life has gotten over the years. It's good to have hope. Keeps you looking to the future rather than the now. Good luck out there
Don't change for other people. It is scary, I won't deny you that, but you deserve to live a life in a body that you love. Continue to be you, and fuck the adults who have a problem with that; it says way more about how they're human pieces of shit than anything about you.
I'm so sorry this has happened to you. Is there a transgender wellness centre, or something along those lines in the city or town where you live? I don't know what kinds of support they offer, but I thought there must be something they can do to help you feel safer and supported. It would help if you had support from your community. The only other suggestion I could make is calling a crisis hotline if you need to talk things through, or let someone know if you're being threatened or are somehow unsafe. I know I'll never understand what you're experiencing, but I wish you love and support. ❤
Yeah I get the "it" thing every now and then too! What's with that? Like, do these people hear themselves? Sometimes it feels like I'm in 1930s Germany.
I kind of like that weather guy's reaction. "So she's just a woman?!" Like the fact that she's AMAB means nothing and the trans prefix just serves to confuse people for no reason. I like that world view.
No seriously. The trans label exists SOLELY to confuse and disrespect people. Trans folk have ALWAYS wanted to just be called their preferred gender, end of. The label trans was pushed on us specifically to other us from cis people. The only way we were "allowed" to be, for example, a man, is if we're a "not-a-man man." A modifier to our gender to say "no don't worry, I'm not a REAL man." And really the only reason we use the term cis is to level the playing field. If everyone has a modifier to their gender, then it has less impact. And you know damn well how they react to being called cis. They know the modifier "devalues" their gender, they just like having that power over other people.
I very rarely have any criticisms for Oliver, but I do wish he'd been a little kinder to that weatherman. We don't need everyone to understand the intricacies of transitioning or terminologies, we need people to know that trans people are the gender they say they are, and he clears that bar just fine, even while being otherwise confused. He's good, leave the man alone.
@@CatHasOpinions734 Weather man is actually a stand up comic (McCloskey) who does comic segment weather/headlines, and has clarified that the whole thing was a bit for him to point out that using "transgender" was needless and that it should be simply a "woman". Joke flew over John's team heads and John ended up being bamboozled in this one.
There's a reason they've gotten worse, and it's because we made the mistake of allowing Trump in office and let him build his political supercult every day straight for four years. Let's not make the same mistake again. WINK. WINK.
@@SnepBlepVR No you don't live in fear. The agenda is putting that fear into your head. I have to wonder what fear is involved with committing crimes against children and then getting away with it? It happened in Kentucky. All because a person "identified" as trans, he got away with a crime that usually sees serious prison time. I know the agenda did their best to cover that up. They do their best to deny all of those crimes against women and children. Because women and children are second class to men and their right to act as woman as a costume they can remove any time they want.
I said it at the time, I'll say it again: "I would totally be a sexual predator if I thought I could get away with it" is not the gotcha you think it is, Mike.
@@lufrog6465 It was not by accident he is a comedian and he later pointed that it was just a bit to mock poor use of language in the headline. He knew what he was doing.
Well, at least TV show hosts no longer ask trans guests about their genitals. But we've gone backward in so many other ways. In 2015, there were no bans on gender-affirming care for trans youth.
You proudly hate women, don't you? Do you threaten to hurt us, too? Look at the name you chose for yourself. It announces that you're violent. Your name states that your underlying belief is that women have no rights and you have every right to assault us if we don't coddle you. Are you one of those that states we shouldn't worry about other people's kids while stating that other people's kids should become medical experiments?
Speak for yourself.. Bill Maher kept badgering Riley Gaines, asking her about the size of Lia Thomas’ genitals on tv.. well.. that’s just Maher.. so I guess it’s just him..
I think this aged well, it is regrettable that Henry is no longer with us but neither are many of our siblings. but still, we press onward, fighting to exist, fighting to be considered humans.
@@OscarLangleySoryuFalse. Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and even Coney Barrett are less extreme than Scalia-it's Alito and Thomas that are the real hardliners. The issue is simply that there are now *six* of them.
@@OscarLangleySoryu - CFPB v. Community Financial Services Association of America, Limited - Rudisill v. McDonough Basically any 7-2 decision of the last few years. Also read Thomas' concurrence in Dobbs. Scalia would have been all over that, but no one else would have gone that far.
The rights of women matter less than the rights of trans people. Both groups want to "feel safe" in the restroom but only one group gets shit on by the left. It's like you all are in a constant search for the biggest victim in the room.
Sad update. Henry committed suicide in 2022. I knew him personally. He was my friend. I taught him how to knit and his ability even surpassed my own. I miss him.
I'm so sorry. He helped better the state I love and call home, and I'm so grateful to him for that. He seemed like a wonderful person and his life continues to impact so many.
So much love to you and Henry's loved ones. He was so brave speaking in front of that panel, and I wish he hadn't had to be. I want to be a part of creating a world where kids like Henry can just...be, without having to defend their every move and their right to do something as basic as use the bathroom in public.
I wish I could give John a hug so he could relay it to his team. Everyone working on this show stokes just the right fires and gives me hope for humanity. I wish I could say how much support like this helps, but there are no words. I love everyone working with John Oliver, you're all just genuinely good people. 💜
When I was a confused teenager, I watched that clip of the two trans women at the DMV and felt an unusual amount of sympathy for how much being called "it" would hurt. Obviously now I know my sympathy was because I'm also trans, so the everyday gutstab of misgendering was something I knew first-hand. Now, I've also got first-hand experience of what bureaucratic discrimination at somewhere as mundane as the DMV feels like, I had a woman smack her lips at me when I asked for a change to my gender marker on a driver's license. She denied that request on a technicality that wasn't even legal, I could point to the law and explain how she was breaking the law, but I had no other choice. That terror, part of my life being in the hands of an uncaring, unsympathetic bureaucrat, I've felt it.
To clarify *why* an incorrect gender marker can be dangerous, it instantly outs me as trans every time I'm ID'ed. It doesn't matter for the 90% of people that are normal about it, but for the remaining 10%, it can be life-threatening.
@@cjdoesart It really does affect us everywhere. Jobs, interacting with the government in any way, interacting with law enforcement both as part of the government and as a seperate issue... Heck, even just something as mundane as online shopping (maybe I could come up with a better example?) could potentially be a risk. If an alt-right extremist wants to doxx us and out us to everyone they only need to find one little ticked box which tells them our sex or gender. Heck, even if they didn't, just being a trans person and giving that information out online makes it much easier for predatory companies to abuse you. But also just the fact that they will do everything in their power to keep that data wtih cookies, illegal practices and like 15 other attempts at getting you to just click yes to something
As a trans woman living in Ireland I faced discrimination almost immediately after coming out and within a year I watched as my life went from utter joy and finally being myself to realising I'm probably going to always need my guard up when I walk down the street. I don't get a choice in this, if I go outside I have to mentally prepare myself that somebody might say something discriminatory. Right now it will take 7 - 12 years before I will receive medical care for my transition, I am literally not exaggerating
@@ChristopherSadlowski She did say Ireland rather than Northern Ireland, so I'm not sure the Tories are to blame for this specific atrocity. Many others, sure, but maybe not this one.
Go private, if you're lucky after you have received a gender pysch. Assessment your GP may accept shared care and prescribe for you, rather than paying the private sector prices.
@@ChristopherSadlowskithe UK is different, under the Tories the current waiting time for a first gender clinic referral appointment is 20 to 50+ years. Sadly I'm not making that up.
I really like that weather guy. he's ahead of his time "wouldn't that just be a woman?" Sir, although you were very confused, you actually said something incredibly nice about trans women ❤
Watching this in 2024 is depressing. It's what happens when you get complacent. Acquaintances of mine are fleeing their states, as they're even more unsafe for trans people now. I'm lucky to live in a place that is protected (for now, at least). Vote like your safety, rights, and ability to vote depend on it... because it does!
This was the very first piece of nonfictional media that explicitly supported trans people that I came across as a newly out young trans man about ten years ago. Thank you, LWT. May Henry’s memory be a blessing.
@@markrussell3428but that has nothing to do with this comment. Allow people to be happy in happy comments, and there can be tragedy in tragedy comments. There are other places where that information belongs, but not in the replies to this comment.
@@stargazer1998 it has everything to do with his comment. This show holds up Henry as a becon of hope fight for the betterment of humanity. This whole farse takes a real tragic turn when you discover how it ends, much like it did for another darling of the trans-movement Kailey Scott with united airlines. Have some courage and look it up. Then you will find this ideology is no joke. It is killing people.
