Seth Meyers Gives a History Lesson on Bathrooms

Seth Meyers took a shot at transphobic politicians on his show Tuesday.

Last Friday, after the Obama administration announced that schools receiving federal funding may not discriminate against students on the basis of their gender identity, there was a backlash from Republicans who did not support the directive.

The latest debate about transgender people using the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity is not the first time the U.S. has debated bathroom politics, said the Late Night With Seth Meyers host.

Separate bathrooms for men and women were established in the 1800s, reported Meyers, when women started working in factories. The host then referenced how laws forced black Americans to use different bathrooms from whites during the Jim Crow era. In the 1980s, there was a movement to prohibit gay men from using public restrooms because people were afraid that they would contact HIV from sharing a toilet seat, reported the NBC host.

The Late Night host noted that right-wing politicians such as Ted Cruz say they are against trans people using the public bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity because it puts children in danger, but that is just another "classic move," said Meyers, to paint minorites as "predators."

There is overwhelming evidence nationwide that there has never been a single verified report of a transgender person assaulting a cisgender (nontrans) person in a bathroom or locker room, nor has there ever been a confirmed instance of someone "pretending" to be transgender to gain access to sex-segregated spaces for nefarious purposes.

"The idea that trans people are a dangerous presence in bathrooms or a threat to our children is a lie," Meyers said as he closes his segment.

Watch a clip of Meyers on bathrooms below.

RELATED: North Carolina's Entire History of Homophobia in 90 Seconds, below.