Late night comic David Letterman has come under fire from a pair of gay rights advocacy groups over an anti-transgender skit mocking the Obama administration’s appointment of Amanda Sampson to a senior position at the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Amanda — who was born Mitch 48 years ago — started her job as a senior technical advisor on Tuesday. Dave and his Late Show crew used the historic appointment to poke fun at gender-bending by featuring a “Trans Panic” spoof that aired on last night’s program. GLAAD and The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, have presented the Late Show’s parent network, CBS, with letters denouncing the controversial sketch.
Both groups are calling for a public apology.
“Depicting people reacting in horror to transgender individuals is a dangerous stereotype for popular media to perpetuate because it contributes to the societal conception of transgender people as abnormal and deceptive, which all-too-often results in anti-transgender violence and/or discrimination when played out in reality,” GLAAD said in a statement Wednesday. “We are reaching out to CBS Late Show with David Letterman with our concerns about this transphobic joke. Please send your concerns to CBS.”
The Human Rights Campaign writes: “You may not be aware that the punch line in your skit has been used as a defense in nearly every hate crime perpetrated against transgender people that has come to trial….Your skit affirmed and encouraged a prejudice against transgender Americans that keeps many from finding jobs, housing, and enjoying freedoms you and your writers take for granted every day. We ask that you apologize publicly to Ms. Simpson and the transgender community for this unfortunate episode.”