@@stargazer1998 No my friend no, it has everything to do with it. There is no humor and there is no narrative to spin when you realize what a dangerous game and the harms this is responsible for. Perhaps John and team can find something humorous with all the girls on the crowd funding sites looking to get de-transition reconstructive breast surgery after realizing that mastectomy BEFORE turning 18 was no laughing matter. I can post some names if you want to contribute. You see there is no humor in the story when the person you feature is no longer with us and it was all self-inflicted. Much like the mastectomies. You see, this is just another sad manipulation and not much different to the end for Kayleigh Scott, who starred in a United Airlines marketing video. They too scored inclusion point but when the spotlight faded it wasn't such a bright future for Kayleigh Scott. Look it up if you have the courage.
That was my takeaway too! Yeah, he was ignorant about it, but his confusion was at the terminology-if he'd written the story, it seems like he'd have just said "woman" with no further questions.
LWT has tendency to character assasinate, mock, belittle and utterly shit on people who are just confused, because they don't sound progressive. That weatherman was absolutely right - that is just a woman That ugandan presenter saying "why are you gay" - he was genuinely confused and uneducated. Like literally uneducated, he asked questions and learned during that interview. But John never showed or acknowledged that
I’m a trans woman. I transitioned at the age of 14 in 2009. Things have gotten so much worse for us and I am so sad and scared 😨 😭 I’m from Tennessee and if I was 14 today instead of in 2010 I wouldn’t even have been allowed to transition!! 😱 transitioning saved my life, male puberty was a nightmare and I felt like I was becoming a monster and it made me suicidal. Now it’s illegal to even change your gender on your license I’m so scared I’ll get in trouble because my license says female… I am afraid it will just keep getting worse for us and I’m scared and heartbroken when I was little I was always under the impression that things would keep getting better not worse!!!
**hugs** It will actually get better. Anti-trans laws get overturned all the time by the courts. Yeah, the bigots are louder, but that's because sane people don't use a megaphone to express themselves. Love, from a transman.
Sadly that is what happend when one side pushes something with nearly radical fever. I'm from conservative country, so conservative we do not have same-sex marraige and no party is confident enought to try to make it into law as it's seen as political suicide. Yet we have laws allowing transition, change of ID, we have trans care... for now. Luckly most conservative party is seen as joke, and second to most one was ruling for some years and people were so tiredo f them we got liberal goverment now. But I know if too many people will start shouting "bigot" my trans fellow citizens will only loose on that. I have seen exactly what you see, when I was a teenager it was cool to be liberal, everyone was thinking we will be getting more and more progressive. You could feel the massive wave of regular, rational people drowing out intolerant, uneducated voices. Asking "whats wrong with that, let them be". Now... it's war. Sometimes nearlyl iteral as when someones apartment was burned for having rainbow flag.
God him bringing up the Caitlyn Jenner cover, this feels like it came out a lifetime ago. I was barely aware of trans people back when this came out and now ive been a woman for a little over a year. Crazy what a decade does
6:01 honestly a great argument for why judges should take ethics courses. There are going to be ambiguous laws and it should be the responsibility to make choices which are moraly defensible as well as legally
Bro people still watch this? This is literally dog food for NPC. Also! The way they unveiled the seasons on RUclips means they have a shit marketing department. How can a production this big be so out if touch with how to even upload videos properly. Lmao
@@FirstName-zt2my Many people here hadn't had access to the shorter segments outside of the main one and for them this is the first time this has been made available in a legal manner.
When the show comes back this fall, I really want to know how much money LWT made on RUclips compared to the money Warner Bros earned from HBO Max. I think RUclips's revenue sharing is about 1 cent per ad but a phenomenal number of these videos would be demonetized...
@@FirstName-zt2my-- Releasing past seasons lile this gives LWT a home when HBO max finally dies AND gives the show runners tangible metrics about popular topics. Given that the show is entering into its 10th season, that's useful info.
@SnoFitzroy there's a browser extension called shinigami eyes that flags known trans allies and transphobes. I don't know much about it other than that it exists, but John Oliver has long been a vocal ally of the trans community
I had friends that were transgender and were the nicest people on the planet. I left a place I was working at one day, and walked up to her and hugged her and I am going to miss you the most. She was my friend. And how John explains it, when I overheard a conversation at a bar saying I don't understand it, I couldn't hold my tongue, it butted in and said it isn't for you to understand, it's not your fucking business.
The RAGE I feel... when these women are asked to describe their genitalia or to remove makeup/wigs... NO WOMAN IS ASKED TO DO THAT AT THE DMV! Go ahead and ask a cancer patient or a black woman with a weave or a lady with brightly dyed hair to... what... remove their hair!?!? WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL!? If the people who asked that of these women are still employed that is disgusting. Meanwhile, Mz Walters... does she ask that question of women who've had mastectomies? SERIOUSLY! Then these same people wax on about "decency" HOW!?
Thank you for talking about trans men as well as trans women, we often get forgotten about by transphobes and trans allies alike, I really appreciate it ❤️
Funny, three comments above you there's a person saying exactly the opposite. Seems like the bigotry is less common overall, but distilled to being louder and more aggressive from fewer individuals. That's the vibe I get too. But I'm just a boring cis-mostlyhet guy in a blue state, so my experience is different.
@@Jcewazhere Sadly those louder people are often the one making laws. There have been huge spikes of anti trans laws ranging from sports, restroom/locker use, medical care, book bans, and even some states trying to enact laws dictating how people dress. Trans folk are more visible, but that visibility has caused the far right to double down in their attempts to stamp trans people back to their invisible state.
@@Jcewazhere It is true trans acceptance is higher, the problem is the small handful of non-accepting people are making trans people's lives a living hell. This includes law makers, police officers, prison guards, and those committing the increasing trans homicides.
@@Jcewazhere idk to me it seems like bigotry is everywhere, being trans means that everyone from New York Times readers to Islamists and from my family to the top of the state government want you gone and at least a quarter of what conservatives think about is just how much they hate trans people or at least that's my experience as a young trans woman, yeah sure a lot of people are aware about trans people now but most thoughts about trans people are not positive
This is why we should push for own bathroom/employment bill and bill to protect trans youths rights to blockers and social transition…. Once the dems take back power. Then give them some time to cool off
I feel like it's kind of sad to be as happy as I am whenever there's a segment on lgbt+ things but damn it I really appreciate it, especially since this one was so long ago (and has aged perfectly). It's nice to feel seen. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
I would avoid the comment section. It's fairly clean now but I imagine as soon as the rightwingers ring their bell they'll be all over this section. I hope not but I know from experience how ugly it can get and I see some here already.
Yeah I see there have been a few on this video, so thanks for the warning, I'll try to keep this comment clean and just ignore them. Love both of your usernames btw!
Hi guys, I'm joining this little reply section to tell you all you're lovely and deserve an ice cream sandwich. Or if you're lactose intolerant like me, a dairy-free ice cream sandwich. lol But I agree, most of the reply sections have people throwing tantrums in them. It's better to ignore it unless you have thick skin.💜
Trans rights are human rights. Trans rights are your rights. Treat them accordingly. Also: If you listen really closely during the staticy HBO card, you can hear the RUclips compression algorithm begging for death!
I am not following your point. The only death I am aware of is the kid that made the passionate plea. He died by suicide. So much for transistioning being life saving care
@@markrussell3428 That's some quality bait you laid down there. Sorry you wasted it. I may have plenty of time, but that doesn't mean I want to spend that time talking to a troll whose only purpose here is making bad-faith arguments to start pointless "debates." God knows what you get out of it. Don't care. Go argue with yourself in a mirror and see if you can "win" that one.
@@crystalsoulslayer No worries. The mantra you were espousing is used to both confuse and inspire children. Parents face this dilemma when they are blind-sided with the support transistion or face the consequences. No one is really talking about what happens when the transistioned child ends up dead. At that point trans right are human rights ring sort of hallow.
@@markrussell3428 Go find a mirror. Stand in front of it. Read your comments out loud to yourself. And then, if the sound of your own statements doesn't lead you to wonder what you're doing with your life, look at yourself in that mirror and have whatever furious argument you're imagining having with me right now. I'm serious. It's very cathartic and much healthier than seeking out actual people to actually argue with.
Being a celebrity cameo on this show really is a gamble. Sometimes you have to narrate an entire audiobook's worth of military torture records, and sometimes you say two words and go home.
