GLAAD: 'SNL Skit Sends a Destructive and Dehumanizing Message'

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You want to know why that clip is funny? Because “SNL” is actually going after a bona fide sacred cow. I mean, a real sacred cow, not a fake one like the Catholic Church. Further proof of that protected status comes from GLAAD itself:

The piece was a mock commercial for estrogen replacement therapy and featured men with facial hair wearing dresses, meant to represent transgender women. This segment cannot be defended as “just a joke” because there was no “joke” to speak of. The attempted comedy of the skit hinges solely on degrading the lives and experiences of transgender women. Holding people up for ridicule simply on the basis of their identity fuels a hurtful climate and puts people in danger, especially given how infrequently the media shines a fair and accurate light on the lives of transgender people. “The violence, discrimination and harassment that transgender Americans experience each and every day is no laughing matter,” said GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios. “Saturday Night Live is a touchstone of American comedy, but Saturday’s unfunny skit sends a destructive and dehumanizing message.”

Whatever. They have every right to fight back, I guess. Between this and that “electric cars are gay” joke, the entire non-heterosexual community must feel as under assault as Sarah Palin. Two jokes in one year. It’s a regular Hate-a-palooza out here.

What is silly, though, is the petition to demand an apology. As of this writing, 2,255 people have signed on. Not exactly the kind of numbers necessary to put a chill down the spine of NBC but most certainly the kind of numbers that likely prove that the people GLAAD claims to represent are better able to laugh at themselves than their joyless “spokespeople.”

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