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Don Cheadle Supports Trans Kids with Powerful Message on SNL

Don Cheadle Supports Trans Kids with Powerful Message on SNL

Don Cheadle

The Saturday Night Live host also wore a Soviet hockey jersey that read "Trump." 

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Saturday Night Live host Don Cheadle used his platform and wardrobe choices to send a few pointed messages this weekend.

Cheadle, whose Showtime series Black Monday began airing in January, stepped out to introduce the show's musical guest Gary Clark Jr. sporting a tee that read "Protect Trans Kids."

Later, Cheadle closed the show wearing a Soviet hockey jersey with "Trump" on the front and "45" on the back, leaning into Donald Trump's alleged ties with Russia and Vladimir Putin.

Cheadle didn't make a statement about his "Protect Trans Kids" shirt at the time, but the gesture was roundly praised on Twitter for his calling attention to a vulnerable, underrepresented segment of the population.

His message of protecting trans people juxtaposed with one about Trump's duplicity was pointed. Trump and his administration have continually targeted vulnerable trans people with the military ban and rescinding protections for trans kids in schools.

Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin, trans activist Charlotte Clymer, the National Center for Transgender Rights, PFLAG were among those who praised Cheadle for sending the message.

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Tracy E. Gilchrist

Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.