Bathroom bills are probably the most stupid and counterintuitive bills I have ever heard of, these bills are created out of fear that hairy men with beards are gonna enter women’s bathrooms, yet these bills force hairy bearded trans men to enter women’s bathrooms 😂
Wish there was more positive and supportive trans related media out there. So sick of being hated for existing slightly different to the norm. Aren't we beyond this
When gay marriage was legalized, I was a kid and watched my mom cry in disgust. I’m a queer adult now. Me and my trans partner had a lovely dinner at my parents last night. Life is good
its wild how little things change. i just graduated hs as a trans masc person. ive been called it and didnt use the bathroom i was comfortable with. its nice to see john supporting us so early on.
@@Ghost_ieBear If you understood the point of single-sex female spaces you'd understand why they exist. Why do you think we had spaces where no males could enter? What do you think is the purpose? Why don't we have mixed prisons (except in regressive countries where they started putting males into female spaces)?
@@user-zs4kv5bx9l Can you guys stop asking stupid questions and engage if you're going to write something. If the person in question understood the purpose of single-sex female spaces then she would understand why she wasn't allowed in the male bathroom. I know she is female. She clearly doesn't understand why we have female spaces however. Maybe you don't either. It's why you all fail to understand "the other side" (90% of the middle). You don't listen to the real arguments or why these systems and spaces exist. Although intuition should explain enough.
you’d think it would be ‘gay marriage has just been legalised’ but weirdly 4:04’s ‘mom’s on facebook now’ gave me the most culture shock of anything in the episode
The first time I watched this, I remember being a teen, so strange and curious and scared. I didn’t know what I was, but something about the fight for trans rights touched me. I read in the comments before the trans rights segment that Henry died by suicide in 2022, and knew that going in, but it hit me like a truck when he spoke. I grew up to be a trans teen and adult. And it’s been a battle, yes, but there is so much joy in it too. It’s a shame to see the same tactics used to fear-monger the public all this time later, but it’s also important to know that despite everything, progress has been made. Rest In Peace Henry. We will keep fighting for you.
It's interesting, I wasn't raised around anyone that at least I knew was transgender, I've never personally known anyone that was transgender, unless they didn't admit it to me, and yet I still sit here not confused at all about what it means to be transgender or how to talk to someone if I was indeed communicating with someone transgender. It would never even be a thought to ask these stupid questions that these so-called professional journalists ask
It feels weird having to state this again in the year 2024 but the fact is that trans rights are HUMAN rights. And EVERYONE deserves basic human rights. SO weird to have to restate that so often, still, after thousands of years of human civilization.
I'm terrified of the future, as being trans, but I want to stay hopefully for the future, I will stay hopeful. Thank you John Oliver, for continuing be a person/best host!
I appreciate that this comment section has a bunch of trans people just talking to each other instead of just hateful flaming en masse. Feels like progress has been made socially... just wish the legislation would catch up.
I'm gonna be honest... I don't know how all of those people have separate male and female bathrooms in their own house... Are they that rich they can afford that? The one in my apartment is gender neutral... Nothing wrong with that!
"Wouldn't you just say 'a woman' then? I can't even keep up anymore!" Bro, the answer is yes. Just call trans women women. It's not hard. You just got the right answer and then gave up on it. Broooo....!!!
Three of my maternal grandparents' descendants are trans females. I am grateful for their influence in my life and how I have learned from each of them. By amazing coincidence, they have been some of my favorites, even before they came out.
I felt my body clench the moment I saw this. I'm gonna have a really bad time watching this but I NEED to know how bad the nation wants to screw me over.
The zoo at which I volunteer and am doing graduate school has an ostrich named Dusty. He randomly decided he doesn't like his zebra roommates any more, has done a full courting display for a construction worker, and is generally a complete jerk and not very bright. We love him for it. Also yeah as the only openly agender/nonbinary person at said zoo, hearing John break everything down is amazing and reassuring.
It’s unbelievable that the story about “bathroom bills” is just as relevant now than it was when gay marriage was first legalized. Then again, its taken decades just to get marriage rights so it’s really not that surprising.
@@rosieg6989 @coolcats435 untrue! things have in fact gotten better! it's true that there have been some regressions, especially given how hard certain groups have been working to make life harder for us, but there have been many improvements! here are a few things that have changed for the better since 2015: -most states no longer require surgery before you can change your name and gender marker, and every state save kansas and florida allow gender changes on driver;s licenses -some states now allow the option "x" for gender markers (i just got mine yesterday! tho one day i hope we can have the option of removing gender markers altogether, since it's kinda unnecessary imo) -if you have a valid us passport, you have the options of m, f, or x for gender markers, to be determined by the individual in question (i think this is also true if you weren't born here but hold some kind of status) -the 2012 equal access rule was expanded to grant equal access to all hud programs and shelters, regardless of perceived or actual gender identity -14 states and washington dc have passed laws to protect trans people, their families, and their healthcare providers fleeing anti-trans violence and legislation from being extradited -the supreme court determined that title vii of the civil rights act of 1964 extends to transgender people in both public and private employment -26 states now have some kind of ban on conversion therapy relating to gender identity, as do dc and puerto rico -28 states and dc have state medicaid policies explicitly including transition-related coverage -24 states and dc have laws prohibiting transgender exclusion in private insurance *there's been progress outside of the states as well, of course!* (being american, i know less about this, so anyone with more knowledge please correct me if i slip up!) -argentina now legally recognizes nonbinary gender on all official documentation, and not only that but they provide economic incentives for businesses in the private sector to employ transgender and travesti workers -australia repealed the law requiring people to be single before changing their recorded sex (i believe this was referred to as the "forced divorce" requirement) -brazil's supreme federal court ruled that trans people have the right to change their official name and sex without undergoing surgery or professional evaluation -canada added gender identity/expression to their human rights act, and now has a nationwide conversion therapy ban -pakistan's senate unanimously passed a bill that allows trans people to determine their own gender -botswana's high court ruled in favor of trans applicants for legal gender change in two separate cases, setting a precedent for other trans people seeking gender changes on official documents -finland finally removed the sterilization requirement for gender reassignment -the greek parliament passed a bill allowing trans people 17 or older to legally change their gender with no conditions -just a couple months ago, sweden removed the requirement of a gender dysphoria diagnosis for legal gender change -adults in portugal can legally change their gender without any requirements, and conversion therapy has been criminalized -the constitutional court of romania overturned the parliament's ban on gender identity studies within half a year of it being passed -mexico's supreme court ruled that the right to self-determination of gender identity is a fundamental human right, and just this year the mexican senate voted overwhelmingly to ban conversion therapy -chile passed a law recognizing the right to self-determination of gender identity, and anyone over 14 can legally change their name and gender (there are somewhat more requirements for people between 14-18, and anyone under 14, while not able to make legal changes, will still be recognized as trans) -the constitutional court of columbia ordered the columbian government to facilitate the inclusion of nonbinary gender identification markers in identity documents -ecuador approved a gender identity law allowing for self-determination of gender identity, and will distribute new legal ids for those who change their gender/name -peru added sexual orientation and gender identity protections to their hate crime laws -uruguay passed the comprehensive law for trans persons, which among other things provided reparations to the ~50 trans people persecuted during the uruguyan dictatorship tldr: there's a lot of really awful stuff happening, to be sure, but we can't forget that we HAVE made progress.
17:35 this part is the most impacting just think how bad things have to be with transgender people that a transgender man describes his service in Afghanistan as overwhelming positive
Back when the Supreme Court actually did their job without being complete nonces about it. Turns out, you need a Democratic majority for that to be the case.
I try not to go into public restrooms because I'm afraid of being physically assaulted in the men's or verbally assaulted in the women's. It wasn't until I found out that my grandchildren had been told that they weren't allowed to come visit me because they'll die, that I don't feel like going out anymore.
I use to hate public bathrooms because they are filthy and I’m slightly a germaphobe. That got worse when I ended up in a manual wheelchair, because I have to touch the wheels that touch the gross sticky floor. Now I worry no matter which I use is illegal, and someone will justify leaving me dead in a heap on the floor and get away with it because trans panic is once again just as valid a criminal defense as self defense. My family disowned me in 1984, reunited with me during the brief period being an ally was seen as cool, then disowned me again in 2022 once the wave of trans panic made being an ally a liability to them for whatever reason. I changed my name shortly after so they can’t locate or contact me again, to protect my sanity. They know where I live currently, no getting around that for reasons I stated a few ago on this thread, but they didn’t want to visit before so I don’t think that will change. 😊
@Jana.Milcham Yeah, that is also true. The hygiene is often an issue as well, I'd hate to see what some of these people's bathrooms are like at home. I'm sorry to hear about family. It's a horrible feeling knowing you can't rely on or be supported by those who you should be able to trust the most. I hope you have others in your life with which you can.
