ICYMI: Watch John Oliver Hit Back Against Latest Round of Attacks on Transgender Youth

As extremist politicians continue their unprecedented legislative assault on transgender individuals – especially transgender children and young people – working overtime to shamelessly advance discrimination on a scale never seen before, the newest episode of HBO’s hit show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver discusses the newest threats facing transgender rights. The episode comes one week after Jon Stewart debunked anti-transgender myths on his AppleTV show, “The Problem with Jon Stewart.” “This powerful segment from John Oliver, is another excellent example of a comedian doing high-quality, thorough reporting on transgender rights while refuting rampant lies and disinformation,” said Human Rights Campaign Senior Vice President for Programs, Research, and Training Jay Brown. “With the rights of transgender individuals under attack by state legislators around the country, it is of utmost urgency that these issues are elevated in our national discourse. We are grateful that prominent figures are talking about these important issues and debunking virulent anti-trans propaganda.” “This year alone over a hundred anti-trans bills have been introduced in state houses, and twelve states have signed or enacted them, with all of this happening against a backdrop of violence and threats including attacks and harassment aimed at hospitals providing gender-affirming care to youth.” “We're going to be taking the arguments behind a lot of these anti-trans bills seriously – but not sincerely – because of what they're doing so often they seem to be based more on political calculation than what is actually happening.” “To be very clear there is ample evidence of gender variance throughout human history. And as far back as historians have found evidence of trans people, they found trans children. As for the rapid rise in kids identifying as trans, the writer Julia Serrano has pointed out that when you look at a chart of left-handedness among Americans over the 20th century you see a massive spike when we stopped forcing kids to write with their right hand, and then a plateau. That doesn't mean everyone became left-handed or there was a rapid onset of South Paw Dysphoria it means people were free to be who they were.” “So much of the fear of and arguments against transgender people seems to flow from misinformation and misunderstanding. Maybe the biggest and most dangerous area of ignorance surrounds the concept of gender-affirming care in recent years. Four states have enacted bans or restrictions on youth access to it and over a dozen more have considered similar legislation this year alone. They have been fueled by a lack of basic knowledge about what gender-affirming care actually consists of.” “Let's break down exactly what gender-affirming care consists of because in younger children it can mean nothing more than a social transition, like calling them by a new name or giving them a new haircut or clothing… Because, to be very clear, prepubescent children are not eligible for medical interventions. Now at the onset of puberty, an adolescent and their family might consider puberty blockers hormones that delay [puberty] – and importantly if that treatment is suspended then puberty will resume – meaning that this is reversible. Think of it like a pause button. All of this would only happen after a team of medical professionals discussed all of its risks and benefits with their patients and their patient's parent or guardians – all of whom would have to sign off on it. Basically, no kid is casually dropping into an operating room because they just decided to get their uterus removed with the impulsive recklessness normally associated with getting bangs.” “The benefits of providing care are immense, and the risks of withholding it are dire. A survey of trans people found that of those who wanted hormone therapy and didn't receive it, 58% reported suicidal thoughts in a given year. This is why the three major professional associations of child and adolescent doctors, psychologists, and psychiatrists have endorsed gender-affirming care and condemned efforts to deny it.” “I love ballet, math, science, and geology. I spend my free time with my cats and chickens, FaceTiming my friends, and dreaming of when I will finally meet Dolly Parton. I do not like spending my free time asking adults to make good choices. It just makes me sad that some politicians use trans kids like me to get votes from people who hate me just because I exist. God loves me for who I am and God does not make mistakes.” – Transgender youth activist, Kai Shapley “I