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SNL Deadnames, Misgenders Caitlyn Jenner in Transphobic SegmentÂ
SNL Deadnames, Misgenders Caitlyn Jenner in Transphobic SegmentÂ
Saturday Night Live's Michael Che dragged Caitlyn Jenner's gender identity into a joke about Kanye West while Colin Jost laughed.Â
During a rambling joke about Kanye West turning into an "old white lady" on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update, Michael Che deadnamed Caitlyn Jenner and called her a "fella." Trans people and allies have responded with outrage on Twitter with some demanding Che be fired. Meanwhile, American Civil Liberties Union attorney Chase Strangio called the SNL bit "dangerous" for trans people.
\u201cThe number 1 search related to my name is "Chase Strangio birth name". When large platforms like SNL deadname and misgender trans people it legitimizes the notion of trans-ness as spectacle and fraud. It isn't funny. It is dangerous.\u201d— Chase Strangio (@Chase Strangio) 1572274653
Remarking on West's new album Jesus Is King and his decision to swap out some of old lyrics to make them less profane and more G-rated, Che said, "At first I thought Kanye was losing his mind, and now I feel like he's fine. He's just turning into an old white lady."
"I mean, he used to be one of the coolest black dudes on earth. Now he's showing up to events in sweatpants and orthopedic sneakers, listening to Kenny G, and trying to get black people to like Trump. It's like, how long before this guy changes his name to Kathy?" Che quipped.
But he didn't stop there. Che dragged West's wife Kim Kardashian's former stepparent Jenner, who came out as trans in 2015, into the "joke."
"Now, you might think that I'm crazy, but about five years ago, there was a fella named Bruce Jenner, and he moved to Calabasas ... " Che said feigning misgendering and deadnaming Jenner. Then he looked sheepishly at Weekend Update cohost Colin Jost who was laughing with his head in his hands.
Here is the problematic segment.
In September, SNL hired comedian Shane Gillis, who has a history of racist and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric in the name of comedy. Gillis was eventually fired from the show after massive outrage erupted on social media.
Strangio wasn't the only one to condemn the Weekend Update segment. Several Twitter users called it out as transphobic.
\u201cMichael Che about to try out the transphobic joke he was working on all week\u201d— Will Long (@Will Long) 1572151427
None— Ruk (@Ruk) 1572287686
None— Urackum (@Urackum) 1572306287
\u201c.@nbcsnl Michael Che\u2019s transphobic and misogynist BS has to go. It\u2019s awful and totally not funny. He obviously has nothing left in the tank.\u201d— Amy Johnson (@Amy Johnson) 1572150837
\u201c@nbcsnl .@ColinJost, too. He\u2019s co-head writer with Che and every bit as responsible.\u201d— Amy Johnson (@Amy Johnson) 1572150837