So so so glad that the DMV I went to back when I lived in WV was actually decent. I was pretty obviously trans at the time and the folk there were fairly supportive and even offered to put my preferred gender on my ID. But given the culture around there I do understand how those poor women got treated. There are lots of kind and caring folk in WV but there is still a very large portion of the population that is extremely and willingly ignorant
What is terrible is in Florida that is now a crime. If a police officer pulls over a trans man and it says male on their drivers license they will be arrested with a charge of fraud.
This was the episode that taught me what transgender meant, before that I had no language to describe how I felt. I've been out for more than 5 years now and I couldn't be happier. Thanks to John Oliver and to all the crew that worked on this episode of last week tonight.
Someimes I forget that this show is older that nationwide same-sex marriage.
Watching season 1 and hearing the "growing problem of a group known as ISIS" is fucking hilarious
PA just celebrated 10 years a few days ago.
Yeah, kinda important not to lose track of how recent some of our rights are
And a decade later, trans legal rights and protections have only worsened. More and more bans, from the "small government" party.
@@andy4an AND how easily they can be taken away by 5 bastards through homeschooling and religious education.
i know everyone else is saying this but john oliver being such a staunch supporter of trans rights, at times where really no one else was in the public view, really made me feel safe and seen. god bless u john
Yes! I love how LWT has always stood for civil rights and brought attention to issues people didn't know about or want to talk about. 🙏 I'm not trans but I'm a lesbian and it was really wonderful to hear him cheering for the legalization of marriage equality in this episode as well
God Bless you. Most sane Americans are with you.
♥️🏳️⚧️🌈
I remember having this episode downloaded on my parent's sky box for *years,* it was the only thing broadcast about trans people that didn't fill me with existential sadness. Thank you, sad British parrot-man, for giving a kid hope 💙🏳️⚧️
The world is a better place because John's in it and he actually uses his platform to give a voice to those that are unjustly spoken over. I'm really glad he helped you feel safe and seen.
As a sad update, that young man who talked about the damage these bathroom bans cause to transgender students - Henry Berg-Brousseau - committed suicide in 2022. He was 24 years old.
😔 RIP
That's terrible, i hope he rests in peace
Oh my gods how horrible. Poor guy. Jesus
Yes. I came here to post this. Thank you for remembering Henry. He was a good man and deserved better from this country.
This makes me terrified as a transgender teenager.
I'm originally from Texas. When the trans panic hit, it was legal for a man to use the ladies room.
It was always legal, and the movement to make it illegal was never about gender separation (which never existed), but singling out trans people for abuse.
As pointed out, indecency, and sex crimes against children have always been illegal, so these laws didn't add protections, they were just discriminatory sticks to beat trans people with, because someone thought that trans people didn't have enough hurdles and struggles already.
In most states, before the angry bigots realized they could make trouble over this, bathroom labels were for convenience and it was legally recognized that people might use facilities not matching their gender, particularly in times of great need.
I know tons of women who go in the men's if there's a line. Luckily in NY that's stayed fine, and lots of places don't even have gendered bathrooms anymore. That's always been normal too. I worked at a place with an ice rink, and the bathroom there was gender neutral and it was meaningless, just families, etc. For years, maybe decades.
@@WyvernYT Yes indeed its all about angry bigots. Yarden Silveira (23) went through a gender transition as a high school teen and like so many others won’t be voting in any future elections. Before he chose to leave this world, Yarden expressed his feelings on the YELP page of the "healthcare professionals" at Align Surgical (Dr. Thomas Satterwhite) that enabled his demise by feeding a delusion. Here are Yarden’s final words:
“I wish I never listened to the medical and psychiatric community when they told me it was possible to change my sex. What a lie. Very dangerous and unethical…No one is truly there for me. There's no need to pretend. I have a gaping hole in my genital area with my colon spilling out… What hurts me the most is the loneliness and the inability to find a partner. I can't have a normal sex life. I'm a loser and I probably deserve this deception. This is what I get for messing with nature.”
In defense of that bamboozled weatherman, "Are you just saying a woman, then?" seems like a pretty ideal first take on the issue.
honestly the "fuck it, do what makes you happy and i'll respect it" attitude is as timeless as it is great
It was giving accidental ally
That guy was 100% right, and John was wrong to mock him. "Transgender woman" is nonsense. Did they mean a woman that transitioned into a man, or a man that now transitioned into a transgender woman? Which is the before and which is after? They should have phrased it better. That is of course assuming that "transgender" part was relevant to the story so they could not just say woman, otherwise clearly just woman is the way to go...
@@AnhedoniaShoujo it's all good until one of those try to compete in sports, and suddenly DNA matters.
@@urosjoksimovic200 That's what always (still) confuses me. Someone's trans-son, or trans-daughter...why confuse people about pointing to origins? Now, they throw in cis. Why??
i watched this episode as a scared-out-of-my-mind middle schooler just paralyzed at the thought that the world’s opinion on trans people was changing for the worst. almost ten years later, it feels like it’s gotten a little better and a little worse at the same time- but i still remember how relieved i felt hiding from my parents and watching this episode from the stairs. seeing it pop up again sparks the same energy in me and suddenly i’m 12 years old giddy off the adrenaline of seeing the pride flag on my parents television, knowing that even if they didn’t fully understand me or care to listen that maybe, _maybe_ they would listen to this show.
idk maybe this isn’t really a good place to get emotional about it but i’ll see how i feel after this rewatch
it's interesting how the countries temperature has changed towards us. Our cis allies are more fierce, but the transphobes are more vicious too. But our allies are for sure more numerous than they were at the time of this airing, I think, and there's strength in numbers which makes me feel marginally better even though right winger rhetoric about us has gotten so much more vile.
okay i’m back this episode fucks. for 2015 it covers so many contemporary arguments against trans people. i wish i knew how henry’s doing, my heart still hurts watching his speech and knowing how it ends
@@CTEMmm i like the way you think. sometimes i forget there are allies out there that’d fight tooth and nail for us, the vitriol we’ve witnessed can be so blinding. i’m trying not to respond with such a negative tone to your kind comment but it’s hard :,) i’m glad we got to me through these comments though
@@charadefae it is hard
@@CTEMmmWell said and amen to that! No, we are not going anywhere - ever - and yes, we’ll keep fighting for each other because we sure a.f don’t need anyone’s acceptance to exist.
im a trans guy; and it is very reassuring to hear an entire audience cheer on when john said that our genitals are non of yalls fucking business. thank you!
Cheers
Agree but he is using a laugh track
@@genericbrandsludge It's a live studio audience, you can go into the lottery to get free tickets to it.
@@genericbrandsludge John Oliver has a live studio audience.
@@genericbrandsludgelwt has a live audience source: I went to a taping in April and a taping of the daily show
As a transgender teen I am terrified whenever I even step outside my house. I have also been called an “it” and “mentally ill” and when I told my teachers they didn’t care and I kept on getting harassed. I worry if I don’t pass well enough or if someone is going to hurt me for being me. I just want to be happy and enjoy MY life how I want to live.
It's rough. The best- or rather, least bad solution I've found is to just dissect it for what it is. When they call you mentally ill that's just an admission that they do agree something is different in your brain. They only use mentaly ill because of how negatively charged and stigmatized that term is but they don't actually know what it means. When they call you an it they're in a way being more supportive than some people who call you by your preffered pronouns. Because unlike the ones who do it because they think that's what you want, the people who call you it actually acknowledge your desire to not be seen as the gender you were born as. Which, at least imo, feels nicer than someone who has to look you up and down to get it right, reminding you of how you're perceived, because at that point the damage is done no matter what they call you. It's not an excuse to cope. The reason this works for me is because it's actually true. Whether they like it or not, bigots are more aware and, in a morbid way, respectful of who you are than anyone who only does it because they think they should. It would still be nice if everyone was a true ally of course :/
Side note... This might not apply to you but it worked for me so on the slim chance it does I'll tell you. When I got bullied, although not for being trans, I used to just do something super unexpected like hugging my bully and then using their confusion to say something so kind or specific that continuing their bullying would make it awkward for them. Obviously it doesn't work on everyone and if it's very serious it might put you at more risk but I wanted to say it nonetheless. It's helped me break up an argument between my parents in an instant too. MAny times in fact. One time I just pinched my mom's nose and made a weird sound and she got so confused she forgot to stay angry. Even chuckled at the absurdity
Oh and when you are being bullied because you're trans, don't tell your teacher the real reason if it isn't gonna make them get out of their office chair. Tell them something they can sympathize with. Even if they figure out the truth they can't really do nothing. Again, not foolproof but it has worked for me a few times
Regardless of what happens just remember that it's only going to get better. Even if you think you've taken a step back sometimes, don't focus on that specific example. Look at how much better life has gotten over the years. It's good to have hope. Keeps you looking to the future rather than the now. Good luck out there
You are valid and sorry people suck.
