David Letterman's 46-Second Insult to Transgender Folks Everywhere

by Michael Jones · 2010-01-06 06:52:00 UTC
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LettermanDavid Letterman has a message to deliver about President Obama's newest appointee to the U.S. Commerce Department, Amanda Simpson. See, she's transgender, and the first Presidential appointee ever to be transgender at that.

Yet don't expect Letterman, or his team of writers, to note the historical significance of that. Instead, the fact that Simpson is a transgender person is enough for The Late Show to make a joke about throwing up. "Eww, she used to be a dude! Barf!!"

Transphobia passes for comedy on The Late Show now? Time to let David Letterman and his staff have it for turning an historical appointment, and turning it into a gag that only fosters further animosity toward America's transgender population.

Check out the video of Letterman's "joke" after the jump.


Amanda Simpson herself said that being the first transgender appointee at the executive office level wouldn't be easy.

"[There will be] questions like: Is this a token? Are you here to do a job or just to fill a quota or appease other people? In that regard it makes it a bit more difficult," Simpson told ABC News. "I'm sure I will have to do and intend to do a far superior job than any other person. But I'm sure I will always be second guessed."

Let the second guessing begin, and it all starts with David Letterman. Making a joke that transgender folks are enough to make one sick only reinforces the type of bigotry and discrimination that fuels anti-trans violence in this country. As the National Center for Transgender Equality points out, that violence has disastrous consequences.

"For years, transgender people have been murdered on an average of more than one person per month; many more have been assaulted," the Center says.

Why does such violence occur? Because society, and apparently The Late Show, sends a message that trans folks are sick and something to be feared.

Let The Late Show staff know that transphobia isn't funny. Demand that David Letterman apologize, and hell, maybe even invite Amanda Simpson on his show, so that his staff -- and maybe a good chunk of America -- could get a better sense of just how damn qualified she really is for the job she was appointed to.

Photo: heymynameispaul

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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