Don't change for other people. It is scary, I won't deny you that, but you deserve to live a life in a body that you love. Continue to be you, and fuck the adults who have a problem with that; it says way more about how they're human pieces of shit than anything about you.
I'm so sorry this has happened to you. Is there a transgender wellness centre, or something along those lines in the city or town where you live? I don't know what kinds of support they offer, but I thought there must be something they can do to help you feel safer and supported. It would help if you had support from your community. The only other suggestion I could make is calling a crisis hotline if you need to talk things through, or let someone know if you're being threatened or are somehow unsafe.
I know I'll never understand what you're experiencing, but I wish you love and support. ❤
Yeah I get the "it" thing every now and then too! What's with that? Like, do these people hear themselves? Sometimes it feels like I'm in 1930s Germany.
I kind of like that weather guy's reaction. "So she's just a woman?!" Like the fact that she's AMAB means nothing and the trans prefix just serves to confuse people for no reason. I like that world view.
The weather guy gets how simple this is.
"He's a little confused, but he's got the spirit"
No seriously. The trans label exists SOLELY to confuse and disrespect people. Trans folk have ALWAYS wanted to just be called their preferred gender, end of. The label trans was pushed on us specifically to other us from cis people. The only way we were "allowed" to be, for example, a man, is if we're a "not-a-man man." A modifier to our gender to say "no don't worry, I'm not a REAL man."
And really the only reason we use the term cis is to level the playing field. If everyone has a modifier to their gender, then it has less impact. And you know damn well how they react to being called cis. They know the modifier "devalues" their gender, they just like having that power over other people.
I very rarely have any criticisms for Oliver, but I do wish he'd been a little kinder to that weatherman. We don't need everyone to understand the intricacies of transitioning or terminologies, we need people to know that trans people are the gender they say they are, and he clears that bar just fine, even while being otherwise confused. He's good, leave the man alone.
@@CatHasOpinions734 Weather man is actually a stand up comic (McCloskey) who does comic segment weather/headlines, and has clarified that the whole thing was a bit for him to point out that using "transgender" was needless and that it should be simply a "woman". Joke flew over John's team heads and John ended up being bamboozled in this one.
Trans and gay rights, Ukraine, and healthcare... the more things change the more they stay the same huh?
I know, it was very confusing watching the beginning of this episode.
There's a reason they've gotten worse, and it's because we made the mistake of allowing Trump in office and let him build his political supercult every day straight for four years.
Let's not make the same mistake again. WINK. WINK.
In 2024 I honestly am watching this trying *Not* to cry. Like everything feels So Fucking Dark. In 2015 we celebrated. In 2024 we live in fear.
And Puff Daddy -__-
@@SnepBlepVR No you don't live in fear. The agenda is putting that fear into your head. I have to wonder what fear is involved with committing crimes against children and then getting away with it? It happened in Kentucky. All because a person "identified" as trans, he got away with a crime that usually sees serious prison time. I know the agenda did their best to cover that up. They do their best to deny all of those crimes against women and children. Because women and children are second class to men and their right to act as woman as a costume they can remove any time they want.
I said it at the time, I'll say it again: "I would totally be a sexual predator if I thought I could get away with it" is not the gotcha you think it is, Mike.
No wife?
No husband?
No children?
Go ahead now grab granny by the lips and see what happens Boomer.
It your funeral.
That weatherman accidentally hit the nail on the head: a trans-woman is, in fact, just a woman. No hair splitting needed.
I hope he will do genuine research and learn how true what he said was.
@@lufrog6465 It was not by accident he is a comedian and he later pointed that it was just a bit to mock poor use of language in the headline. He knew what he was doing.
@@urosjoksimovic200 they’re a legend then
Well, at least TV show hosts no longer ask trans guests about their genitals. But we've gone backward in so many other ways. In 2015, there were no bans on gender-affirming care for trans youth.
You proudly hate women, don't you? Do you threaten to hurt us, too? Look at the name you chose for yourself. It announces that you're violent. Your name states that your underlying belief is that women have no rights and you have every right to assault us if we don't coddle you.
Are you one of those that states we shouldn't worry about other people's kids while stating that other people's kids should become medical experiments?
Speak for yourself.. Bill Maher kept badgering Riley Gaines, asking her about the size of Lia Thomas’ genitals on tv.. well.. that’s just Maher.. so I guess it’s just him..
Epic username. Stomp away !
I think this aged well, it is regrettable that Henry is no longer with us but neither are many of our siblings. but still, we press onward, fighting to exist, fighting to be considered humans.
Preach 👏🏽
Friendly reminder: Scalia is currently burning in hell 🥰
Unfortuinatly his spirit have invaded the supreme court.
He was so tame compared to what we have now tho
@@OscarLangleySoryuFalse. Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and even Coney Barrett are less extreme than Scalia-it's Alito and Thomas that are the real hardliners. The issue is simply that there are now *six* of them.
@@GSBarlev give an example of why you believe they’re less extreme
@@OscarLangleySoryu
- CFPB v. Community Financial Services Association of America, Limited
- Rudisill v. McDonough
Basically any 7-2 decision of the last few years.
Also read Thomas' concurrence in Dobbs. Scalia would have been all over that, but no one else would have gone that far.
If they cared about privacy in bathrooms, they'd want stalls to go from floor to ceiling at the very least.
And no gaps.
@@katalystkatapatheticalyssa5987I’ve seen the gaps in America and that shit is INSANE. Nobody wants to be listened. To taking a crap.
That's by design so you can hose the stalls down.
@@unknownamus is that why? I've never seen any explanation for this, I just assumed they want to save a tiny bit of plastic.
The rights of women matter less than the rights of trans people. Both groups want to "feel safe" in the restroom but only one group gets shit on by the left. It's like you all are in a constant search for the biggest victim in the room.
Sad update. Henry committed suicide in 2022. I knew him personally. He was my friend. I taught him how to knit and his ability even surpassed my own. I miss him.
I am sorry to hear that. He seemed nice. I wish people would just STFU about bathrooms and let people pee in piece.
@@nivoset To quote OneTopic; Generalized pooping stations.
I'm so sorry. He helped better the state I love and call home, and I'm so grateful to him for that. He seemed like a wonderful person and his life continues to impact so many.
Hug 🫂
So much love to you and Henry's loved ones. He was so brave speaking in front of that panel, and I wish he hadn't had to be. I want to be a part of creating a world where kids like Henry can just...be, without having to defend their every move and their right to do something as basic as use the bathroom in public.
I wish I could give John a hug so he could relay it to his team. Everyone working on this show stokes just the right fires and gives me hope for humanity. I wish I could say how much support like this helps, but there are no words. I love everyone working with John Oliver, you're all just genuinely good people. 💜
When I was a confused teenager, I watched that clip of the two trans women at the DMV and felt an unusual amount of sympathy for how much being called "it" would hurt. Obviously now I know my sympathy was because I'm also trans, so the everyday gutstab of misgendering was something I knew first-hand.
Now, I've also got first-hand experience of what bureaucratic discrimination at somewhere as mundane as the DMV feels like, I had a woman smack her lips at me when I asked for a change to my gender marker on a driver's license. She denied that request on a technicality that wasn't even legal, I could point to the law and explain how she was breaking the law, but I had no other choice. That terror, part of my life being in the hands of an uncaring, unsympathetic bureaucrat, I've felt it.
To clarify *why* an incorrect gender marker can be dangerous, it instantly outs me as trans every time I'm ID'ed. It doesn't matter for the 90% of people that are normal about it, but for the remaining 10%, it can be life-threatening.
@@crashcoptrI didn't even think about that, thanks for sharing!
@@crashcoptr specifically, cops are not normal people and have a license to do violence
@@cjdoesart It really does affect us everywhere. Jobs, interacting with the government in any way, interacting with law enforcement both as part of the government and as a seperate issue... Heck, even just something as mundane as online shopping (maybe I could come up with a better example?) could potentially be a risk. If an alt-right extremist wants to doxx us and out us to everyone they only need to find one little ticked box which tells them our sex or gender. Heck, even if they didn't, just being a trans person and giving that information out online makes it much easier for predatory companies to abuse you. But also just the fact that they will do everything in their power to keep that data wtih cookies, illegal practices and like 15 other attempts at getting you to just click yes to something
But were you able to get your ID changed tho? I hope so!
As a trans woman living in Ireland I faced discrimination almost immediately after coming out and within a year I watched as my life went from utter joy and finally being myself to realising I'm probably going to always need my guard up when I walk down the street.
I don't get a choice in this, if I go outside I have to mentally prepare myself that somebody might say something discriminatory. Right now it will take 7 - 12 years before I will receive medical care for my transition, I am literally not exaggerating
Sorry miss, that is just not right. I hope it improves soon since its effing crazy.
Wow, the Tories really destroyed the NHS, huh? 12 YEARS is absolutely disgusting. I hope they get voted out and soon. The UK has suffered enough...
@@ChristopherSadlowski She did say Ireland rather than Northern Ireland, so I'm not sure the Tories are to blame for this specific atrocity. Many others, sure, but maybe not this one.
Go private, if you're lucky after you have received a gender pysch. Assessment your GP may accept shared care and prescribe for you, rather than paying the private sector prices.
@@ChristopherSadlowskithe UK is different, under the Tories the current waiting time for a first gender clinic referral appointment is 20 to 50+ years.
Sadly I'm not making that up.
I really like that weather guy. he's ahead of his time "wouldn't that just be a woman?" Sir, although you were very confused, you actually said something incredibly nice about trans women ❤
Watching this in 2024 is depressing. It's what happens when you get complacent. Acquaintances of mine are fleeing their states, as they're even more unsafe for trans people now. I'm lucky to live in a place that is protected (for now, at least). Vote like your safety, rights, and ability to vote depend on it... because it does!
Vote.
But, also keep an exit strategy.
Vote locally not for genocide joe
@@massmurdertron51vote local!!
@@massmurdertron51that's the only way my vote counts anyway
Hopefully one day soon we won't need to worry about losing freedoms and human rights in the US anymore.
This was the very first piece of nonfictional media that explicitly supported trans people that I came across as a newly out young trans man about ten years ago. Thank you, LWT. May Henry’s memory be a blessing.
As a trans person from Boston, i am dying of laughter at the there's more trans people than people from Boston comment xDDDD
Interesting. You are dying of laughter and Henry died by suicide.
@@markrussell3428but that has nothing to do with this comment. Allow people to be happy in happy comments, and there can be tragedy in tragedy comments. There are other places where that information belongs, but not in the replies to this comment.
@@stargazer1998 it has everything to do with his comment. This show holds up Henry as a becon of hope fight for the betterment of humanity. This whole farse takes a real tragic turn when you discover how it ends, much like it did for another darling of the trans-movement Kailey Scott with united airlines. Have some courage and look it up. Then you will find this ideology is no joke. It is killing people.
@@stargazer1998 No my friend no, it has everything to do with it. There is no humor and there is no narrative to spin when you realize what a dangerous game and the harms this is responsible for.
Perhaps John and team can find something humorous with all the girls on the crowd funding sites looking to get de-transition reconstructive breast surgery after realizing that mastectomy BEFORE turning 18 was no laughing matter. I can post some names if you want to contribute.
You see there is no humor in the story when the person you feature is no longer with us and it was all self-inflicted. Much like the mastectomies. You see, this is just another sad manipulation and not much different to the end for Kayleigh Scott, who starred in a United Airlines marketing video. They too scored inclusion point but when the spotlight faded it wasn't such a bright future for Kayleigh Scott. Look it up if you have the courage.
That Diddy joke aged really well
10 years later and this entire episode is still unbelievably relevant
>Aren't you saying a woman, then?
Fox 10 weatherman: good on ya.
That was my takeaway too! Yeah, he was ignorant about it, but his confusion was at the terminology-if he'd written the story, it seems like he'd have just said "woman" with no further questions.
Seriously!!! I fucking LOVE him!!!!!
LWT has tendency to character assasinate, mock, belittle and utterly shit on people who are just confused, because they don't sound progressive.
That weatherman was absolutely right - that is just a woman
That ugandan presenter saying "why are you gay" - he was genuinely confused and uneducated. Like literally uneducated, he asked questions and learned during that interview.
But John never showed or acknowledged that
I’m a trans woman. I transitioned at the age of 14 in 2009. Things have gotten so much worse for us and I am so sad and scared 😨 😭 I’m from Tennessee and if I was 14 today instead of in 2010 I wouldn’t even have been allowed to transition!! 😱 transitioning saved my life, male puberty was a nightmare and I felt like I was becoming a monster and it made me suicidal. Now it’s illegal to even change your gender on your license I’m so scared I’ll get in trouble because my license says female… I am afraid it will just keep getting worse for us and I’m scared and heartbroken when I was little I was always under the impression that things would keep getting better not worse!!!
**hugs** It will actually get better. Anti-trans laws get overturned all the time by the courts. Yeah, the bigots are louder, but that's because sane people don't use a megaphone to express themselves. Love, from a transman.
Sadly that is what happend when one side pushes something with nearly radical fever. I'm from conservative country, so conservative we do not have same-sex marraige and no party is confident enought to try to make it into law as it's seen as political suicide.
Yet we have laws allowing transition, change of ID, we have trans care... for now. Luckly most conservative party is seen as joke, and second to most one was ruling for some years and people were so tiredo f them we got liberal goverment now. But I know if too many people will start shouting "bigot" my trans fellow citizens will only loose on that.
I have seen exactly what you see, when I was a teenager it was cool to be liberal, everyone was thinking we will be getting more and more progressive. You could feel the massive wave of regular, rational people drowing out intolerant, uneducated voices. Asking "whats wrong with that, let them be". Now... it's war. Sometimes nearlyl iteral as when someones apartment was burned for having rainbow flag.
God him bringing up the Caitlyn Jenner cover, this feels like it came out a lifetime ago. I was barely aware of trans people back when this came out and now ive been a woman for a little over a year. Crazy what a decade does
This was 2015, about a year before the true anti trans hate began.
"And interestingly, their decision on this matter is, medically speaking, none of your fu*king business!"
6:01 honestly a great argument for why judges should take ethics courses. There are going to be ambiguous laws and it should be the responsibility to make choices which are moraly defensible as well as legally
The subscription feed has been spammed. The binge-watching marathon has begun.
This comment has also been spammed
Bro people still watch this? This is literally dog food for NPC. Also! The way they unveiled the seasons on RUclips means they have a shit marketing department. How can a production this big be so out if touch with how to even upload videos properly. Lmao
@@FirstName-zt2my Many people here hadn't had access to the shorter segments outside of the main one and for them this is the first time this has been made available in a legal manner.
When the show comes back this fall, I really want to know how much money LWT made on RUclips compared to the money Warner Bros earned from HBO Max.
I think RUclips's revenue sharing is about 1 cent per ad but a phenomenal number of these videos would be demonetized...
@@FirstName-zt2my-- Releasing past seasons lile this gives LWT a home when HBO max finally dies AND gives the show runners tangible metrics about popular topics.
Given that the show is entering into its 10th season, that's useful info.
I wasn't able to love myself until I accepted my trans identity.
I get to be happy too.
we get to be happy too!!!! 😭🏳⚧
yeah he earned that shinigami eyes t-friendly mark
what does this even mean?????
@SnoFitzroy there's a browser extension called shinigami eyes that flags known trans allies and transphobes. I don't know much about it other than that it exists, but John Oliver has long been a vocal ally of the trans community
trans people are so adorkable. I love them. - a trans person
@UC10xiHz5CKeS2YLHE_Zpu9g tbh i think we just like death note lol
I don't think John gave that weatherman enough credit for responding to the explanation of what a trans woman is with "So that's just a woman?"
I know this was a long time ago, but thank you for giving Transgendered people a spotlight and the humanity we deserve.
I had friends that were transgender and were the nicest people on the planet. I left a place I was working at one day, and walked up to her and hugged her and I am going to miss you the most. She was my friend. And how John explains it, when I overheard a conversation at a bar saying I don't understand it, I couldn't hold my tongue, it butted in and said it isn't for you to understand, it's not your fucking business.
The RAGE I feel... when these women are asked to describe their genitalia or to remove makeup/wigs... NO WOMAN IS ASKED TO DO THAT AT THE DMV! Go ahead and ask a cancer patient or a black woman with a weave or a lady with brightly dyed hair to... what... remove their hair!?!? WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL!? If the people who asked that of these women are still employed that is disgusting. Meanwhile, Mz Walters... does she ask that question of women who've had mastectomies? SERIOUSLY! Then these same people wax on about "decency" HOW!?
In Wendy's defense though I'm pretty sure she asks literally anyone who walks onto her show if they've gotten a boob job.
Thank you for talking about trans men as well as trans women, we often get forgotten about by transphobes and trans allies alike, I really appreciate it ❤️
that joke about no one liking p.diddy aged like the finest of wines
In the last 9 years since this aired, trans people have gained more visibility and less acceptance.
Funny, three comments above you there's a person saying exactly the opposite.
Seems like the bigotry is less common overall, but distilled to being louder and more aggressive from fewer individuals.
That's the vibe I get too. But I'm just a boring cis-mostlyhet guy in a blue state, so my experience is different.
@@Jcewazhere Sadly those louder people are often the one making laws. There have been huge spikes of anti trans laws ranging from sports, restroom/locker use, medical care, book bans, and even some states trying to enact laws dictating how people dress.
Trans folk are more visible, but that visibility has caused the far right to double down in their attempts to stamp trans people back to their invisible state.
@@Jcewazhere It is true trans acceptance is higher, the problem is the small handful of non-accepting people are making trans people's lives a living hell. This includes law makers, police officers, prison guards, and those committing the increasing trans homicides.
@@Jcewazhere idk to me it seems like bigotry is everywhere, being trans means that everyone from New York Times readers to Islamists and from my family to the top of the state government want you gone and at least a quarter of what conservatives think about is just how much they hate trans people or at least that's my experience as a young trans woman, yeah sure a lot of people are aware about trans people now but most thoughts about trans people are not positive
This is why we should push for own bathroom/employment bill and bill to protect trans youths rights to blockers and social transition…. Once the dems take back power.
Then give them some time to cool off
trans rights are human rights
@mechanism6648Is that…supposed to be good?
No, they are not.
They already have the same rights as everyone else. They want the privilege to intrude in women’s spaces. Not going to happen.
@@cyclicozone2072 So you want big burly trans men to be stuck in women's bathrooms or are you just obsessed with trans women
@@cyclicozone2072 trans people don’t have equal rights and equal treatment.
I feel like it's kind of sad to be as happy as I am whenever there's a segment on lgbt+ things but damn it I really appreciate it, especially since this one was so long ago (and has aged perfectly). It's nice to feel seen. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
I would avoid the comment section. It's fairly clean now but I imagine as soon as the rightwingers ring their bell they'll be all over this section. I hope not but I know from experience how ugly it can get and I see some here already.
@@LittleGrayMouse in my experience the comment are fine. It's in the reply sections that they show they're ugly heads
Yeah I see there have been a few on this video, so thanks for the warning, I'll try to keep this comment clean and just ignore them. Love both of your usernames btw!
Hi guys, I'm joining this little reply section to tell you all you're lovely and deserve an ice cream sandwich. Or if you're lactose intolerant like me, a dairy-free ice cream sandwich. lol But I agree, most of the reply sections have people throwing tantrums in them. It's better to ignore it unless you have thick skin.💜
@@Lilly_Belle thank you :)) I will be ignoring if any appear here, I recommend everyone else do the same!
Trans rights are human rights. Trans rights are your rights. Treat them accordingly. Also: If you listen really closely during the staticy HBO card, you can hear the RUclips compression algorithm begging for death!
I am not following your point. The only death I am aware of is the kid that made the passionate plea. He died by suicide. So much for transistioning being life saving care
@@markrussell3428 That's some quality bait you laid down there. Sorry you wasted it. I may have plenty of time, but that doesn't mean I want to spend that time talking to a troll whose only purpose here is making bad-faith arguments to start pointless "debates." God knows what you get out of it. Don't care. Go argue with yourself in a mirror and see if you can "win" that one.
@@crystalsoulslayer No worries. The mantra you were espousing is used to both confuse and inspire children. Parents face this dilemma when they are blind-sided with the support transistion or face the consequences. No one is really talking about what happens when the transistioned child ends up dead. At that point trans right are human rights ring sort of hallow.
@@markrussell3428 Go find a mirror. Stand in front of it. Read your comments out loud to yourself. And then, if the sound of your own statements doesn't lead you to wonder what you're doing with your life, look at yourself in that mirror and have whatever furious argument you're imagining having with me right now. I'm serious. It's very cathartic and much healthier than seeking out actual people to actually argue with.
@@markrussell3428ignorance is no excuse for supporting hateful retirement.
Being a celebrity cameo on this show really is a gamble. Sometimes you have to narrate an entire audiobook's worth of military torture records, and sometimes you say two words and go home.
13:40 I can't believe Jon Oliver made an edging joke in 2015
I felt like nobody caught that
I cannot believe my home state actually has a bathroom bill now.
I would love to protest but I’m afraid of being killed for obeying the law.
Bathroom bills are probably the most stupid and counterintuitive bills I have ever heard of, these bills are created out of fear that hairy men with beards are gonna enter women’s bathrooms, yet these bills force hairy bearded trans men to enter women’s bathrooms 😂
please, whoever runs the youtube account, please, make John watch this in 2024 and see the word we used to think was terrible
He did a second trans episode a year or so ago, but yes, I think there needs to be a third.
Wish there was more positive and supportive trans related media out there.
So sick of being hated for existing slightly different to the norm.
Aren't we beyond this
I served in the ‘90s. The combat uniform was genderless. It’s 2024. Why is gender still an issue?
Damm I didn't know that thx for the info. Sad we went backwards.
Sure progress was made but then bigots got mad about it we will outlive them tho!
16:21 That's why it never made sense when they make me take off my glasses.
"It messes with facial recognition."
It's so odd seeing the supreme court doing good things.
Or just doing things in general.
It is a rebroadcast from 9 years ago.
When gay marriage was legalized, I was a kid and watched my mom cry in disgust.
I’m a queer adult now. Me and my trans partner had a lovely dinner at my parents last night. Life is good
❤
its wild how little things change. i just graduated hs as a trans masc person. ive been called it and didnt use the bathroom i was comfortable with. its nice to see john supporting us so early on.
You don't understand why we have single-sex female spaces.
@@robertmarshall2502 huh??
@@Ghost_ieBear If you understood the point of single-sex female spaces you'd understand why they exist. Why do you think we had spaces where no males could enter? What do you think is the purpose? Why don't we have mixed prisons (except in regressive countries where they started putting males into female spaces)?
@@robertmarshall2502 they are transmasc. They are afab? What are you talking about???
@@user-zs4kv5bx9l Can you guys stop asking stupid questions and engage if you're going to write something.
If the person in question understood the purpose of single-sex female spaces then she would understand why she wasn't allowed in the male bathroom.
I know she is female. She clearly doesn't understand why we have female spaces however. Maybe you don't either. It's why you all fail to understand "the other side" (90% of the middle). You don't listen to the real arguments or why these systems and spaces exist. Although intuition should explain enough.
you’d think it would be ‘gay marriage has just been legalised’ but weirdly 4:04’s ‘mom’s on facebook now’ gave me the most culture shock of anything in the episode
The first time I watched this, I remember being a teen, so strange and curious and scared. I didn’t know what I was, but something about the fight for trans rights touched me.
I read in the comments before the trans rights segment that Henry died by suicide in 2022, and knew that going in, but it hit me like a truck when he spoke.
I grew up to be a trans teen and adult. And it’s been a battle, yes, but there is so much joy in it too. It’s a shame to see the same tactics used to fear-monger the public all this time later, but it’s also important to know that despite everything, progress has been made.
Rest In Peace Henry. We will keep fighting for you.
It's interesting, I wasn't raised around anyone that at least I knew was transgender, I've never personally known anyone that was transgender, unless they didn't admit it to me, and yet I still sit here not confused at all about what it means to be transgender or how to talk to someone if I was indeed communicating with someone transgender. It would never even be a thought to ask these stupid questions that these so-called professional journalists ask
Henry has since taken his own life in 2022. He was 24.
Untreated mental illness often results in suicide.
That's sad
Anyone else here thinking while watching these old videos of the meme of the lady saying "honey, you got a big storm coming"?
who is this young whipper snapper with john oliver's nose
Man, that Puff Daddy joke in late-2024...
That diddy joke aged well
a video about trans rights from before i even knew i was!
It feels weird having to state this again in the year 2024 but the fact is that trans rights are HUMAN rights.
And EVERYONE deserves basic human rights.
SO weird to have to restate that so often, still, after thousands of years of human civilization.
That line about Diddy aged like wine
Trans liberation now!
Trans power!
I'm terrified of the future, as being trans, but I want to stay hopefully for the future, I will stay hopeful. Thank you John Oliver, for continuing be a person/best host!
I appreciate that this comment section has a bunch of trans people just talking to each other instead of just hateful flaming en masse.
Feels like progress has been made socially... just wish the legislation would catch up.
Ah yes, yon olden times when a headline involving Caitlyn Jenner was considered a net positive for the trans community.
Thank you to whichever staffer reuploaded these in the correct order.
I'm gonna be honest... I don't know how all of those people have separate male and female bathrooms in their own house... Are they that rich they can afford that?
The one in my apartment is gender neutral... Nothing wrong with that!
"Wouldn't you just say 'a woman' then? I can't even keep up anymore!"
Bro, the answer is yes. Just call trans women women. It's not hard. You just got the right answer and then gave up on it. Broooo....!!!
As an Young man of the seventies , if mens room was full, i would use the ladies room ; Still do .
Glad I'm a Canadian . Blessed freedom .
When it's so important the entire episode gets uploaded.
Three of my maternal grandparents' descendants are trans females. I am grateful for their influence in my life and how I have learned from each of them. By amazing coincidence, they have been some of my favorites, even before they came out.
Jon brother I need a follow up episode. Things got rough out here for us last couple years.
There was a follow up episode last year.
I felt my body clench the moment I saw this. I'm gonna have a really bad time watching this but I NEED to know how bad the nation wants to screw me over.
This is a repost of a video from 2015
There was more energy in these times. From him, and from the audience. This was a time of more hope
The zoo at which I volunteer and am doing graduate school has an ostrich named Dusty. He randomly decided he doesn't like his zebra roommates any more, has done a full courting display for a construction worker, and is generally a complete jerk and not very bright. We love him for it.
Also yeah as the only openly agender/nonbinary person at said zoo, hearing John break everything down is amazing and reassuring.
i’m always down to re-watch this one
Holy notifications Batman!
I think that weather guy had the right attitude.
"Well wouldn't you just say a woman then?"
almost a decade later, and Keith Richards is still alive
I spend my leap seconds watching the pufferfish meme.
this episode helped me come to terms with my identity. thank you, john
It’s unbelievable that the story about “bathroom bills” is just as relevant now than it was when gay marriage was first legalized. Then again, its taken decades just to get marriage rights so it’s really not that surprising.
The fact that nothing had meanfully changed in so many years just makrd mr sad
The depressing truth is that it has gotten a lot worse.
@@rosieg6989 @coolcats435 untrue! things have in fact gotten better! it's true that there have been some regressions, especially given how hard certain groups have been working to make life harder for us, but there have been many improvements! here are a few things that have changed for the better since 2015:
-most states no longer require surgery before you can change your name and gender marker, and every state save kansas and florida allow gender changes on driver;s licenses
-some states now allow the option "x" for gender markers (i just got mine yesterday! tho one day i hope we can have the option of removing gender markers altogether, since it's kinda unnecessary imo)
-if you have a valid us passport, you have the options of m, f, or x for gender markers, to be determined by the individual in question (i think this is also true if you weren't born here but hold some kind of status)
-the 2012 equal access rule was expanded to grant equal access to all hud programs and shelters, regardless of perceived or actual gender identity
-14 states and washington dc have passed laws to protect trans people, their families, and their healthcare providers fleeing anti-trans violence and legislation from being extradited
-the supreme court determined that title vii of the civil rights act of 1964 extends to transgender people in both public and private employment
-26 states now have some kind of ban on conversion therapy relating to gender identity, as do dc and puerto rico
-28 states and dc have state medicaid policies explicitly including transition-related coverage
-24 states and dc have laws prohibiting transgender exclusion in private insurance
*there's been progress outside of the states as well, of course!* (being american, i know less about this, so anyone with more knowledge please correct me if i slip up!)
-argentina now legally recognizes nonbinary gender on all official documentation, and not only that but they provide economic incentives for businesses in the private sector to employ transgender and travesti workers
-australia repealed the law requiring people to be single before changing their recorded sex (i believe this was referred to as the "forced divorce" requirement)
-brazil's supreme federal court ruled that trans people have the right to change their official name and sex without undergoing surgery or professional evaluation
-canada added gender identity/expression to their human rights act, and now has a nationwide conversion therapy ban
-pakistan's senate unanimously passed a bill that allows trans people to determine their own gender
-botswana's high court ruled in favor of trans applicants for legal gender change in two separate cases, setting a precedent for other trans people seeking gender changes on official documents
-finland finally removed the sterilization requirement for gender reassignment
-the greek parliament passed a bill allowing trans people 17 or older to legally change their gender with no conditions
-just a couple months ago, sweden removed the requirement of a gender dysphoria diagnosis for legal gender change
-adults in portugal can legally change their gender without any requirements, and conversion therapy has been criminalized
-the constitutional court of romania overturned the parliament's ban on gender identity studies within half a year of it being passed
-mexico's supreme court ruled that the right to self-determination of gender identity is a fundamental human right, and just this year the mexican senate voted overwhelmingly to ban conversion therapy
-chile passed a law recognizing the right to self-determination of gender identity, and anyone over 14 can legally change their name and gender (there are somewhat more requirements for people between 14-18, and anyone under 14, while not able to make legal changes, will still be recognized as trans)
-the constitutional court of columbia ordered the columbian government to facilitate the inclusion of nonbinary gender identification markers in identity documents
-ecuador approved a gender identity law allowing for self-determination of gender identity, and will distribute new legal ids for those who change their gender/name
-peru added sexual orientation and gender identity protections to their hate crime laws
-uruguay passed the comprehensive law for trans persons, which among other things provided reparations to the ~50 trans people persecuted during the uruguyan dictatorship
tldr: there's a lot of really awful stuff happening, to be sure, but we can't forget that we HAVE made progress.
17:35 this part is the most impacting just think how bad things have to be with transgender people that a transgender man describes his service in Afghanistan as overwhelming positive
trans rights
Yes!
A part of me appreciates the weather mans confusion where he was like "Well then isn't that just a woman?" 😅 Ooooh bless you sir.
Back when the Supreme Court actually did their job without being complete nonces about it.
Turns out, you need a Democratic majority for that to be the case.
I try not to go into public restrooms because I'm afraid of being physically assaulted in the men's or verbally assaulted in the women's.
It wasn't until I found out that my grandchildren had been told that they weren't allowed to come visit me because they'll die, that I don't feel like going out anymore.
I use to hate public bathrooms because they are filthy and I’m slightly a germaphobe. That got worse when I ended up in a manual wheelchair, because I have to touch the wheels that touch the gross sticky floor. Now I worry no matter which I use is illegal, and someone will justify leaving me dead in a heap on the floor and get away with it because trans panic is once again just as valid a criminal defense as self defense.
My family disowned me in 1984, reunited with me during the brief period being an ally was seen as cool, then disowned me again in 2022 once the wave of trans panic made being an ally a liability to them for whatever reason. I changed my name shortly after so they can’t locate or contact me again, to protect my sanity. They know where I live currently, no getting around that for reasons I stated a few ago on this thread, but they didn’t want to visit before so I don’t think that will change. 😊
@Jana.Milcham Yeah, that is also true. The hygiene is often an issue as well, I'd hate to see what some of these people's bathrooms are like at home.
I'm sorry to hear about family. It's a horrible feeling knowing you can't rely on or be supported by those who you should be able to trust the most. I hope you have others in your life with which you can.
So so so glad that the DMV I went to back when I lived in WV was actually decent. I was pretty obviously trans at the time and the folk there were fairly supportive and even offered to put my preferred gender on my ID. But given the culture around there I do understand how those poor women got treated. There are lots of kind and caring folk in WV but there is still a very large portion of the population that is extremely and willingly ignorant
What is terrible is in Florida that is now a crime. If a police officer pulls over a trans man and it says male on their drivers license they will be arrested with a charge of fraud.
Thanks for helping us fight the fight! It’s so nice to have an ally! ❤
This was the episode that taught me what transgender meant, before that I had no language to describe how I felt. I've been out for more than 5 years now and I couldn't be happier. Thanks to John Oliver and to all the crew that worked on this episode of last week tonight.
It feels so weird, seeing this from 2015.......
Honestly, that weather man, kinda based. "Aren't you just saying a woman then?" Yeah transgender women are women.
Ah yes, the only reliable source of news
And it’s (the bigotry and anti trans laws) so much worse now…
that's what tolerance gets you
Again thanks for the content 🎉🎉🎉🎉